Enhanced SOP at ferry points

Safety more important than convenience

MANY users regard the tightened standard operating procedures (SOP) at the Batang Lupar ferry here as necessary, despite them being inconvenienced at times.

Sunsi Medan, 29, said the SOP should have been enforced earlier.

“I think the SOP is very good. In fact, it should have been enforced in the first place.

“Sure, it may be inconvenient at times, but it helps save lives,” said the administrative assistant at Pusa District Office, when interviewed by thesundaypost as she was queuing up to embark onto the ferry at the Triso point on Friday, heading to Kuching for the weekend.

Sunsi said she would comply with the SOP ‘down to the letter’, because to her, safety was much more important than convenience.

Sharing the same sentiment was Christy Pgar – a lorry driver who had been doing several rounds transporting goods between Kuching and Sibu via the State Coastal Highway.

“Yes, it should be that way – I am all for it. Life and safety are more important than getting a little wet in the rain,” he said.

Christy, 59, acknowledged that it would take some time to improve the SOP and get everybody to be fully compliant with it, but he believed that the present action was ‘going on the right track’.

“I did not witness the Triso ferry incident with my own eyes, but I saw the horror of the tragedy on social media. That’s why it is important to comply with the SOP – to prevent another tragedy from happening,” he said.

 

Tragedy: A wake-up call on safety

Nine people, including a four-month-old infant, lost their lives after the vehicle that they were in fell off the Triso ferry ramp and plunged into Batang Lupar at around 3pm on Jan 1 this year.

Those who died were the driver Lorna Ting (33) and her two sons Alvin Phang (12) and Wallace Phang (seven); as well as Lorna’s sister Siti Aishah Abdullah (36) and her five children – Nor Shuhada (16), Khairunnisa (14), Mohd Aiman (seven), Muhd Mustaqin (five), and four-month-old Mohd Ahmad.

Assistant Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development Datuk Julaihi Narawi had, on Jan 4, said that the SOP for all ferry points across Sarawak would take effect immediately, with other safety measures like guardrails and sign boards to be built and erected at these points as soon as possible.

He said this was reached after a special meeting with the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak, Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) and other relevant agencies, was held.

Julaihi, who is Sebuyau assemblyman, also said to ensure compliance with the SOP among the ferry operators and passengers, all of the 12 ferry services across Sarawak would have a uniformed JKR officer stationed at each ramp.

 

SOP compliance a must

Michael Lauon Jampi, a JKR Sarawak officer appointed to oversee the SOP enforcement at the Sebuyau point, said under the set procedures, all occupants – except the drivers – must exit their vehicles before boarding and upon disembarking from the ferry.

“They (passengers) must also remain outside the vehicles throughout the ferry trip across the river.

“In addition, the drivers must keep their vehicle windows open at all times, and while on the ferry, the handbrakes must be engaged,” he added.

On life jackets on board ferries, Michael said there had been many complaints regarding Covid-19 and the sharing of the life jackets.

“Because of that, we would not force passengers to wear them – but, we would remind them to stand by with the life jackets in case of emergency,” he said, assuring all that the life jackets are always readily accessible to passengers on the ferry.

For university student from Kuching, Syed Faizzuan Fiqri Wan Malek, even before the Triso tragedy and the strict enforcement of the SOP, he and other family members would always keep their vehicle windows open whenever they took a ferry trip.

“Because I’m boarding their (operator’s) ferry, so I must comply with their SOP.

“It is for my own safety as well,” said the 20-year-old when met on the ferry on his way back home from Sibu.

“Whatever it is, the SOP must be complied with.”

There are exceptions

Michael said with the SOP being beefed up at all ferry points, there would be certain circumstances where the procedures applicable to the boarding and disembarkation of ferry passengers would be subject to his discretion.

For example, he said during a downpour or whenever there were infants, young children, senior citizens with physical limitations, pregnant women, individuals who were sick or those with special needs, they would not need to exit the vehicles upon boarding, throughout the trip and disembarkation from the ferry.

“However, the vehicle windows must be open at all times.

“Such exemptions are at my discretion. So I must be responsible at all times to ensure that the passengers are safe.

“Sometimes, even I would also board the ferry to remind every passenger about the SOP; to make sure their vehicle windows are down, and their hand brakes applied,” said Michael.

Other SOPs being enforced are for vehicles to stop at the gantry gate before the passengers go out to purchase ferry tickets, and for every user to follow the directives from the worker manning the gate upon going down the ferry ramp.

There are several other workers monitoring the vehicles – if necessary, there are even some ‘guiding drivers’ to help with the movements.

Passengers boarding the ferry on foot must always observe the directives and instructions given by the ferry workers.

In the observation by thesundaypost at the Triso and Sebuyau ferry points, vehicles and passengers on foot took turns going across the ramp as they boarded the vessel, or disembarked from it.

Aboard the ferry, a number of workers went around and conducted checks on vehicles and the passengers to ensure that everything was safe and secure.

JKR Sarawak director Datu Zuraimi Sabki, at a recent press conference, had pointed out the exemptions to be considered with regard to the SOP set at all ferry points across the state.

“For example, exemptions may be given if the queue is very long and it is raining very heavily, where it would be difficult for passengers to exit their vehicles, or in case that there are disabled passengers.

“It’s at the discretion of the JKR officer on duty at the ferry point.

“A special protocol would need to be in place for that, but not all the time,” said Zuraimi, adding that the Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development Sarawak and JKR would fine-tune the implementation of the SOP along the way.

 

A matter of mindset

Lapang Enju, who works for the ferry operator, said the SOP had always been there since the beginning of the ferry service – in force throughout the first few weeks after operation had commenced.

“But throughout the years, ferry users seem to have been ignoring the SOP.

“When tragedy struck, only then would people start to open their eyes and realise the importance of the SOP.

“I think the SOP should have and must be enforced at all times.

“People were taking them for granted before this because probably, they never thought that such a tragedy could happen,” said Lapang, 56.