ALOR STAR – Kedah has proposed for the troubled Kuala Kedah/Kuala Perlis-Langkawi ferry service to be relocated to the proposed aggregate port in Kuala Sanglang here to improve sea links to the island resort.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the proposal can ease the often-disrupted trips between the two riverine jetties at Kuala Kedah in Kedah and Kuala Perlis in Perlis to Langkawi.
Trips from the two jetties have begun to encounter worsening low tides, brought on by sediments, which have eroded the waterways there.
He said this after visiting the area here recently.
Earlier, the Transport Ministry had proposed a large-scale dredging exercise in the two river mouths, but due to the constant need for frequent scooping of sediments such as mud and debris and high costs, many organisations in Langkawi are seeking for a new route altogether.
The ferry problem has continued to lay siege to the tourism industry, with the Malaysian Association of Hotels’ Kedah chapter seeking a fast solution as their members in Kuah complain about a shortfall in tourists.
“The new port in Kuala Sanglang is the best option available now and I am proposing that the ferries to Langkawi operate from there,” said Sanusi.
Kuala Sanglang is a coastal fishing village in the district of Kubang Pasu, Kedah.
Then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had announced that the federal government is studying the construction of an aggregate port in the Sanglang area to handle petroleum cargo and bulk cargo that will add value to the economy there.
It was also reported that the project would involve a land bridge connecting southern Thailand and Malaysia.
“If it becomes a reality, this project will provide added value to the Kedah economy, increasing the confidence of investors in the state and also the northern region in general,” he was quoted as saying. – The Vibes, January 16, 2023.
