THE Penang Port Commission (PPC) has announced its decision to dispose of the iconic car-carrying ferries promptly following the capsizing of the Pulau Kapas ferry on Wednesday morning (July 24) at the Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim (PSAH) terminal in Butterworth.

Its chairman, Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said the ferries would be disposed of as soon as possible because the repair works could no longer be carried out due to serious decay and the ferries could no longer be kept afloat.

According to Yeoh, PPC was alerted of the ferry sinking at 3.26am today and following the report, immediate action was taken by adding more mooring line and installing an oil boom to contain any potential oil spill from the ferry’s engine room.

“The ferry, which was docked at Pier 2 of PSAH, suffered a leak which rendered it irreparable. An investigation carried out early this morning found only part of the Pulau Kapas Ferry sunk as it was still low tide,” he said in a statement.

Yeoh said that the Pulau Kapas ferry, along with other iconic ferries, was leased to several companies in 2021 with plans to repurpose them for tourism, including a proposed floating restaurant.

However, these plans fell through due to the lessee’s non-compliance with the lease agreement, which ended in February last year.

Despite receiving offers from companies interested in purchasing or renting the ferries, he said that the high costs and unsuitable placement of the ferries at PSAH had led to the decision to dispose of them.

“As such, PPC has decided to dispose of the iconic ferries as soon as possible,” he added.

Penang’s iconic ferry service ended in 2020 after more than 126 years of operation and was replaced by a speedboat service to carry individual passengers and a ferry for motorbikes and bicycles. - July 24, 2024 

https://focusmalaysia.my/penang-to-dispose-of-states-iconic-ferries-after-sinking-of-pulau-kapas/