As the year draw to a close, we bid farewell to 2020 and also the historical Penang Ferry Service, which will make its last trip today, ferrying both vehicles and passengers to and from Penang to Butterworth.
The ferry service, which started off as a passenger-only service by Quah Beng Kee and his four siblings in 1894, was later upgraded to became a vehicle and passenger service in 1925.
The operations of the ferries were later taken over in 1924 by Penang Port Sdn Bhd., a subsidiary of the Penang Port Commission (formerly Penang Harbour Board), and in 2017, it was then transferred from Penang Port Sdn. Bhd. to the Malaysian government owned Prasarana Malaysia for a token sum of RM1 and rebranded as Rapid Ferry.
I remember as a kid all the ferries were painted yellow and it was a joy when we crossed the straits as we would get down from the car to watch jellyfishes bobbing in the sea as the ferry passed by.
Later on these ferries were given a coat of multicoloured paint (as in the picture taken in 2014) and in 2017, some of these iconic ferries even had attractions of Penang painted on them!
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| The iconic Penang Ferry (Pulau Angsa) as seen in 2014 from the Hean Boo Thean floating temple in Weld Quay, Penang. |
Alas the ferry service will come to an end as 2020 closes... and this Penang iconic monument with 125 years of service history will be relegated to mere mentions in history books and our fond memories of the past. Farewell to our beloved Penang Ferry!
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