THE iconic Penang Ferry Floating Museum is back afloat, with ongoing restoration work to ensure its stability and enable it to be fully operational soon.
Printhero Merchandise Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Abdul Hadi Abu Osman said that the ferry tilted due to high tide yesterday; however, efforts were made to keep it afloat.
“We managed to identify the cause and have rectified it. We will continue to pump in air to ensure that it stays afloat.
“We are still searching for other defects, and will monitor the situation 24 hours a day,” Abdul Hadi told Buletin Mutiara today.
He accompanied Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow during a site visit near Tanjung Marina City today.
Abdul Hadi said the repair work can be completed within a week, but they need to wait for the high tide before moving it to Tanjung City Marina.
“The ferry cannot be moved if the seawater level is below 2.4 meters, so we have to wait for the water level to rise. Most probably, this will happen in about three weeks, maybe in November.
“Meanwhile, the refurbishment work will take around one month.
“Regarding the safety features, the ferry is equipped with an automatic water detector that can pump out water when it enters. We may instal a water sensor that sends alerts to the mobile phone when water is detected,” he added.
On Oct 3, the iconic Penang ferry was successfully towed past the KTMB railway bridge at Bagan Dalam Slipway and temporarily placed at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT).
On 3 October, the iconic Penang ferry was successfully towed past the KTMB railway bridge at Bagan Dalam Slipway and temporarily placed at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT).
After being moved to this new location, the ferry partially sank, prompting subsequent repair work. It was set upright on Oct 15 but tilted again yesterday.
Chow expressed his happiness at seeing the ferry afloat again and expressed hope that the Penang Ferry Floating Museum would be ready for public access soon.
Also present were state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai, Penang Port Commission general manager Datuk Dr Vijayaindiaran Viswalingam and other dignitaries.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar
Video by Darwina Mohd Daud