BUTTERWORTH: Several photos of a tilting Pulau Pinang ferry, which were uploaded onto various social media platforms earlier today, have set tongues wagging.
Many quarters have voiced concerns and questioned the fate of the once-popular iconic car-carrying ferry, which is rich in heritage values.
Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng visited the Pulau Pinang ferry, currently berthed at the Bagan Dalam shipyard here, this afternoon soon after the photos went viral.
According to the initial investigation, he said, there were several holes in the aged ferry.
"This resulted in water entering the ferry through the holes and fill its engine room.
"The incident resulted in the ferry to tilt to one side," he said.
Tan said PPC and the Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) had taken immediate measures to rectify the situation.
"Water has been pumped out from the ferry to enable repair works to be carried out.
"Relevant repair works will be carried out to ensure the ferry will be restored to its original condition," he said.
Tan said the aged ferry was no longer operational.

"As such, the ferry had not been in used for a long time to carry both vehicles and passengers," he added.
The ferry will be berthed at the Bagan Dalam shipyard for the time being while awaiting PPC to finalise leasing matters to a successful bidder.
"The lease will enable the ferry to be turned into a museum, which will be placed at the Tanjung City Marina in future," he said.
The iconic car-carrying ferries ceased operations on Dec 31, last year.
On Jan 1, this year, PPSB began operating only fast passenger ferries between the Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal here and the Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal on the island, while one of the existing ferries would be used to transport bicycles and motorcycles.
The interim plan was expected to continue until PPSB introduced the use of passenger-only water buses and vehicle transporters by July 2022.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong had said previously that to preserve a slice of history unique to Penang, a process would be initiated to seek proposals to convert the existing ferries into floating restaurants, museums, and/or tourist cruises as suggested by various parties to highlight the vessels' contribution to the cultural and heritage identity of the state.