The Penang Ferry Service is the oldest ferry service within the State of Penang, Malaysia, connecting the city of George Town on Penang Island and Butterworth on the mainland. This cross-strait transit has been operational since 1894, making it the oldest ferry service in Malaysia.^[1] Its fleet of six ferries carries both passengers and automobiles across the Penang Strait daily; each roll-on/roll-off ferry could accommodate cars either on its lower deck or on both decks.^[2]

This article needs to be updated. (April 2023)

Quick Facts Locale, Waterway ...

Penang Ferry Service

Teluk Bahang catamaran departing George Town for Butterworth across the Penang Strait
Locale	Penang, Malaysia George Town Butterworth Penang ferry service (Penang)
Waterway	Penang Strait
Transit type	Passenger and automobile ferry
Owner	Penang Port Sdn Bhd
Began operation	1894; 130 years ago (1894)
System length	3 km (1.9 mi)
No. of lines	1
No. of vessels	4
No. of terminals	2

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The first cross-strait ferry service between Penang Island and the mainland began in 1894.^[1] This regular service was initiated by Quah Beng Kee, an entrepreneur from Penang Island together with his 4 brothers forming a company named Beng Brothers.^[3] Originally a passenger-only service, the ferries were later refitted to carry automobiles in 1925. From 1924, the ferries were operated by the Penang Port Commission (formerly Penang Harbour Board), through its subsidiary, Penang Port Sdn Bhd.

In 2017, the Malaysian federal government began transferring the ferry service from Penang Port Sdn Bhd to Prasarana Malaysia, a government-owned entity which manages urban public transportation across Malaysia.^[2][4][5] Following the handover, the ferry service has been rebranded as Rapid Ferry. On 31 December 2020, Rapid Ferry ended its service after 3 years.^[6]

In 2021, Penang Port Sdn Bhd, which took over the ferry service from Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, began operating fast passenger boats between the mainland and the island, while one of the iconic ferries, Pulau Angsa, was used to transport only motorcycles and bicycles.

The seven ferries in the current fleet and ten retired ferries are named after islands in Malaysia.^[7]

More information Status, Upper deck configuration* ...

Status	Upper deck configuration*	Name	Year built	Deadweight tonnage	IMO ship identification number	Photograph
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Pinang	1956	N/A	5286922
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Aman	1959	139	5286831
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Langkawi	1959	139	5286867
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Pangkor	1959	139	5286893
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Tioman	1959	139	5287017
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Lumut	1967	139	6422913
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Redang	1971	139	7030470
Retired	Passenger[8]	Pulau Labuan	1971	139	7038408
Retired	Mixed	Pulau Undan	1975	262	734724
Out of service	Mixed	Pulau Rawa	1975	262	7343736
Out of service	Mixed	Pulau Talang Talang	1975	262	7343748
Retired/Sold	Mixed	Pulau Rimau	1980	100	7911076
Out of service	Mixed	Pulau Angsa	1981	100	8010491
Out of service	Mixed	Pulau Kapas	1981	280	8101082
Out of service	Vehicle	Pulau Payar	2002	440	9254393
Out of service	Vehicle	Pulau Pinang	2002	440	9275244
Out of service	Passenger	Kenangan 1,2 and 3	1999	156	8958784
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Bahang	2023	150	9977610
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Duyung	2023	150	9977646
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Kumbar	2023	150	9977622
In service	Passenger, Motorcycles & Bicycles	Teluk Kampi	2023	150	9977634

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At present, the two ferry terminals - one each in George Town and Butterworth - are also run by Penang Port Commission.^[4]

More information Map, Location ...

Map	Location	Terminal	Image
Raja Tun Uda Sultan Abdul Halim	George Town	Raja Tun Uda
	Butterworth	Sultan Abdul Halim

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• 31 July 1988 – The collapse of the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal bridge caused 32 fatalities, while 1,674 others were wounded.^[9]
• 1 January 2021 – The Penang ferry service is terminated after 126 years and replaced with new fast boats.
• 7 August 2023 – New Penang ferry was launched with replaces speedboats.