Las Vegas Sands Corp. is to appeal against a Macau court’s decision to halt ferries delivering customers almost to the doorstep of its Venetian Macau property on Cotai.
The Court of Second Instance ruled last week the government illegally awarded a contract to LVS subsidiary CotaiJet by failing to put the concession out to open tender. There is no suggestion CotaiJet or LVS acted improperly in the concession process.
It is the second lawsuit that rival operator Hong Kong North West Express, which is competing for the ferry business, has brought against the Macau government and CotaiJet according to the South China Morning Post.
LVS says it expects to continue to run the ferry service until a decision by Macau’s Court of Final Appeal or some other resolution of the matter.
“We believe the Macau authorities are committed to finding a solution that, in the event the lower court ruling is not reversed, would ensure that CotaiJet ferry operations are not suspended and that the public interest is protected,” Sheldon Adelson, LVS’s chairman and chief executive, said in a prepared statement.