Penang Port Goes Live With First Vessel Traffic System to Track Ship Movements in Real Time

Penang Port has launched its first Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS), a central command hub that tracks vessel movements in real time across one of Malaysia’s busiest maritime corridors.

Penang Port Commission (PPC) Chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said the system is part of a push to strengthen the port’s international competitiveness through forward-looking initiatives.

“As the regulatory authority for Penang Port, the commission remains committed to strengthening the port’s international competitiveness through systematic and forward-looking initiatives.”

— Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin, PPC

Integrated technology stack

The VTMS brings together several technologies: an Automatic Identification System (AIS), Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), Very High Frequency (VHF) radio, and an electro-optical surveillance system.

Together they enable real-time monitoring of vessel movements for safer and more efficient navigation through Penang waters, which see daily traffic from cargo vessels, cruise ships, passenger ferries and smaller craft.

Key for future LRT crossing

The system will be particularly important for the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) link between KOMTAR and Penang Sentral, where the alignment crosses the Penang Strait. The VTMS will ensure safe vessel passage and protect future LRT infrastructure.

Penang Port is Malaysia’s third-busiest container port after Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas, handling 1.4 to 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually across six terminals.

The initiative supports Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s vision for modernising and digitalising national ports and improving logistics infrastructure.

Source: New Straits Times