Latest news with #FerryService
Borneo Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
KK–Labuan ferry service resumes, boosting connectivity and tourism
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor, accompanied by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, signs a plaque at the launch ceremony of the jetty and the inauguration of the Kota Kinabalu–Labuan Ferry Service at Kota Kinabalu Port on Tuesday. KOTA KINABALU (May 27): The passenger ferry service between Kota Kinabalu and the Federal Territory of Labuan has resumed after several years of suspension, strengthening maritime transport links and reopening a vital route for public mobility and cross-regional economic development. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor said the resumption of this route is more than just a logistical move, it is a clear signal of the government's concern for the well-being of the people in Sabah and Labuan. 'This service is crucial for the people. It is not just a means of transportation, but a connector of families, education, tourism and business that have long been intertwined,' he said during the launch ceremony of the jetty and the Kota Kinabalu–Labuan Passenger Ferry at Kota Kinabalu Port on Tuesday. He explained that the previous service disruptions were caused by several factors, including unsafe jetty structures, the withdrawal of fuel subsidies for operators, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of which affected the continuity of mobility for the people. As an immediate solution, the ferry terminal was relocated from Jesselton Point to Kota Kinabalu Port, with operational management now fully under the Kota Kinabalu Port authority. 'This project also received an allocation of RM1.3 million from the Ministry of Federal Territories for improvement works,' he said. 'I would like to express my appreciation to all agencies involved, including the Department of Internal Affairs and Research (PHEDNP), Sabah Ports Authority (LPPS), the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Federal Territories, and Suria Group for their joint efforts in realizing this initiative,' he added. Hajiji said the ferry service is expected to have a positive impact on the state's tourism sector, especially in the lead-up to Visit Sabah Year 2026. 'It also opens new opportunities in trade and investment between Sabah and Labuan,' he said. He emphasized that the ties between Sabah and Labuan go beyond geography, they encompass deep-rooted historical, cultural and social connections, making this route highly significant to the people of both regions. According to him, many Sabahans work and reside in Labuan, and vice versa. Therefore, the reconnection of this route is highly meaningful to many. He said that with the resumption of this service, the public now has more transportation options, whether by air, by road to Menumbok, or directly via express ferry from Kota Kinabalu to Labuan as in the past. Hajiji stated that the launch marks the beginning of a stronger, more efficient and sustainable maritime transportation framework, in line with the state's aspiration to provide people-friendly and environmentally friendly facilities for future generations. He assured that the State Government is committed to ensuring that no citizen is left behind due to logistical limitations, and infrastructure development will continue to be driven for inclusive progress. 'May this jetty and ferry service become a bridge that connects not only regions but also relationships, economic opportunities, and the future hopes of the people,' he said.
CTV News
17-05-2025
- CTV News
Busy times at BC Ferries terminals
Vancouver Watch This May long weekend marks the start of the peak travel season for BC Ferries.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- CTV News
Nova Scotia's CAT ferry service to Maine announces sailing schedule for summer 2025
The CAT ferry, which operates between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, is pictured. (Communications Nova Scotia)
National Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Chris Selley: A perfectly typical tunnel is just too much for Toronto's puny imagination
Article content Progress has erupted in Toronto. At the request of city council, municipal staff this week delivered a 27-page report titled 'Improved Active Transportation and Water Access to Toronto Island Park,' in which they contemplated heresy: A permanent link between the 240-hectare isle and the city's mainland, which would involve constructing a bridge or tunnel across roughly 250 metres of water. Article content Article content Article content For the record, the Channel Tunnel between England and France is more than 50,000 metres long. Article content Article content A 'fixed link,' as we call the idea here in Toronto for some reason, would have many benefits. No more interminable queues at the ferry terminal on beautiful summer days. No more having to pay $28 for a family of four to visit the city's greatest park — arguably the city's greatest thing — while still having to subsidize the ferry operations. (In 2019, the ferry service's operating expenses exceeded its operating revenues by $1.3 million.) Article content If this bridge-or-tunnel endeavour were taken to its natural logical conclusion, the city could get out of the ferry business altogether. (There are already many private water taxis.) Privatization would liberate the ferry service from city council's insane decision-making. Article content Because the city's current ferry fleet is ancient and decrepit, in 2020 council approved the purchase of two new ferries from a Romanian shipyard. Naturally they had to be electric ferries. Also, the ferries would have to be cosmetically similar to the current old-timey ferries. Article content Article content 'For the love of God,' you might ask, 'why'? Article content Article content Well, see, most Toronto city councillors, having ample backyards of their own, if not cottages as well, view the Toronto Islands less as an important civic amenity for parks-starved downtown residents than as a sort of twice-a-summer nostalgia trip — like a day out on a steam train that comes with a souvenir conductor's cap. They like that it's inaccessible. Article content In any event, it recently emerged that plans for the new electric ferries, which are already (you'll never believe it) nearly three times over budget — $92 million for two stupid boats — had not hitherto included any provision for charging the ferries. D'oh! Another $50 million down the drain for that, subject to cost escalations. Article content Torontonians don't get much for their 27-page 'fixed link' report. Most of it just rehashes year after year of council decisions with respect to the ferries and the park, including a new recent 'master plan' for the Islands that managed not to contemplate a 'fixed link.' Staff do go into great detail explaining why this idea is probably doomed to fail, though.
