Ferry Bound for Langkawi with 567 Passengers Stranded on Sandbar After Strong Winds Push it Off Course

According to a post published on a Facebook page on September 16, a Langkawi ferry ran aground and got stuck on a sandbar in the waters of Kuala Perlis, leaving passengers stranded on the ferry for over 3 hours while they waited for the tide to come in.

Sinar Harian reported that the ferry, carrying 567 passengers and heading from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi, got stuck on a sandbar about 0.5 nautical miles from the Kuala Perlis Ferry Terminal.

It was due to heavy rain and strong winds

Captain Dr. Baharin Baharom, the General Manager of Ferrylines Ventures Sdn Bhd Consortium, explained that heavy rain and strong winds caused the ferry to drift off its intended route and get pushed onto the sandbar.

However, they faced some difficulties and gained help from Maritime Malaysia, who were overseeing the situation.

“All the passengers on the ferry that departed at 2:30 pm from the terminal were found to be safe. The cruise activities to Langkawi are expected to resume at 8 pm,” he added.

3 ferries bound for Langkawi were forced to turn back

In the same development, he also reported that 3 ferry trips from Kuala Kedah to Langkawi had to turn back because of the storm. The affected trips included a ferry with 120 passengers at 1:30 pm, a ferry with 149 passengers at 2:00 pm, and a ferry with 410 passengers at 2:30 pm.

Later, it was reported that the ferry heading to Langkawi was able to continue its journey after being successfully towed by a tugboat. The ferry was deemed safe to proceed at 9:05 pm on the same day.

“When the ferry was towed, the tide was already high, and all the passengers were fine. We provided food and drinks for them.”

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Also read: 312 Langkawi Ferry Passengers Were Stranded For 2 Hours After Propeller Got Stuck In Fishing Nets