Extended Langkawi ferry delay due to low tide

 

Some of the stranded passengers at the Kuah Ferry Terminal. - Pic courtesy of NST reader.

ALOR SETAR: What started out as a common breakdown turned into an eight-hour delay for ferry passengers from Langkawi to Kuala Perlis yesterday due to the low tide phenomenon.

Konsortium Ferry Line Ventures human resources and operations manager Baharin Baharom said the company had to postpone the ferry from 2.30pm to 10pm due to the low tide.

"The ferry was supposed to depart Kuah Ferry Terminal at 2.30pm but it suffered a breakdown.

"After discussions, the consortium decided to reschedule the ferry to 10pm because if the ferry departed at 3.30pm, it will not be able to berth at the Kuala Perlis Jetty terminal due to the low tide.

"It is not safe for both passengers and ferry crew to get stranded onboard the ferry for a few hours," he said in a statement today.

Baharin said the ferry would be unable to berth or depart from the Kuala Perlis jetty during the low tide period as the sea water level could get below 1.6 metres.

He said the passengers finally departed the Kuah Jetty Terminal at 10pm and arrived in Kuala Perlis by 11.25pm.

Baharin admitted that there were tense moments between some of the passengers and the crew due to the prolonged delay but it was managed accordingly.

Earlier today, viral videos and pictures showed overcrowding and tense moments between passengers and ferry crew at the Kuah Ferry Terminal yesterday, due to a breakdown.

Malaysian Marine Department northern region Mohd Hafiz Abdul Majid in confirming the incident, said the breakdown involved a large capacity ferry.

However, he said all 423 passengers affected by the delay finally arrived at the Kuala Perlis Ferry Terminal at about 11.25pm yesterday by Express Bahagia 99.

The New Straits Times recently reported that the Langkawi ferry service operators were appealing to the Ministry of Transport to expedite maintenance dredging works at the Kuala Perlis Jetty to resolve ferry service disruptions during low tide.

Baharin was reported as saying the maintenance dredging works to excavate mud from the Kuala Perlis jetty seabed should be carried out every two years but the last project was done several years ago.

This led to several incidents of passengers being stranded for hours as the ferry could not berth at the jetty during low tide.

The shallow Kuala Perlis terminal also forced the consortium to suspend ferry services from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi and vice-versa from Feb 10 to 13 due to low tide. - NST