[1] The original company was founded by a Chinese business man named Lau Tak Po in 1897 during the Colonial Hong Kong era.

At the time he purchased 5 wooden boats and provided services exclusively to Kowloon under the company name "Yaumati Ferry".

Lau Tak Po then started to recruit other Chinese Merchants to compete for the ferry licence.

[6] Due to warnings from the government as to the low quality of the vessels, the old fleet was eventually replaced by newly built wooden and steel ferries during the 1920s.

Although it gave up its franchised ferry licences in 2000, the company retained the Dangerous Goods Vehicular Ferry Service routes between North Point, Kwun Tong, and Mui Wo, as these vehicles are not allowed to go through any one of the three cross harbour tunnels, while Mui Wo is situated on Lantau Island.