Both using the free ferry service provided by the FEHD and hiring a vessel to scatter cremated human ashes at sea have their own advantages, including:

Details of ferry services for scattering ashes at sea

FEHD provide free ferry service for scattering of cremains at sea. Detail as follows:

Professional funeral director will be on board to assist family members and friends in the memorial ceremonies. There will also be facilities to accommodate different religious rituals. The procedure of the Scattering of Cremains at Sea is outlined below:

1. Applicants, relatives and friends, together with the cremains of the deceased, arrive at the boarding area of the North Point East Ferry Pier before 8:30 a.m. on the day of scattering of cremains to register and board the ferry.
2. Staff will arrange for passengers to be seated on the upper deck of the vessel and each family will be given a separate table.
3. A professional funeral director introduces the process of scattering ashes at sea and the points to note during the voyage.
4. During the voyage, the funeral director will arrange each family to go to the designated room in order to put the ashes of the deceased into the biodegradable eco-bags provided by the FEHD. The bag will dissolve on its own after being put into the sea, so that the ashes of the deceased can blend with the nature and return to the nature. If family members choose to keep a small amount of cremains for preservation or memorial purposes, please ask the funeral director and bring your own container.
5. To add a touch of elegance and personalisation to the simplicity of the ash scattering ceremony at sea, the applicants are free to choose to send off your loved ones with the additional use “Floral Farewell Bags” which is made up of dried flowers and recycled papers provided by FEHD free of charge to bid farewell to their loved ones. Families and friends may write down their wishes for the deceased on the floral bag according to their personal preferences. After the ceremony, for those who opt to use the floral bag, may then place the eco-bag containing the cremated ashes into the floral bag and tie it with a knot.
6. Upon arrival at the designated area for scattering of cremains, the funeral director will invite each family in turn to the lower deck of the vessel for the scattering of cremains. According to the applicant's choice, the funeral director will prepare the relevant facilities to accommodate different religious rituals and provide the tablets with the names of the deceased.
7. Family may conduct a simple memorial service such as observing silence, praying and offering incense.
8. After the memorial ceremonies, family members and friends can pass the cremains of their beloved, together with fresh petals, to the embrace of nature. The fragrance of the flowers will accompany the family members and friends' thoughts of their loved ones back to the sea. Apart from the small amount of flower petals provided, family members can also prepare extra flower petals on their own.
9. Upon the return of the ferry, each family will be given a memorial card with the name of the deceased, date and place of scattering of ashes, together with a photo frame to commemorate the occasion.(Note: The photo frame is rotatable double sided. Family may place photo and commemorative card of their loved one on both sides of the frame for commemoration.)
10. To facilitate family members to remember and pay tribute to the deceased at anytime and anywhere, staff will assist family members to set up a memorial webpage for the deceased on the Internet Memorial Service, where they can preserve their fond memories of their beloved ones in the form of text, photos and video clips forever.
11. If you want to know the detail of memorial ceremony, please click here to watch video clip for introduction.

Since 2012, the FEHD has hired large ferries with a capacity of more than 300 passengers for provision of free ferry services for scattering cremated human ashes at sea, providing a more stable journey and a more comfortable environment for the public to conduct memorial ceremonies and scattering of ashes.

Professional funeral director on board assists family members and friends in conducting the pre-set memorial ceremonies.

The ferry is equipped with facilities to accommodate memorial ceremonies in different religious rituals and scattering of ashes at sea.

Floral Farewell Bag: If you wish to add elements of elegance and personalization to the simplicity of the ash scattering ceremony, you are free to choose to send off your loved ones with the use of the floral farewell bag which is made up of dried flowers and recycled paper, provided by FEHD free of charge. Families and friends may write down their blessings for the deceased on the floral bag, so that the cremains of their lost loved one can be returned to the nature with their blessings.

Upon arrival at the Designated Areas in Hong Kong waters, the funeral director will arrange each family to proceed to the lower deck of the ferry for memorial ceremony and scattering of ashes at sea. A small amount of flower petals is provided by FEHD, allowing the fragrance of the flowers to accompany the cremains of the deceased as they return to the sea. Family and friends may also prepare additional fresh flower petals on their own.

Complimentary Memorial card with the name of the deceased, date and place of scattering of ashes, together with a photo frame as a keepsake to the families who choose to use the service to scatter cremains at sea. (Note: The photo frame is rotatable double sided. Family may place photo and Memorial card of their loved one on both sides of the frame for commemoration.)

1. The FEHD is dedicated to providing quality service and assisting bereaved families in fulfilling the final journey of their loved ones. To this end, a larger vessel that can accommodate over 300 passengers has been employed for the free ferry services for scattering human ashes at sea, providing a more stable and comfortable sea voyage. However, due to the long journey and various safety considerations (e.g. rough sea conditions and high stairs,etc.), we generally do not recommend pregnant women, young children, individuals with limited mobility, or those who are unwell to participate in the voyage. However, we understand and respect families' wishes to bid farewell to their loved ones. If the aforementioned individuals need to board the ferry, we will make every effort to provide assistance.
2. Depending on the location of scattering ashes and the weather conditions on the day, the voyage may take between 3 to 5 hours. The ferry will return to the pier between 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Apart from the small amount of drinks and snacks provided free of charge on board the ash scattering ferry, Participants may bring their own light refreshments on board if necessary.
3. If the Hong Kong Observatory issues any Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal or Red/Black Rainstorm Warning Signal two hours before the outbound journey, the trip will be cancelled on that day.
4. The captain may cancel the day’s journey for safety reasons in case of unexpected adverse weather or sea conditions before departure or during the voyage.
5. Please keep warm as the sea is rough with strong wind. If necessary, please consider taking seasickness medication before embarkation.
6. Please be aware that, except for the incense provided by the FEHD, lighting self-carried offerings, such as joss sticks and joss paper, is strictly prohibited on board the vessel. Do not throw any food, ritual offerings, or other objects into the sea, except for the authorized scattering of cremated ashes of the deceased and a handful of fresh flower petals.
7. Participants must follow the arrangements and instructions provided by FEHD staff and their service contractors.

Due to outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection, FEHD has suspended the public visit to ferry service for scattering of ashes at sea until further notice.

To raise public awareness of the ferry service for scattering of ashes at sea, FEHD invites members of the public to attend such service on following Saturdays specified at table below and it is free of charge.

During the visit, FEHD will provide dedicated staff to introduce the service and visitors are required to keep quiet and refrain from causing any disturbance to service users on board. No photo taking/film shooting is allowed.

Details of the visits scheduled from June 2024 to December 2024 are as follows:

* The application start date is the 1st day of each visiting month, if that day is a non-working day, it will be postponed to the next working day. Successful applicants will receive confirmation notice by telephone, SMS or via instant messaging applications before the visit.

Every applicant may bring along a friend/family member on board. For registration, please call 2562 7130 [Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays) from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.]. Limited seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis. FEHD may cancel the activity or change the date of activity due to the emergency circumstances and/or other factors such as participation rate.

Remarks:

(1) On the date of visit, visitors must be punctual and arrive at North Point (East) Passenger Pier before 8:30 a.m. for registration. Please be punctual as there will be NO waiting for late-comers. If visitor is unable to attend the visit as scheduled, please notify FEHD in advance.

(2) The journey takes approximately 5 hours. The ferry returns to the North Point (East) Passenger Ferry Pier at around 2:00 p.m.

(3) If the Hong Kong Observatory issues any Tropical Cyclone Warning signal or the Red/Black Rainstorm Warning Signal at or after 7:00 a.m. on the day of departure, the visit will be cancelled.

(4) In case of special circumstances (such as the weather becomes inclement) that may affect the safety of the vessel during the outbound journey, the Captain of the vessel may decide to cancel the journey and return to the Pier.

(5) If necessary, please take medication against sea sickness before boarding the vessel.

(6) Visitors must follow the guidance and instructions provided by FEHD staff and service contractor.

In addition to the free ferry services for scattering cremated ashes at sea, the FEHD provides free memorial sails around Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals every year to facilitate previous users of FEHD’s services of scattering ashes at sea to take the ferry service to designated locations of Hong Kong waters and pay tribute to their lost loved ones. For more information, please refer to the announcements posted on this website about one month before the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals.

In recent years, there has been a growing concern for environmental protection, leading to an increase in green and simple funeral arrangements. As a result, the ways of paying tribute to the deceased have become more diverse. Below are some suggested ways to commemorate the deceased for public reference:

• Artwork ‘To my…’: The FEHD set up a new commemorative facility, the ‘To my…’ artwork, in Tsang Tsui GoR in Tuen Mun in this year. ‘To my…’ is a commemorative wooden artwork in an image of a Chinese boat by using recycled wood for families who previously adopted a green burial to pay tribute to the deceased. Memorial post boxes with local colours on the artwork also enable families to express their feelings or share thoughts of their lost loved ones. For more information, please click here: Artwork 'To my…'.
• Internet Memorial Service: The FEHD has set up the 'Internet Memorial Service' (IMS) website. This platform enables the public to create a memorial webpage for their deceased loved ones free of charge. It allows family and friends to pay tribute to their loved ones on the Internet at any time and from anywhere. The public may upload texts, photos and videos to preserve the fond memories of their lost loved ones. For more information, please click here: IMS website
• Memorial photo frame: As a gesture of gratitude for supporting green burial by scattering cremated ashes at sea, each applicant will receive a memorial card with the name of the deceased, the date and location of the cremains scattering, as well as a memorial photo frame as a keepsake.
• Free Memorial Sails(for service users of free ferry service for scattering cremated of ashes at sea): After scattering of cremains, members of the public can join the FEHD's free Memorial Sails, which are held annually during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals, to express their condolences to the sea. For more information, please click here: Free Memorial Sails.
• Ash Display/Ornaments: Local funeral service providers also offer innovative green burial options, such as retaining a small amount of ashes and transforming them into memorial crystals, diamonds or glass ornaments to facilitate members of the public to pay tribute to the deceased anytime anywhere. For more information, please contact Licensed Undertakers of Burials.

More and more people are choosing to dispose of cremated human ashes in a more environmentally friendly way so that the deceased can rest in peace in the lap of nature. In view of that, the FEHD has enhanced its free ferry services for scattering cremated human ashes at sea starting from January 2012 by hiring larger ferries with a capacity of more than 300 passengers. The use of larger ferries will provide a more stable journey and a more comfortable environment for families to conduct memorial ceremonies. In view of the favourable public response to the free ferry service for scattering cremated human ashes, the FEHD has subsequently further increased the frequency of ferry trips to weekly departures on Saturdays (except public holidays). The FEHD will closely monitor the demand and consider additional ferry trips when necessary.