Penang’s new ferries costing RM72mil have arrived

BUTTERWORTH: It’s the beginning of a new era as four state-of-the-art ferries arrived in Penang to transport passengers and two-wheelers across the channel.

Costing RM18mil each, the ferries – Teluk Kumbar, Teluk Bahang, Teluk Duyung and Teluk Kampi – were carried by cargo vessel MV Happy Star to the Butterworth Wharf from the Haiphong shipyard in Vietnam.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan said two of the ferries were towed by a tugboat to the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) on the island while the other two headed to the Penang mainland.

“They will begin operation at the upgraded Raja Tun Uda terminal on the island and at the Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim new terminal on the mainland in August,” he said yesterday.

PPSB has spent RM100mil on the new ferries and the terminal upgrade.

The new ferries can accommodate 250 passengers plus 50 two-wheelers.

All the old Penang ferries had been retired in December 2020 with the last one decommissioned in December 2022.

The travel time on the new vessels is about 10 minutes, compared to 20 minutes on the old ferries.

Normal vehicles will still need to use the two Penang bridges to cross the channel.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke is scheduled to board a new ferry at SPCT when he visits the terminal on Saturday.