Last working Penang ferry breaks down

Temporary setback: An auxiliary police officer closing the entrance to the Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal in George Town after the ferry service was disrupted.

GEORGE TOWN: It is a daily routine for R. Magheswaran to take the 8am ferry to Butterworth on the mainland, but yesterday was different.

For the first time in the 29-year-old company executive’s life, he reached the ferry terminal only to find that the service had completely stopped.The last working ferry in the 126-year-old history of the service developed major engine trouble late last night and thousands of commuters needing to cross the Penang channel found themselves stranded.