KOTA TINGGI, July 31 (Bernama) -- The vehicle transport ferry service
between the Tanjung Belungkor ferry terminal here and Changi ferry terminal in
Singapore will begin operation end of next year, Transport Minister Datuk Seri
Kong Cho Ha said today.
He said the RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) ferry service would be re-introduced to
facilitate tourists entering the country as well as to stimulate development in
south Johor.
It would facilitate tourists, especially the Singaporeans, to bring their
own vehicles for their visit to Malaysia, especially to Kota Tinggi, Desaru and
Pengerang, he told reporters after visiting the Tanjung Belungkor ferry
terminal.
"As we all know, rapid development is expected in Desaru and Pengerang
following the oil and gas hub development project.
"In view of that, ferry operators at the terminal have decided to resume the
RoRo ferry service to transport vans, cars and small buses," he added.
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KONG-FERRY 2 (LAST) KOTA TINGGI
Kong said the RoRo ferry service was introduced in 1993, but terminated in
2002 due to poor response.
Currently, he said, only passenger ferries were in operation at the
terminal, making two trips daily to Changi daily on weekdays and four trips
daily on weekends and public holidays.
He said the ferry ride between Tanjung Belungkor and Changi terminals took
about half an hour and a total of 148,925 people had used the service since
2010.
Earlier, Kong visited the construction of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad
(KTMB) depot at Kempas Baru in Johor Baharu.
He said the depot project, costing almost RM42 million, to replace the
facility at the Tanjong Pagar railway station in Singapore which was closed on
July 1 last year, was scheduled for completion in July next year.
The depot will be equipped with facilities like administrative office,
workshops, security guard house and parking area, he added.
--BERNAMA
SMK MIS