Serasa-Menumbok Ferry Ready To Roll On
Written by Syazwan SadikinTuesday, 29 December 2009 07:05
Bandar Seri Begawan - The Bruneian vehicular ferry bound for Menumbok, MV Shuttle Hope, will be fully operating on December 30 after the finalisation of details by the Malaysian counterparts on the operations of the vessel within the terminal.
The final meeting among Malaysian officials, according to the Malaysian Port and Harbour officers, had discussed on the timetable for the ferry operation and the price.
"These are the two things in the final stages of discussion before confirming the first operation on December 30, a one trip per day operation," said the Malaysian officers.
In terms of pricing, the officers confirmed that the fares will be according to the price that has been set in Malaysian currency.
During the "soft launch", the ferry will only carry 20 vehicles, that is half of its capacity and with the ticket prices confirmed at $70 per vehicle plus the driver, $25 per passenger while the children's fare is priced at $12.50 per child.
According to the government officials, the official launch of the operation by the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong is planned for a later date.
Meanwhile, the ferry service will continue and at the same time any problem that may arise will be ironed out accordingly in preparations for the official ceremony.
The MV Shuttle Hope arrived at the Serasa Ferry Terminal on December 10 from Osaka, Japan.
The Serasa-Menumbok service is one of the flagship projects under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Establishing, Promoting Efficient and Integrated Sea Linkages between the governments of Bimp-Eaga, the acronym for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asean Growth Area.
The project is one of the projects under the National Development Plan at a cost of $1.7 million, alongside other facilities such as porta-cabins, cabin booths, public toilets, car parks, weighbridge and parking spaces for government staffs.
The ferry has the capacity to carry 200 passengers and nine crew as well as 45 cars at a full speed of 15 knots.
The new service reduces the time taken to reach Kota Kinabalu by several hours.
Currently it takes 13 hours by road to arrive in the Sabah capital.
The direct service will also avoid the current hassle of having to make several stops at immigration checkpoints both in Brunei and Sarawak when driving to Kota Kinabalu.
Taufik, 57, who was travelling from Menumbok to Brunei to attend a relative's wedding said that the arrival of the Muara-Menumbok ferry was a welcome change.
He said that rather than transiting from Menumbok to Labuan and then to Brunei, the direct route is "better this way".-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times
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