Falling apart: One of Penang’s iconic ferries, Pulau Kapas, sinking near the Sultan Abdul Halim terminal. — Photo courtesy of PPC
BUTTERWORTH: The Penang Port Commission (PPC) is calling for an open tender to salvage and remove two iconic ferries from the Sultan Abdul Halim terminal here.
Vijayaindiaran R. Viswalingam, its general manager, said urgent measures are needed as Pulau Undan, another ferry that berths next to Pulau Kapas, is on the verge of sinking.
Yesterday, the retired Pulau Kapas sank at about 3am at the terminal. Its hull had been rotting and corrosion had set in since it was parked at the terminal in 2020.
Vijayaindiaran said the tender, which will be closed at 5pm today, is expected to be awarded by tomorrow.
“The companies must have the expertise to carry out the operations.
“We are talking about 1,000 tonnes of heavy steel – the combined weight of both ferries. (They) need to be salvaged, cut and moved out.
“We need to adhere to stringent standard operating procedures, as the scrap should be loaded onto a barge and taken out by sea. They cannot be removed via the terminal,” he said.
Vijayaindiaran said Pulau Kapas needs to be salvaged as soon as possible as strong winds could push the ferry out to sea.“We have put in additional mooring lines to secure it against strong winds and prevent it from drifting away.
“We have added marker buoys to prevent boats from encroaching into the location.
“We have enhanced security at the terminal with the deployment of pilot boats and drones to check on any oil spillage within 8km of the site,” he said.
Both Pulau Undan and Pulau Kapas, which were commissioned in 1975 and 1981 respectively, were retired in 2020.
Vijayaindiaran said scrapping both ferries was the last option as all other measures had been exhausted.
“We have discussed with the Seberang Perai City Council and Penang Land and Mines Office for a suitable space to berth both ferries some time ago but it (a solution) did not materialise.
“While there were proposals to re-designate the ferries for tourism purposes, they fell through due to high cost or the bidders’ non-compliance.
“Any successful bidder must spend almost RM5mil to upgrade and refurbish the ferry. It is a costly endeavour.”
Vijayaindiaran said two other ferries – Pulau Paya and Pulau Talang-Talang – would be leased out based on requests.
Pulau Paya is now docked at Raja Tun Uda terminal on the island while Pulau Talang-Talang was brought to a ship repair jetty in Lumut. Both ferries were commissioned in 2002.
A fifth ferry – Pulau Rimau – was sold to a private company, which has converted it into an international multi-cuisine floating restaurant.
After the iconic ferries were decommissioned, four new and faster ferries – Teluk Kampi, Teluk Bahang, Teluk Duyung and Teluk Kumbar – took over the route between Butterworth and George Town from August 2023.
Penang Port Sdn Bhd, the operator of Penang Port, spent RM100mil on buying the new ferries and upgrading their terminals.The new ferries, however, can only accommodate pedestrians and two-wheelers.
