THE first passenger ferry service from Butterworth to Penang island will depart earlier from tomorrow in conjunction with the reopening of schools.

Penang Port Commission chairman Tan Teik Cheng said the first ferry will depart at 6.30am, compared with the previous schedule of 7am which had been set due to the smaller number of passengers following the Covid-19 epidemic.

“The pedestrian ferry service schedule will also be amended according to current needs as well as public demand, to ensure that people are provided the very best service possible,” he said in a statement today.

Tan said the waiting area for the pedestrian ferry at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal, which was previously on the top floor, has been moved to the ground floor of the building following the reopening of domestic cruise ship activities.

He said work to upgrade the ferry terminal at Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim and Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda is also underway.

He said the federal government has also agreed to allocate RM30 million to Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) to buy new ferries.

“We have handed over RM15 million out of the RM30 million to PPSB on December 27 and the balance will be given this year,” he added. – Bernama, January 9, 2022.