Penang Port Commission chairman Tan Teik Cheng said the first ferry will depart at 6.30am instead of 7am. The 7am departure time was set earlier due to the reduced number of passengers following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The pedestrian ferry service schedule will also be amended according to current needs as well as public demand, This is to ensure that people are provided with the very best service possible,” he said in a statement today.

Tan said the waiting area for the pedestrian ferry at the Swettenham Pier cruise terminal, which was previously on the top floor, had been moved to the ground floor following the reopening of domestic cruise ship activities.

He said work to upgrade the ferry terminal at Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim and Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda was also under way.

He added that the federal government had agreed to allocate RM30 million to Penang Port Sdn Bhd to purchase new ferries.

“We handed over RM15 million to Penang Port on Dec 27 and the rest will be given this year,” Tan said.