GEORGE TOWN:The Penang port industry is also impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic since early this year following a drop in container handling operation.<br /> <br /> State Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said container handing was expected to record a 6.6 per cent drop (this year) compared to last year.<br /> <br /> He said only 1,040,098 units of containers equivalent to 20 feet (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) would be handled this year compared to 1,113,618 TEU last year.<br /> <br /> ‘’The Penang port industry is adversely impacted by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic whereby, other than the handling of containers, the handling of conventional cargo is expected to shrink by 17.2 per cent compared to last year,’’ he said when answering a question of Dr Afif Bahardin (Bersatu-Seberang Jaya) at the State Assembly, here, today.<br /> <br /> He said Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) handled 7,167,415 tonnes (Freight Weight Tonnes) last year and is only expected to handle 5,934,435 FWT this year.<br /> <br /> In addition, Zairil said the cruise industry operation at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal was expected to record a 70.6 per cent drop in handling compared to last year.<br /> <br /> ‘’PPSB is expected to handle only 212,627 passengers this year compared to 733,789 passengers last year,’’ he said.<br /> <br /> Prior to this, the Malaysian cruise tourism sector was the third-highest in Asia whereby the George Town harbour was recorded as the first choice of tourists last year.<br /> <br /> As of yesterday, there were 636 COVID-19 positive cases in Penang with two main clusters, namely, at the Penang Remand Prison and Seberang Perai Prison.<br /> <br /> Both prisons were the third and fourth in the country infected with COVID-19 after Tawau in Sabah and Alor Setar in Kedah.<br /> <br /> To date, the Remand Prison Cluster recorded 160 new active cases yesterday bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive cases to 377 with one death, while the Jawi Prison Cluster recorded 54 cases.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -- BERNAMA