THE Penang government has delivered on its promise to provide new boats and engines to 98 fishermen who are registered under the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) for the Silicon Island project.
This included all 77 boat owners from the Permatang Tepi Laut unit. After this, the Penang government will oversee the delivery of new boats and engines to another 194 active fishermen from the Sungai Batu, Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul units.
This support continues even though the fishermen are not directly impacted by the ongoing Penang South Island project, which is currently focused only on one island – Silicon Island – instead of the originally planned three islands.
In a press statement, Penang Infrastructure Corporation Sdn Bhd (PICSB) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus said the state government would select the next batch of recipients among fishermen from Sungai Batu, Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul based on their SIMP registration order and the condition of their current boats and engines.
“Depending on the boat owner’s brand preference, each new boat is 27 feet long and 7.4 feet wide, equipped with high-capacity engines of either 90 or 100 horsepower.
“Each eligible Tier 1 boat owner will also receive equipment such as a robot, sonar, GPS and nets to help them venture further and achieve higher catches,” he said during the Thanksgiving Ceremony for the Completion of Boat & Engine Handover and Prayers for the Construction of Fishermen Sheds at the Permatang Tepi Laut Fishermen Unit Hall.
In addition to the material aid, Farizan said the state government has also given out a total of RM10,599,260 in ex-gratia payments to the fishermen registered under the SIMP scheme.
Out of the 877 registered fishermen, 680 have received their full ex-gratia payments, while 53 have received 75% of their ex-gratia, depending on their eligibility and category.
“The payment process is ongoing for the remaining fishermen, where supporting documents are still being vetted,” Farizan explained.
Under the SIMP scheme, Permatang Tepi Laut boat owners who dock their boats in the Sungai Bayan Lepas area are also eligible for new sheds. Two prototype sheds were completed and handed over to fishermen in October last year.
According to Farizan, the remaining 61 sheds will be built in phases. Construction for the first phase, consisting of 12 sheds, has already begun and is expected to be completed by August 2025.
Pic courtesy of Penang Infrastructure Corporation