THE opening of the new Serasa Ferry Terminal scheduled in July has been delayed until mid-September due to a delay in the delivery of a pontoon from Canada.

Acting Director of Ports, Hj Souyono Salamat said despite the delay, developments within the terminal are going along as planned, as electrical works have been installed and completed following the visit by Deputy Minister of Communications, Dato Paduka Hj Yusof Hj Abdul Hamid.

"During the first week of September, all of the Immigration, Customs and Excise equipment from the old terminal will be transferred to the new Serasa Terminal," said the acting director.

The completion of the Serasa Terminal with the pontoon are expected to be done by late August.

There were plans to open the terminal earlier by setting up a temporary jetty, however it was later cancelled due to the time spent to build a jetty which could take up to two months to complete, during which time the pontoon should have arrived.

Pontoon are the latest in new technology in allowing passengers at the new Ferry Terminal easy access from the arriving vessel to disembark easily and safely, regardless of the levels of the tide.

In the old facility, passengers had to use steps to embark on and getting off from the ship and they could pose a danger to passengers, especially during low-tides, because the steps were covered by algae.

When the terminal is fully operated, frequent travellers to Kota Kinabalu could expect shorter travel.

Presently travelling to the Sabah's capital city could take up to 13 hours, especially during holidays, passing through Temburong and Sarawak,which means getting through several immigration control posts along the way.

With the new facility, travelling to Kota Kinabalu will be shortened by two hours.

The Serasa Ferry Terminal project began in November 28, 2005, at a cost of $4.88 million.

Some of the facilities which will be made available for the public include four lanes for departure, a duty free shop, cafeterias, offices for government agencies that will be posted there as well as a detention area to detain Not To Land (NTL) passengers. (SHS1)

Link: http://www.bt.com.bn/en/home_news/2008/06/24/opening_of_new_serasa_ferry_terminal_delayed