Langkawi ferry to Kuala Perlis grounds on sandbank, refloated overnight; 251 passengers evacuated safely
The Express Bahagia 98 grounded on a sandbank at the mouth of the Kuala Perlis entry channel on Wednesday morning. All 251 passengers and 10 crew were safe, and the ferry was refloated on the high tide that night and brought back to Langkawi.
A passenger ferry bound for Kuala Perlis ran aground on a sandbank at the mouth of the entry channel into Kuala Perlis, near the Passenger Ferry Terminal, on Wednesday, 21 October. The Express Bahagia 98 (EB98), operated by Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures Sdn Bhd, left Kuah at 9.30am and was due in Kuala Perlis around 10.30am. It grounded at about 10.35am near Buoy No. 1, with 251 passengers and 10 crew on board.
According to Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures, the incident is believed to have happened when the captain took evasive action to avoid a net across the inbound and outbound shipping channel at Kuala Perlis. In a media statement issued at 4pm, operations manager Lt Cmdr (R) Norhafiz Abdul Wahid said both main engines were stopped during the manoeuvre, and wind then carried the ferry onto the sandbank. The company said it was informed of the incident by the head of the Kuala Perlis Marine Office at about 11am. No independent account of the net has been published yet.
Two tow attempts, using Feri Kenangan 6 and the RORO ferry Langkawi Auto Express 1, failed because the tide was falling. Priority then shifted to getting passengers off safely, with the Kuala Perlis Marine Police, the Kuala Perlis Fishermen's Association and Sea Splash Travel Sdn Bhd. The operation used one Marine Police boat, one fishing boat and four fibreglass boats owned by Sea Splash Travel. Children and elderly passengers were moved first, in stages. All passengers and their luggage were ashore by about 2.50pm, roughly four hours 15 minutes after the grounding, according to the operator. No injuries have been reported.
A passenger said the cabin grew hot with the engines off. Another said passengers shared food and life jackets, and thanked those who helped. The operator cancelled the 12.30pm sailing from Kuala Perlis and said it will lodge a police report, citing damage to its reputation and losses. In its statement, the company thanked the Kuala Perlis Marine Office, Marine Police, Fishermen's Association, Sea Splash Travel and the ferry operators who helped, said it takes the incident seriously and will cooperate with the authorities, and apologised to passengers and others affected.
Refloating was planned for around 7pm on the rising tide, with fishing boats towing the ferry, depending on tide and conditions. According to Langkawi Ferry Line Ventures, the ferry was refloated on the high tide that night and brought back to Langkawi. It is now undergoing checks and maintenance, and the company says it will return to service soon.
The falling tide is why the tows failed and why the ferry had to wait for the night's high tide. Kuala Perlis, like Kuala Kedah, sits at a river mouth where silting is a continuing problem despite regular dredging. Some attribute it to upstream deforestation, erosion from inland development and paddy-field drainage cycles. These approaches are where Langkawi's ferries tend to run into trouble. In November 2021, a Kuah to Kuala Perlis ferry with 312 passengers was stranded for more than two hours near the terminal when its propeller snagged fishing nets, and fire and rescue divers were called in to cut it free. In October 2022, a Kuah to Kuala Kedah ferry with about 547 people aboard ran aground on a mudbank in the Kuala Kedah estuary at low tide and was stuck for over four hours.
Langkawi's ferries are privately run. Even as flights and RORO vehicle ferries carry a growing share of arrivals, passenger ferries remain an essential link for many local riders.
What remains unanswered is who set the net, and whether it was inside the marked channel. Have you been on a Langkawi ferry delayed by the tide or silting? Tell us in the comments.