GEORGE TOWN, July 30 — Penang’s ferries, that plied the route between the island and Butterworth on the mainland, have long been an icon of the state since it was introduced more than a century ago.
The orange double-ended vessels that chugged across the Penang Straits used to be an important mode of transport for both passengers and vehicles to cross over to Butterworth on the mainland, and vice versa.
In fact, the ferry service was the oldest in the country, introduced by local entrepreneur, Quah Beng Kee, together with his brothers under the name, Beng Brothers back in 1894.
The Beng Brothers’ ferry service, at that time, did not only connect the island and to Butterworth but also to nearby areas like Teluk Ayer Tawar, Bagan Ajam, Bagan Luar, Simpang Ampat, Bukit Tambun and Kuala Kurau.
The fleet of ferries then consisted of three large steamers and seven smaller steam launches.
Over the years, due to growing passenger and cargo demands, the service continued to grow and soon, the earlier steamers were replaced with new ferries in the 1920s to be able to carry vehicles across the Penang Straits.
After World War II, in the 1950s, the Penang Harbour Board ordered new double-ended ferries with end-loading capabilities, where passengers were separated on the upper deck from the vehicles on the lower deck, with plans for new terminals.
The 1950s ferries were eventually replaced with newer models between the 1970s and early 2000s.
What started the decline of the iconic ferries was the construction of the first Penang Bridge which was opened to traffic on August 3, 1985.
Ironically, the bridge was supposed to alleviate the high demands on the ferries and the congestion at the ferry terminal.
A majority of the vehicles travelling between the mainland and the island switched to using the bridge while demand for the ferries declined.
Though foot passengers and vehicles, including cars, lorries, motorcycles and bicycles, continued to use the ferries to cross the channel, the ferries were ageing and demanded higher maintenance costs.
Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), the operator of the service, was reporting losses in the tens of millions.
In 2013, PPSB reported a loss of RM23 million per year and it was subsequently privatised to Seaport Terminal Sdn Bhd in 2014.
The service operator continued to bear losses annually and in 2017, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) took over the ferry service and rebranded it as Rapid Ferry.
PPSB took back operations of the ferry service from Prasarana in 2021 after the old iconic ferries were retired at the end of 2020. Fast speed boats were introduced to ferry passengers across the Penang Straits.
Prasarana handed over the iconic ferries to PPC in 2021.
One ferry that transported vehicles continued to ply the route for motorcycles and bicycles until July 2023.
A fleet of four new modern ferries, at a cost of RM100 million by PPSB, were introduced to ply the route from August 2023 onwards.
According to PPC chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin, the old ferries they owned were Pulau Pinang, Pulau Angsa, Pulau Undan, Pulau Payar, Pulau Talang Talang and Pulau Kapas.
Pulau Undan and Pulau Kapas, both docked at the Sultan Abdul Halim terminal in Butterworth, were soon to be scrapped. Pulau Kapas sank a few days ago.
PPC had gifted Pulau Angsa to the Penang state government in 2021 and the state government has called for a request for proposal (RFP) this year for a private company to convert and manage the ferry.
It was reported that Pulau Payar is docked at Raja Tun Uda terminal on the island and Pulau Talang-Talang was at a ship repair jetty in Lumut.
PPC had also previously sold off another ferry, Pulau Rimau, several years ago, and it is being refurbished to be turned into a restaurant.
Pulau Pinang is being refurbished and is currently docked at the Bagan Dalam slipway and according to Yeoh, it was leased out to a private company to be turned into a ferry museum.
“It will be transformed into a ferry museum, a tourism product, and it will be parked at Tanjung City Marina,” he said.
He said PPC is still open to proposals from private companies interested in taking over the remaining ferries and repurposing them.