ALOR SETAR: Ferry operations at the Kuala Kedah Passenger Terminal will be temporarily suspended until this Saturday (Sept 21) due to warnings of strong winds and rough seas in the northern Straits of Malacca, issued by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
Konsortium Ferrylines Ventures Sdn Bhd general manager Capt Dr Baharin Baharom said that the disruption in ferry services caused by strong winds and rough seas from Tuesday to Saturday has affected a total of 12,532 passengers.
"Additional ferries will be deployed to the maximum extent through the Kuala Perlis Passenger Terminal, depending on the terminal's capacity to handle the number of ferries at any given time as approved by the Malaysian Maritime Department.
"During the temporary closure of the Kuala Kedah Passenger Terminal, passengers are advised to reroute via Kuala Perlis until weather conditions improve," he said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 19).
He added that affected passengers can either request for a refund or reschedule their trips.
Earlier, it was reported that ten ferry services on the Langkawi-Kuala Kedah-Langkawi route had to be cancelled due to strong winds and high waves in Kuala Kedah waters.
Ferry operations for this route were cancelled for the third consecutive day due to winds blowing at speeds of 40kmh to 50 kmh and 3.5m-high waves.
"Today's ferry operations had to be cancelled as it could jeopardise the safety of passengers and crew. The 8.30am ferry from Langkawi to Kuala Kedah with 589 passengers was also forced to turn back," said Baharin. – Bernama
