Wee: New vessels much safer and more comfortable

PETALING JAYA: The new water buses and vehicle transporters that will be used in Penang’s ferry service will be much safer and more comfortable for passengers, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).

Addressing claims the ferry service is being terminated, Dr Wee said it will be upgraded and improved.

“The government and the Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) will spend RM36.5mil as a whole to buy three new water buses and two roll-on/roll-off ferries (Ro-Ro) that would also ferry two-wheeled vehicles.

“It is far safer, more comfortable and faster. This will increase the attractiveness of Penang as a tourist destination, ” he said in a Facebook statement yesterday.

The existing ferries, he said, would need to undergo maintenance once a month on average and cost some RM3.5mil each to be maintained annually.

As such, he said the ferries which have been in use for 47 years to transport four-wheeled vehicles could be repurposed instead.

“Because of their age, the Transport and Finance Ministry would have no opposition if Penang Port Commission, PPSB, the state government, or the private sector wish to modify them as restaurants, museums or cruise ships, ” he said.

Dr Wee added upgrading the ferry service was not a new matter and that the previous Transport Minister Anthony Loke had announced in Parliament on Oct 1,2018 that an allocation of RM90mil was given to Prasarana to do so.

“However, almost a year later in Aug 2019, Loke said that the RM90mil allocation cannot be disbursed when the Pakatan Harapan administration decided to negotiate with PPSB to take over the ferry service and to invest in new catamarans, ” he said.

Dr Wee added when Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow met with the Transport Ministry on Aug 27, the Ministry had stated its intention to upgrade the ferry service.

“When Anthony Loke announced the use of the catamarans with Chow to replace the existing ferry service in 2019, why did Lim Guan Eng, as the Finance Minister at the time, did not reject Loke’s suggestion to buy the new Ro-Ro ferries that can transport cars in order to ‘preserve’ the history and heritage of Penang?

“The reality is that the use of the catamarans as a replacement to the existing ferries had already received a blessing from the DAP when they were in the government, ” he said.