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Swettenham Pier (George Town)

Malaysia / Pulau Pinang / Butterworth / George Town
 pier, cruise terminal

Swettenham Pier is the cruise shipping terminal of the Port of Penang. Located within the city centre of George Town, it is Malaysia's busiest cruise shipping terminal, handling 198 cruise ships and close to 500,000 passengers in 2019 alone. Along with Penang International Airport (PEN), Swettenham Pier serves as one of the main entry points for tourists arriving in George Town.

The T-shaped pier was completed in 1904. Built by engineers Coude, Sons and Matthews, it originally provided 600 feet of wharfage. In 1911, the pier was extended to 1,200 feet in wharfage. When Penang was occupied by Japan during World War 2, the pier also served as a submarine base for the Japanese, German and Italian naval forces.

Following the loss of George Town's free port status in 1969, Swettenham Pier no longer handled steamers and other cargo vessels. Instead, in 2009, the pier was renovated as a cruise shipping terminal. Due to its location within George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Zone, the pier has become Malaysia's busiest terminal for cruise ships, overtaking Port Klang by 2017. Currently, Swettenham Pier is capable of accommodating 8,000 passengers at any one time.

Upgrading works on the pier is slated for completion by 2021, increasing its capacity to 12,000 passengers at any one time, as well as two Oasis-sized cruise vessels.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   5°25'7"N   100°20'46"E

Comments

  • chuan hock (guest)
    i miss super star virgo
  • Timothy Tye
    Swettenham Pier was named after Frank Swettenham. More details: http://www.penang-traveltips.com/swettenham-pier.htm
This article was last modified 5 years ago