GEORGE TOWN: Govindan Kesavan Nair had a pensive look on his face as he looked at the model of the Pulau Pinang ferry in a glass casing.
“It is so sad to see it go. I am disappointed that they are retiring these ferries,” he said.
He has reason to be sad. After all, the 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 the Penang ferry services, he has fond memories of working on the state’s transport icon at a time when it was the only – and fastest – link between the island and the mainland.
The old vessels are being retired in the next two years for newer ferries.
Govindan, 74, has worked as a deck supervisor for all 13 ferries that criss-crossed the channel.
He first started off as a “scrubber” in 1967 (someone who clears barnacles and other items from the hull of the boats) at the Bagan Dalam slipway before graduating to become a tugboat operator. He was on the payroll of the Penang Port Commission then.
Over the years, Govindan was a reputable head of the “commando” squad, which comprised workers who are able to fix, steer and manage the ferry boats.
He said his most unforgettable moment working as a tugboat operator came when he had to handle the transport of prisoners using “Penang”, the grand dame of ferries, to Jerejak Island in 1969.
“We had to load hundreds of detainees after the May 13, 1969 riots. They were brought from all over the country on the Malayan Railways’ trains to the Prai harbour and into the ‘Penang’ vessel.
“And when the vessel arrived close to Jerejak, we had to use tugboats to allow it to berth sideways, as Penang was side-loading, with just chains at its sides, unlike ferries today which are hoarded up.
“Afterwards, we would have to scrub down 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.
On a different incident, he said in the 1990s on board the Pulau Undan ferry, he experienced something unforgettable during the last trip to the island at 12.40am. He said first in the queue was a 27-year-old junior architect in a Perodua Kancil, who was asleep in his seat.
“When we were ready to dock, I signalled at a pier attendant to wake him up. The moment he jolted awake, he panicked and accelerated so fast the car fell out of the ferry.
“The car windscreen popped out on impact with the water. He could not come out as the tide was very high. Sadly, he did not make it out alive,” he said.
Govindan said he also saw blatant smuggling of tax-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-wed man who jumped into the water. He hung on to a lifebuoy we hurled at him.
“Another one I remember was a 67-year-old man who had driven all the way from Taiping to take his life at sea. We managed to stop him.
“Sometimes over the weekend, we would see gang fights on the deck, mostly over girls. I tell you, you see 1,001 characters on the ferry daily,” he said.
Recalling how the ferry services were “par excellence” back in the day, Govindan said one had to wait just seven minutes for a ferry, at a time when there were 13 ferries available.
Services ran for 24 hours a day, with hourly services past midnight, he said.
“The ferries were the most well-maintained vessels. We would take out everything and replace everything on time,” he said, adding that it was poor maintenance that has caused the ferries to deteriorate now.
Govindan also knows the key stats of all his ferries, even today: “The Undan, Rawa and Talang Talang were made in Hong Kong. They are made from stronger steel and hence, heavier. They are good.
“Rimau, Angsa and Kapas are made in Pasir Gudang, Johor. They are light and fast. Older ones such as Redang, Pangkor, Aman, Labuan and Langkawi were made in Hong Kong too, but decommissioned.
“Only the Lumut and the new Pulau Pinang are made in Hong Leong’s shipyard in Penang,” he said.
Of the impending departure of the Pulau Talang Talang and Pulau Angsa ferries, built in 1975 and 1981, Govindan said it was saddening to see it go.
“The old ferries are what defined Penang. They have survived many generations. I am sure the right people would have made things work. But there is little we can do now, I guess we just have to move on now.”