Managed by the Penang Port Commission (PPC), the service comprises a fleet of four catamarans that operate between the Raja Tun Uda and Sultan Abdul Halim terminals.

[1] The first cross-strait ferry service between George Town and Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai) was launched in 1894 by local entrepreneur Quah Beng Kee and his brothers.

[3][4] In 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, the Straits Settlements government requisitioned all private vessels, including those owned by the Eastern Shipping Company.

[4] Mitchell Pier was found to be inadequate in depth during low tide for automobile-carrying ferries, which the harbour board deemed necessary to accommodate the growing use of cars in Malaya at that time.

[2][3] The trial service proved successful, leading to the construction of a new steam-powered vessel – named the Seberang – by the Singapore Harbour Board (SHB) in the same year.

[3][9] The vessel was seized by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the final leg of its journey and subsequently used to support the conquest of the Dutch East Indies.

[10] To facilitate a comprehensive overhaul of the ferry service, the harbour board engaged consulting engineers Bruce White, Wolfe Barry & Partners from London in 1953.

The resulting study recommended replacing the existing fleet with a new generation of ferries designed for enhanced capacity, power and maneuverability, with separate decks for passengers and vehicles.

It had a weight of 180 tonnes and was equipped with a cycloidal propulsion system, while retaining the older side-loading capability that was compatible with existing piers until new ferry terminals were completed.

[15] In post-independence Penang, the ferry service maintained its role as the only mode of cross-strait transportation between George Town and Seberang Perai.

[18] In the 1970s, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein mooted the construction of a bridge linking Penang Island to the mainland.

[19] This incident adversely affected the reputation of the ferry service, which was also plagued by an aging fleet, rising maintenance costs and a scarcity of spare parts from Europe.

[27] The last of the older fleet, Pulau Angsa, remained in service transporting motorcyclists and bicycles, but was decommissioned later that year and subsequently acquired by the Penang state government.

[14][29] Unlike the older automobile-carrying ferries, the catamarans were designed specifically to transport motorcycles and bicycles, in addition to passengers on foot.