GEORGE TOWN: Printhero Merchandise (M) Sdn Bhd, the company tasked with transforming the state's iconic ferry into the Penang Ferry Museum, is conducting rescue operations and identifying the source of a leak after the ferry partially tilted.
Penang Port Commission chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said the commission and Penang Port Sdn Bhd were helping Printhero.
He said no oil spill had been detected.
"Monitoring of the ferry's condition is ongoing," he said today.
It was earlier reported that the iconic ferry had partially tilted, and photos of the incident had gone viral on social media.
The ferry, leased to Printhero for conversion to the Penang Museum Ferry, was towed from the Bagan Dalam Slipway in Butterworth after undergoing repair and modification work.
Permission from the Malaysian Marine Department for Printhero to carry out the towing was granted a day earlier.
Yeoh said the ferry was detected to be tilting last Sunday while at the South Inner Dock of the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal.
He said Printhero immediately conducted an inspection, which revealed that water had begun entering the engine compartment.
"To prevent the ferry from sinking at the dock, the company decided to tow the ferry to a shallower area near the warehouse at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal.
"This action was taken to facilitate rescue efforts while also allowing for a thorough inspection," he added.
The ferry is temporarily moored at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal before being towed to its final location as a museum ferry at Tanjung City Marina here.