Penang Ferry Teluk Bahang Collides With Chemical Tanker, 21 Injured

The passenger ferry Teluk Bahang struck the chemical tanker MV Mekar Jaya in the Penang Channel on the evening of 1 September 2026, leaving 21 people injured and prompting a maritime investigation into the cause.

The collision happened at around 20:40 local time. Teluk Bahang was sailing toward the Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal with 92 passengers aboard when it struck MV Mekar Jaya, which was heading from Butterworth Deep Water Wharves to Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal. Six of the 21 injured were hospitalised with severe injuries. The remaining fifteen had minor wounds.

Maritime authorities set up a task force drawing on the Penang Port Commission, Penang Port Sdn Bhd, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Investigators said they planned to examine the radar and navigation records from both vessels to determine why neither crew avoided the collision. Ferry services on the Penang Channel route resumed without further disruption.

The incident adds to a stretch of difficult weeks in this part of the Malacca Strait corridor. The container ship CMA CGM Petra, which suffered a cargo hold fire in the Strait of Malacca, was stationary off Penang at the time.