Twenty-one people were injured after a passenger ferry collided with an oil tanker near Penang Port in Malaysia on the night of September 1.
The incident occurred at approximately 20:40 local time and involved the Malaysian ferry Teluk Bahang and the Malaysian oil tanker Mekar Jaya.
According to preliminary information, Mekar Jaya was sailing from the Butterworth Deep Water Wharves (BDWW) toward the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT).
At the same time, Teluk Bahang was heading toward the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal when the two vessels collided.
Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department, JBPM, received an emergency call at approximately 21:58 and dispatched rescue teams to the scene together with other emergency services.
Passengers were evacuated following the collision.
Authorities reported that 92 people were involved in the incident, including passengers and crew.
A total of 21 people were injured, with six suffering serious injuries. The injured were transported to hospital for medical treatment.
The exact circumstances that led to the collision have not yet been established.
Penang Port Commission has ordered the creation of a special task force to investigate the accident, involving representatives of the port authority and the ferry operator.
The ferry operator has also been instructed to review its operational procedures and safety practices to determine whether any shortcomings or violations may have contributed to the incident.
Despite the collision, ferry services later resumed normal operations, and authorities said the accident did not cause a prolonged disruption to regular ferry traffic.
The full extent of the damage to Teluk Bahang has not yet been confirmed, and authorities have not released detailed information regarding the vessel’s technical condition following the incident.
Investigators are expected to examine vessel movements, navigation data, communications between the ships and operational procedures as part of the inquiry.
The accident has once again highlighted the importance of navigation safety in busy port approaches, where passenger ferries, tankers and commercial vessels frequently operate in close proximity.
