The Penang Strait is an 11 kilometre-wide

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

that separates

Penang Island Penang Island is the main constituent island of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located off the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait, with the Penang Strait separating the island from Seberang Perai on the mainla ...

from mainland

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

is to the west of the channel, while

Seberang Perai Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located on the Malay Peninsula and separated from Penang Island by the Penang Strait, it shares borders with Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. The city spans an are ...

, the mainland half of the State of Penang, is to the east. The northern and southern ends of the channel join the

Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...

, one of the world's busiest maritime routes. The

provides deepwater passage to the Port of Penang, which is located in Butterworth in

. In addition, Swettenham Pier in George Town,

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

's capital city that is situated on

, is a popular destination for cruise ships, serving as one of the major entry points into

. Since the foundation of

as a trading outpost of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

in 1786, the Penang Strait has historically been a busy shipping route.

Geography

The Penang Strait separates

from the

to the east. It connects with the

to the north and south. The

can also be further divided into the North Channel and the South Channel. The North Channel refers to the body of water north of the northeastern

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...

, where George Town is situated, whereas the South Channel covers the body of water south of that

. Fort Cornwallis Ligthouse.JPG, The North Channel off the northern coastline of George Town MY-penang-georgetown-faehrh.jpg, The South Channel along the eastern shoreline of George Town Jerejak Island.JPG, Jerejak Island, the largest island within the Penang Strait

Tributaries

The rivers that flow into the Penang Strait are listed as follows.

: * Pinang River * Gelugor River * Bayan Lepas River

: * Perai River * Muda River * Kerian River * Juru River * Jawi River

Islands

A handful of islands and islets lie within the South Channel of the Penang Strait. The largest of all is Jerejak Island, located off the southeastern coast of

. The largely forested island was once the site of a

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...

asylum, which was then converted into a maximum security prison before its eventual closure in 1993. Other islets within the

are Aman Island and Gedung Island, both of which are located off the southern coast of

. Man-made islets were also created during the construction of the Penang Bridge in the 1980s.

History

Ever since the establishment of George Town in 1786, the Penang Strait has served as an important shipping route within the State of Penang. Up until the 1970s, the main harbour facilities were situated at Weld Quay in George Town. The reclamation of Weld Quay in the late 19th century allowed larger ships to dock off the city's waterfront, as the depth of the seas off Weld Quay was deeper. In 1974, the Port of Penang's cargo facilities were shifted to Butterworth across the

. Thus, cargo and container shipping are mainly handled in Butterworth, while Swettenham Pier in George Town continues to receive cruise ships to this day. In 2015 alone, Swettenham Pier recorded 145 port calls, the highest in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Meanwhile, Butterworth's port facilities handled more than 1.2 million TEU of cargo in 2013, making it one of the busiest harbours in the country. The Penang Strait was also the scene where the initial shots of the Battle of Penang were fired on 28 October 1914. The

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

, SMS ''Emden'', sailed into the strait disguised as a British ship before shelling and torpedoing the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

, ''Zhemchug''. SMS ''Emden'' then sailed northwest towards the Malacca Straits, sinking another French warship along the way. Towards the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Penang Strait was also mined by the Allied forces, using air-dropped mines to impede Japanese merchant shipping. On 17 January 2010, a dragon boat tragedy occurred when the strong currents resulted in a boat collision, capsizing a

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

and killing 6 paddlers on board. The incident raised concerns by several officers, especially Shamsir Mohamed, officer of the Marine Department (northern region) and Lai Chew Hock, chairman of the Penang Dragon Boat Association, regarding the suitability for conducting

water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...

in the Penang Straits. Shamsir cited busy traffic, unpredictable weather, and strong currents for his concerns, while Chew Hock claimed the area was unsuitable for any water sports activities due to debris from

fishing boat A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial, arti ...

s and strong currents. However, Lim Choo Hooi, chairman of Penang Forward Sports Club, refuted the claim, saying that neither the wave tides nor the monsoon season posed a problem for training sessions. Coaches would need to check sea and weather conditions prior to conducting training sessions. He also said that the tragedy site was protected from

tsunamis A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, la ...

and strong waves and had been used for training for three years, making it one of the safest stretches of public shoreline.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Bridges

Two bridges now traverse the Penang Strait - the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge. The Penang Bridge, completed in 1985, connects

Perai Perai is a suburb of Seberang Perai in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It lies at the southern bank of the Perai River and borders Butterworth, Seberang Perai, Butterworth to the north. The area now know ...

on the mainland with the suburb of Gelugor on

. In 2014, the Second Penang Bridge further south was opened for public use, thereby substituting the Penang Bridge as the longest bridge in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. The Second Penang Bridge runs between Batu Kawan on the mainland and Batu Maung on the island. To bolster Penang's electricity grid,

Tenaga Nasional Tenaga Nasional Berhad (, abbreviated as TNB; TENA, ), also known as Tenaga Nasional or simply Tenaga, is the Malaysian multinational corporation, multinational electricity company and is the only electric utility company in Peninsular Malaysi ...

Berhad (TNB) initiated a RM500 million cross-straits electric grid project in 2022. This significant investment aims to deliver a substantial 2,000 megawatts (MW) of power from the national grid to the island. The project encompasses an 8.5-kilometer-long monopole transmission line, while six of the 31 towers will boast a unique betel nut design, making them a visually striking landmark alongside the iconic Penang Bridge. Penang bridge.JPG, The 13.5 kilometre-long Penang Bridge traverses the South Channel between Gelugor on

and

in the mainland. T_he_J_o_u_r_n_e_Y_(37160128411).jpg, The 24 km

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (), also known as the Penang Second Bridge (), is a dual carriageway toll bridge in Penang, Malaysia. It connects Bandar Cassia (Batu Kawan) in Seberang Perai, Peninsular Malaysia, with Batu Maung on ...

connecting Batu Maung and Batu Kawan. Pulau Rimau ferry ship.jpg, A Penang Ferry crossing the Penang Strait. File:Penang straits TNB monopoles under construction (240215) 01.jpg, TNB monopoles under construction as of 2024 seen from Penang Bridge

Ferry

In addition to the two bridges, Penang ferry service is another transportation link between

and the mainland ( Penang Sentral). Unlike the two bridges, the ferry service operates out of a terminal within the heart of George Town, offering a direct link into the city centre for those entering from the mainland.

References

{{Geography of Penang

Literature

*Bjorn Kjerfve
Oceanographic Observations and Numerical Modeling of Circulation and Dispersion in Penang Strait, Malaysia
" Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine Biology and Coastal Research, University of South Carolina Straits of Malaysia Landforms of Penang Maritime Southeast Asia Strait of Malacca Shipping in Asia Sea lanes Peninsular Malaysia Andaman Sea Straits of the Indian Ocean