GEORGE TOWN: Pedestrians and motorists were “trapped” mid-sea yesterday morning when the ferry they were travelling in came to a halt.
At the time of the incident at about 11.30am, there were 62 passengers, 27 cars and 49 motorcycles onboard the Pulau Payar ferry.
According to a spokesperson from Rapid Ferry, they were rescued within 18 minutes.
“Pulau Payar ferry came to a halt while ferrying its passengers from Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda to Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim at about 11.30am.
“Two tugboats were dispatched immediately to tow the ferry to the berth at Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim for safe docking,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson added that allpassengers and vehicles safely disembarked at Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim to continue with their travel.
“Rapid Ferry Sdn Bhd extends our apology to customers affected by the incident.
“The cause of the incident is being investigated,” a statement made available in their Facebook page yesterday afternoon read.
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, through its subsidiary Rapid Ferry Sdn Bhd, took over the Penang ferry operations from Penang Port Commission (PPC), in May.
Prior to that, the ferry services had been handled by Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) since January 1, 1994, following the privatisation of Penang Port.
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