Reminiscing the “iconic” ferry service, which will be replaced by “fast” ferries on Jan 1, Chow said he had arrived at the Butterworth terminal after a long bus trip from Kuala Lumpur, his hometown, and boarded a ferry for the first time.

“I remember stepping into the ferry. It was packed with people, mostly heading for work on the island. It was lively. There were no bridges then,” he told reporters after a ride on one of the new “fast” vessels.

“Every semester break, I would take the ferry to Butterworth to return to Kuala Lumpur.”

From Weld Quay (Pengkalan Weld), he and his friends would take the Penang Yellow Bus to USM. “Sometimes, we would also go by ‘kereta sapu’ (illegal taxi) waiting at the terminal,” he said with a chuckle.

Chow graduated with a social sciences degree in 1984 and has called Penang home since.
Saying he had become familiar with the ferry service over the last 40 years, he added: “I guess we can only enjoy it while it lasts.”

The old ferries, which were named after islands like Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Talang Talang and Pulau Angsa, will be off-limits to passengers and cars from Jan 1, but one of them – the Pulau Angsa – will be used to carry motorcycles before newer vehicle transporters arrive.

Passengers will go on “fast” ferries which will take just seven minutes to cross the channel instead of the 20 minutes previously.

Chow said the old ferries were part of “Penang’s way of life” and proposed that the new vessels being considered should “mimic the old ferry design for posterity”.

Accompanying Chow was Penang Port Commission chairman Tan Teik Cheng, who showed the chief minister what the “fast” ferries were like. PPC is the federal authority regulating the ports in Penang.

Tan confirmed that the last two old ferries would be converted into a restaurant, museum or something else based on requests for proposals later.