GEORGE TOWN — The “Pulau Pinang” ferry has been brought to safety and is now by the dock at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT), said Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin.
The vessel, which was earlier listing to one side as it sat on the uneven seabed, is at the dock opposite the cruise terminal’s warehouse, Yeoh said in a Facebook post.
He had visited the dock earlier today and was briefed by the company that is leasing the ferry from PPC and hoping to turn it into a floating museum about the salvage crew’s efforts to tow the ferry to the dock during high tide last night.
“It can be said that it (ferry) is out of the edge of danger,” Yeoh said.
Yeoh was briefed by Printhero Merchandise Sdn Bhd CEO Abdul Hadi Abu Osman.
Earlier, Yeoh in a press statement said the ferry would be eventually taken to its final location at the Tanjung City Marina (TCM), where the floating ferry museum is to be located.
Yeoh said pilling and electric meter installation works have been completed at TCM in preparation for the vessel’s arrival. Printhero Merchandise will also conduct other final works there so that the site is ready to receive the ferry.
“PPC is always monitoring the status of the Floating Ferry Museum project and will double its efforts to ensure the ferry’s (conversion) into a floating museum is successfully realised,” added Yeoh.
The floating museum is scheduled for opening at the end of the year.
On Wednesday, Scoop reported Hadi as saying that while his firm was still exploring ways to salvage the ferry, it might be forced to halt the operation due to a lack of funds.
Repair work cannot commence if the ferry remains tilted to one side.
Printhero Merchandise is leasing the ferry from the PPC after it was decommissioned. The ferry was built in 2002 and retired in 2019, while other iconic ferries were retired in 2021.
The company repaired and refurbished the ship from July 2021 until this month at Bagan Dalam Slipway in Butterworth, before towing it to SPCT early this month. – October 19, 2024