A total of 141,720 visitors used the Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal in Iskandar Puteri last year. — Courtesy photo
THE Johor government will be undertaking a study on introducing a ferry service between Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal in Iskandar Puteri and Singapore.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that he recently had the opportunity to monitor operations at the ferry terminal, which is one of the country’s sea gateways.
“Last year, a total of 141,720 visitors travelled to Batam and Tanjung Balai in Indonesia using ferry services at the terminal, which is owned and managed by UEM Sunrise Bhd.
“Between 2019 and 2022, about 36% of visitor arrivals at the ferry terminal came to Johor for medical treatment,” he said in a Facebook post.
Onn Hafiz added that this proved the importance of transportation infrastructure such as the ferry terminal in supporting local economic sectors.
He said he has told state tourism, environment, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar to see how travel from the ferry terminal to Singapore could be enabled.
“This new route is expected to further facilitate travel between Johor and Singapore.
“The state government will work with the federal government and UEM Sunrise to also improve service quality at this ferry terminal,” he added.
Raven Kumar said Onn Hafiz had asked him to look at the best method to enable the journey from Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal to Tuas Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) in Singapore.
“The provision of transport infrastructure is very important to attract tourists into the state,” he said in a statement on social media.
In August last year it was reported that Malaysia and Singapore were looking at the possibility of having another ferry service between Johor and the island republic.
The matter was among several issues discussed during the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) held at a hotel in Iskandar Puteri on Aug 11 last year.
In a joint statement, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to focus on enhancing investments and innovation to drive economic recovery post-pandemic.
“The JMCIM recognises the importance of providing various transportation and other connectivity options for cross-border travel between Malaysia and Singapore.
“The JMCIM notes that the Transportation Links Work Group (TLWG) will also study ways to enhance cross-border connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists and agrees for TLWG to study the feasibility of proposals for new ferry services from Puteri Harbour to Tuas in Singapore,” it said.
