Penang ferry service

The Penang Ferry Service is the oldest ferry service within the State of Penang, Malaysia, connecting the city of George Town on Penang Island and Butterworth on the mainland. This cross-strait transit has been operational since 1894, making it the oldest ferry service in Malaysia.^[1] Its fleet of six ferries carries both passengers and automobiles across the Penang Strait daily; each roll-on/roll-off ferry could accommodate cars either on its lower deck or on both decks.^[2]

Penang Ferry Service

Teluk Bahang catamaran departing George Town for Butterworth across the Penang Strait
Locale	Penang, Malaysia George Town Butterworth Penang ferry service (Penang)
Waterway	Penang Strait
Transit type	Passenger and automobile ferry
Owner	Penang Port Sdn Bhd
Began operation	1894; 130 years ago (1894)
System length	3 km (1.9 mi)
No. of lines	1
No. of vessels	4
No. of terminals	2

The first cross-strait ferry service between Penang Island and the mainland began in 1894.^[1] This regular service was initiated by Quah Beng Kee, an entrepreneur from Penang Island together with his 4 brothers forming a company named Beng Brothers.^[3] Originally a passenger-only service, the ferries were later refitted to carry automobiles in 1925. From 1924, the ferries were operated by the Penang Port Commission (formerly Penang Harbour Board), through its subsidiary, Penang Port Sdn Bhd.

In 2017, the Malaysian federal government began transferring the ferry service from Penang Port Sdn Bhd to Prasarana Malaysia, a government-owned entity which manages urban public transportation across Malaysia.^[2][4][5] Following the handover, the ferry service has been rebranded as Rapid Ferry. On 31 December 2020, Rapid Ferry ended its service after 3 years.^[6]

In 2021, Penang Port Sdn Bhd, which took over the ferry service from Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, began operating fast passenger boats between the mainland and the island, while one of the iconic ferries, Pulau Angsa, was used to transport only motorcycles and bicycles.

Ferry fleet

The seven ferries in the current fleet and 13 retired ferries are named after islands in Malaysia.^[7]

Status	Upper deck configuration	Name	Year built	Deadweight tonnage	IMO ship identification number	Photograph	Remark
Retired	Passenger	Kulim	1929	N/A	N/A		Tanjong's sister, sank on 1941 by Japan near Jeti Lama, Butterworth
Retired	Passenger	Tanjong	1929	N/A	N/A		Kulim's sister, sank on 1941 by Japan near Jeti Lama, Butterworth
Retired	Mixed	Bagan	1938	N/A	N/A		taken away by the Japanese to Sumatera on 1941. Bagan was brought back to Butterworth to be repaired for reuse after the Second World War on 1946.
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Pinang	1956	N/A			Sold to Pt. Pewete and renamed to KMP Aeng Mas
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Aman	1959	139	5286831		Destroyed in a fire in Johor in 2003
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Langkawi	1959	139	5286867
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Pangkor	1959	139	5286893		Sold to Indonesia operator & rename as Bahari Nusantara
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Tioman	1959	139	5287017
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Lumut	1967	139	6422913		Last spotted at Sepanggar Sabah in 2018
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Redang	1971	139	7030470
Retired	Passenger[8]	Pulau Labuan	1971	139	7038408
Out of service by 31 Dec 2020	Mixed	Pulau Undan	1975	262	734724		Owned by Penang Port Commission (PPC) To be scrapped
Retired/Sold in 2018	Mixed	Pulau Rawa	1975	262	7343736		Beached at Teluk Intan, presume scrapped.
Out of service by 31 Dec 2020	Mixed	Pulau Talang Talang	1975	262	7343748		Owned by Penang Port Commission (PPC) Planned as sightseeing ferry stationed at Swettenham Pier
Retired/Sold in 2018	Mixed	Pulau Rimau	1980	100	7911076		Owned by Ideal group. Planned as floating restaurant at Queens Waterfront.
Retired in Jul 2022.	Mixed till 31 Dec 2020 / Passenger & Motorcycle only till July 2022.	Pulau Angsa	1981	100	8010491		Owned by Penang State Government
Retired in 2018	Mixed	Pulau Kapas	1981	280	8101082		Owned by Penang Port Commission (PPC) Sunk in July 2024
Retired in 2019	Vehicle	Pulau Payar	2002	440	9254393		Owned by Penang Port Commission (PPC) Planned as floating restaurant
Retired in 2019	Vehicle	Pulau Pinang	2002	440	9275244		Owned by Penang Port Commission (PPC) Planned as museum at Tanjung Marina
Retired	Passenger	Kenangan 1,2 and 3	1999	156	8958784
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Bahang	2023	150	9977610
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Duyung	2023	150	9977646
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Kumbar	2023	150	9977622
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Kampi	2023	150	9977634

Terminals

At present, the two ferry terminals - one each in George Town and Butterworth - are also run by Penang Port Commission.^[4]

Map	Location	Terminal	Image
Raja Tun Uda Sultan Abdul Halim	George Town	Raja Tun Uda
	Butterworth	Sultan Abdul Halim

Aerial photo of the ferry route with the Raja Tun Uda Ferry Terminal on the left and the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal on the right

Major events

The retired Pulau Rimau beached off the Queensbay Mall coast

• 31 July 1988 – The collapse of the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal bridge caused 32 fatalities, while 1,674 others were wounded.^[9]
• 1 January 2021 – The Penang ferry service is terminated after 126 years and replaced with new fast boats.
• 7 August 2023 – New Penang ferry was launched with replaces speedboats.

Ferry schedule

A typical passenger deck

A typical vehicle deck

The Butterworth passenger waiting area

People at Swettenham Pier queue for the speedboat

Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim (Mainland Side)

Weekdays:

• First ferry departure : 0630 hours
• Last ferry departure : 2030 hours
• Duration : 8-10mins

Weekends:

• First ferry departure : 0700 hours
• Last ferry departure : 2030 hours
• Duration : 8-10mins

Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda (Island side)

• First ferry departure : 0540 hours
• Last ferry departure : 0040 hours
• Duration : 15-20mins

Arrival Interval

• 5.20 am to 10.00p.m. : 20 – 30 minutes with 4 ferries operational
• 10.00 pm to 1.00a.m : 40 minutes with 1 ferry operational

Ferry rates

The information and ticketing counter at Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal. (Closed)

Pedestrian

Type	Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM))
Adult	RM2.00
Children (between 5 and 12 years old	RM1.00

Season ticket (pedestrians) – valid for two months from date of issue

Type	Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM))
Adult	RM30.00

Special passengers

Type	Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM))
Students in school uniform	RM0.60
Holders of Kad Orang Kurang Upaya (Disabled Person Card)	Free

Vehicles

Type of vehicles	Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM))
Bicycle	RM2.00
Motorcycle (inclusive of pillion rider)	RM2.50

References

1. Cheah, Jin Seng (2013). Penang: 500 Early Postcards. Editions Didier Millet. ISBN 9789671061718.
2. "Penang attractions painted on two ferries - Metro News | The Star Online". The Star. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
3. Alan Teh Leam Seng (23 September 2018). "Malaysia's earliest ferry service" (PDF). New Sunday Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
4. "MMC eyes handover of loss-making Penang ferry ops to Prasarana in 2 months". The Edge Markets. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
5. "Prasarana to take over Penang's ferry service for token sum of RM1". The Star. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
6. Lim, Anthony (17 December 2020). "Penang ferry service to end on Dec 31 – cars will have to use Penang bridges to cross the channel from 2021- paultan.org"". Paul Tan's Automotive News. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
7. Shipping Data - Ship Reference
8. "Off-limit zone held waiting folk: Captain", New Straits Times, 1 Mar 1989
9. "Still traumatised after 29 years - Nation". The Star Online. Retrieved 1 March 2018.

External links

• Photos of the Penang-Butterworth Ferries, by Peter Loud
• Photos of Penang Ferry
• Penang Port Sdn. Bhd.
• Feri Penang