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GEORGE TOWN: Govindan Kesavan Nair had a thoughtful look on his face as he looked at the model of the Pulau Pinang ferry in a glass case.
“It is very sad to see him go. I am disappointed that they are recalling these ferries, ”he said.
You have reason to be sad. After all, ferries were his life for 29 years from 1974 until he retired in 2003. The model ferry was his retirement gift.
A long-time helmsman of Penang’s ferry services, he has fond memories of working at the state’s transportation icon at a time when it was the only and fastest link between the island and the mainland.
The old ships will be retired in the next two years for the newer ferries.
Govindan, 74, has worked as a deck supervisor for the 13 ferries that crossed the canal.
He started as a “scrubber” in 1967 (someone who cleans barnacles and other items from the hull of ships) in the Bagan Dalam slipway before graduating to become a tugboat operator. He was then on the payroll of the Penang Port Commission.
Over the years, Govindan was a respectable leader of the “commando” squad, which was made up of workers capable of fixing, directing and managing the ferries.
He said his most unforgettable moment working as a tugboat operator came when he had to handle the transport of prisoners using “Penang”, the great lady of ferries, to the island of Jerejak in 1969.
“We had to carry hundreds of detainees after the riots on May 13, 1969. They were brought from all over the country on the Malaysian railways trains to Prai port and on the ship ‘Penang’.
“And when the ship got close to Jerejak, we had to use tugboats to allow it to dock on its side, as Penang was loaded sideways, with only chains on the sides, unlike the ferries that are crowded today.
“Afterwards, we would have to scrub the ferry for fear of infection. We made repeated trips from Perai to Jerejak that year, ”he said in an interview with FMT at his home in Bukit Mertajam.
In a different incident, he said in the 1990s aboard the Pulau Undan ferry, he experienced something unforgettable during the last trip to the island at 12:40 a.m. He said the first in line was a 27-year-old junior architect in a Perodua Kancil , who was asleep in his seat.
“When we were ready to dock, I signaled the dock attendant to wake him up. The moment he woke up with a start, he panicked and accelerated so fast that the car fell off the ferry.
“The car’s windshield jumped on impact with the water. He couldn’t get out because the tide was too high. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it out alive, ”he said.
Govindan said he also saw flagrant smuggling of duty-free goods from the island during the island’s duty-free days and numerous suicide attempts.
“I have personally saved nine people from taking their own lives. I remember a newly married man who jumped into the water. He clung to a lifebuoy we threw at him.
“Another I remember is a 67-year-old man who had driven from Taiping to kill himself at sea. We managed to stop it.
“Sometimes during the weekend we would see gang fights on the terrace, mainly by girls. I tell you, you see 1,001 characters on the ferry daily, ”he said.
Recalling how ferry services were “quintessential” in the past, Govindan said there was only seven minutes to wait for a ferry, at a time when 13 ferries were available.
Services ran 24 hours a day, with services every hour after midnight, he said.
“The ferries were the best maintained ships. We would take everything out and replace everything in time, ”he said, adding that it was poor maintenance that has caused the ferries to deteriorate now.
Govindan also knows the key statistics of all its ferries, even today: “The Undan, Rawa and Talang Talang were manufactured in Hong Kong. They are made of stronger steel and therefore heavier. They are good.
“Rimau, Angsa and Kapas are manufactured in Pasir Gudang, Johor. They are light and fast. Older ones like Redang, Pangkor, Aman, Labuan, and Langkawi were also made in Hong Kong, but were retired.
“Only the Lumut and the new Pulau Pinang are manufactured at the Hong Leong shipyard in Penang,” he said.
On the imminent departure of the Pulau Talang Talang and Pulau Angsa ferries, built in 1975 and 1981, Govindan said it was sad to see him leave.
“The old ferries are what defined Penang. They have survived many generations. I’m sure the right people would have made it all work. But there’s little we can do now, I guess we have to move on. “
