New attraction: Star Pisces, seen docked at the Penang International Cruise Terminal at Swettenham Pier, has made Penang its home base.

AFTER much anticipation, the Star Cruise Pisces has arrived in Penang.

The 177m cruise liner docked at the Penang International Cruise Terminal at Swettenham Pier, that is set to serve as the vessel’s home port, on Wednesday.

Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Tan Cheng Liang said the cruise ship had organised a three-day “familiarisation” event on board to introduce the Pisces to its new home.

“This event is the run-up to Pisces embarking on its scheduled cruises which will start after these three days.

“Starting Wednesday, it was opened up to invited guests, tour clients and agents, PPC top officials, government officers as well as related industry players so everyone could get a feel of the vessel,” Tan told reporters after handing over Chinese New Year goodies to children at The Salvation Army Penang Children’s Home on Logan Road on Thursday.

She added that the ship had a 2,200-passenger and 800-crew capacity.

She added that each guest who participated in the familiarisation event experienced a one-night stay on board and had free access to all the ship’s facilities and activities which included line dancing and a variety of sports.

Tan said some 3,000 guests from all over the country’s northern region, and some from as far as Thailand, had signed up for the event.

By ANDREA FILMER

Photo by K.E. OOI

Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Tan Cheng Liang (left) leading Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan on a visit to the Penang International Cruise Terminal at the Swettenham Pier.

PENANG and Bangladesh Chittagong ports are currently in discussions to become sister ports in an effort to enhance co-operation between the two harbours.

Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Tan Cheng Liang said both parties had discussed the proposal and the commission hoped that a memorandum of understanding could be inked soon.

She said the move was an initiative to foster a closer relationship among ports elsewhere.

She said this in her speech during a visit from Bangladesh Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan to the Swettenham Pier and North Butterworth Container Terminal yesterday.

Shahjahan said he welcomed the sister port suggestion to enhance the relationship between the both states.

“Bangladesh is a developing country and the purpose of the visit is to have a greater understanding in running a modern port. Based on the knowledge, we hope to develop our own maritime sector, especially our two main seaports,” he said.

Chittagong is the bigger of Bangladesh’s two main seaports, the other is Mongla port.

Speaking to reporters during a tour of Penang International Cruise Terminal at Swettenham Pier, Tan said a sister port agreement with Chittagong would allow both parties to have a better understanding with each other.

“Aside from increasing trade between the two ports, a sister port relationship could also give us a boost in pooling together our experience and data resources, human resource training and would enhance our bilateral relationship,” she said.

Penang has previously signed a sister port pact with the Siam seaport in Thailand while the Penang port will be Chittagong’s first sister port if an agreement is signed.

By:  The Star Online

PENANG: Bangladesh is keen to make the Penang port its sister port as part of efforts to enhance trade and relationships between the two nations, its Minister of Shipping, Shahjahan Khan, said.

He said Bangladesh, a developing country, was keen to have a greater understanding of the operations of a modern port such as the Penang port.

“We do not have any sister port and we feel that the Penang port will be ideal,” he told a media briefing after a tour of the newly-completed Swettenham Pier International Cruise Terminal here on Tuesday.

Shahjahan is leading a delegation on a visit to Penang port.

Accompanying them were Penang Port Commission chairman Tan Cheng Liang and Penang Port Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.

He said he would discuss the matter with Bangladesh prime minister soon.

“I hope to sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Penang port soon. We are impressed with the development of the port here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tan said she hoped the MOU could be signed soon as it would help enhance the development of the ports.

“If we sign the MOU with the port, especially Chittagong port, it will help strengthen the relationships between the two nations in terms of port operations,” she said.

She said Penang port has made a steady progress since it was privatised in 1994 and its throughput increased by 3.1 per cent to 958,476 twenty-foot equivalent (TEUs) last year from 929,639 TEUs in 2008.

Tan said the Penang port would undertake projects including the acquisition of container equipment and increase the post-Panamax gantry cranes to 16.

She said the newly-completed international passenger ship terminal at the Swettenham Pier International Cruise Terminal was expected to attract one million passenger arrivals this year.

“With the capabilty of the terminal to receive bigger ships it is expected that the number of passengers staying over in Penang will increase.

“The terminal also has facilities for ferries plying between Penang and Langkawi and between Penang and Medan, Indonesia,” she said.

The 15,000 sq ft terminal also has houses the Customs and Immigration offices and quarantine area. – Bernama

The cruise terminal is expected to be completed by September 30, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat

PENANG is set to welcome larger cruise ships and passenger vessels by September, when the much-delayed redevelopment of Swettenham Pier is finally completed, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat says.

The project, which took off in May 2006, was originally scheduled for completion in April last year. Among its components is an international cruise terminal.

“The cruise terminal is expected to be completed by September 30. As of April 1, the project was 86.5 per cent completed,” Ong told Business Times via e-mail.

Last year, the Transport Ministry unveiled a discrepancy of RM3.5 million in a claim for progressive payment from the contractor of the redevelopment project for the pier.

Ong said in August that the contractor had sought RM5.4 million as progressive payment in documents dated March 21 last year when the value of the work was RM1.92 million.

He said the discrepancy was discovered a few days after he took over as minister.

It is now learnt that the project is likely to only exceed its RM65 million tag slightly, and that the original contractor is seeing to the completion of the project.

Sources said the contractor was not terminated because the project would be further delayed if new tenders are to be called, and there was a likelihood of the work costing considerably more.

“However, the ministry has laid very strict conditions on the contractor now, and one of them is that all sub-contracting jobs and payment are to be made by the Penang Port Commission (PPC),” a source said.

“The PPC is seeing to the necessary arrangements to ensure that the project is back on track,” Ong said.

“Liquidated and ascertained damages of RM15,000 per day are also being imposed on the contractor for the delay,” he added.

On when the new terminal will be open, Ong said: “It will be operational when it receives the occupational certificate from the local authorities.”

By : times.com.my