GEORGE TOWN: A Penang ferry, departing from the mainland, came to a halt yet again early this morning.
Images of the malfunctioned vessel went viral on social media, showing the packed ferry stopping in the middle of the sea.
Pedestrians and motorists, who were reportedly on their way to work, had to wait for the ferry was towed by a tugboat which took within 30 minutes.
The exact number of passengers on the ferry during the time of the incident is still unknown as Rapid Ferry is expected to release a media statement later.
In its latest Facebook posting, Rapid Ferry mentioned that the departure of ferry from the Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim jetty on the mainland, scheduled at 9am and 10am, and the Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda jetty on the island. scheduled at 9.30am and 10.30am, have been suspended.
Similar incident took place earlier this month where 62 passengers, 27 cars and 49 motorcycles onboard the Pulau Payar ferry were trapped after the ferry came to a halt.
Rapid Ferry previously said that it would investigate the issue.
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd, through its subsidiary Rapid Ferry Sdn Bhd, took over the Penang ferry operations from Penang Port Commission (PPC), in May.
Prior to that, the ferry services had been handled by Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) since January 1, 1994, following the privatisation of Penang Port.