Old Penang ferries might not come back for now, says Loke

 

The old car and pedestrian-mixed ferries, which were over 40 years old, were retired in 2021 due to high maintenance costs.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s old ferries, an iconic feature of the state for decades, might not make a comeback for the time being due to technical issues, says transport minister Loke Siew Fook.

He said this was because the ferry terminals in Penang have been upgraded for newer Dutch-designed ferries, of which four vessels will be in service on Aug 1.

The old car and pedestrian-mixed ferries, which were over 40 years old, were retired in 2021 due to high maintenance costs. Fast boats, like the ones used in Langkawi, now ferry pedestrians across the channel.

Loke said there were plans to bring back the iconic double-decker ferries, but its purpose had not been decided. He said talks were ongoing to bring back the ferries as transporters, “tourism ferries”, or floating museums.

“The car (double-decker) ferries cannot be brought back immediately, we have to look at how to overcome operational challenges,” he told a press conference here at Komtar.

Transport minister Loke Siew Fook (right) and Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow at the press conference in George Town.

Meanwhile, Loke said the expansion of the Penang International Airport from its present capacity of 6.5 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 12mppa would begin immediately.

The present control tower will be relocated to allow the terminal’s northward expansion, with a gross floor space increase of over 100%, he said.

He added that there would be no land reclamation to expand the airport and the Chung Shan Chinese School will remain as is for now. It was previously slated to be shifted to make way for the airport’s expansion.

Loke said the expansion would be fully funded by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and completed in three to four years’ time, with tenders for the project to be called in the next two months.

“The project will be funded without allocation from the federal government, with a deal to be struck between the finance ministry and MAHB.”

Loke said the expansion would follow the planning permission submitted in 2019. Further expansions of the airport in the future would depend on the National Airports Strategic Plan, which is expected to be ready by the third quarter of 2023.

On the proposed Kulim airport, the minister said the Kedah government had yet to submit a formal application for an aerodrome licence.

With Alor Setar and Langkawi airports already nearby, he said an airport in Kulim could lead to objections from MAHB.

He also said there was no update on the Bayan Lepas LRT project, with the project’s financial model still being discussed.

Penang plans to build a 30-station, 19km LRT line which would cost about RM8.5 billion. The state plans to finance the project through a three-island reclamation project. - FMT