THE irregular ferry service to and from Langkawi island, Kedah, during Chinese New Year has been because of low tide.
Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures Sdn Bhd operations manager Lieutenant-Commander (Rtd) Norhafiz Abdul Wahid said the water level was too low for the ferries to operate safely.
“For safety reasons, we can only operate when the water level is above 1.4m.
“During the first two days of Chinese New Year, we could only do eight trips,” he said.
Norhafiz said the ferry service from Langkawi was at 10am, while the service from Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis were from noon to 4.30pm.
“We could not have any evening or night trips as the tide was low,” he said.
Norhafiz said while there were fewer travellers to Langkawi during the festive period, all eight trips on the 651 passenger-capacity ferries were fully booked.
“Many wanted to get tickets at the last minute and we could not cater to demand.
“Last year, we had 10 trips during Chinese New Year but this year we could only manage eight during that time,” he said.
Norhafiz said there were also fewer visitors during the Christmas period.
While there were those who chose to fly into Langkawi, Norhafiz said those on a budget would still opt to use the ferry service.
“When it is a large group, especially families with many children, or B40 families, airfares are pricey.
“They prefer to take the ferry as it is economical and easier.
“They know the ride might not be smooth and are okay with it,” he said.
Recently, there have been comments from the public about the irregularity of ferries to and from Langkawi with many commenting on the choppy waters.
