Ferry between Penang and Belawan (Medan, Sumatra)

Hi everyone, I’ve got a question I can’t seem to find an answer to! Is there a ferry between Penang (Butterworth) and Belawan (Medan, Sumatra) that doesn’t require going through Malacca to reach Dumai, since it’s too long a trip from there to Medan? Thanks!

hi, I took this route a long time ago (between Medan and Penang) But I don’t know if it still exists—nothing on Pelni’s website.

Hi there,

The service was discontinued about ten years ago. That said, you’ve got four low-cost airlines that generally operate around 6 flights a day on this route: AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Indonesia, Lion Air, and Citilink. That might explain why the ferry’s no longer running.

hi there, I took this route a long time ago (between Medan and Penang) But I don’t know if it still exists—nothing on the Pelni website

hi, thanks for the info. I checked, and this route doesn’t exist anymore indeed

Hello,

The service was discontinued about ten years ago. However, you have 4 low-cost airlines that generally operate 6 flights a day on this route: AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Indonesia, Lion Air, and Citilink. That might explain why.

Hello, thanks for the info because I saw on the Pelni website that it no longer exists, and I agree with you about the low-cost options.

One way or another, the crossing was pretty rough, especially if the sea wasn’t calm. When I did this crossing, everyone on board was seasick. The downside of low-cost flights is that you have to go through Singapore or KL and then take a bus to get to Penang

The downside of budget flights is that you have to go through Singapore or KL and then take a bus to get to Penang

Nope, there are direct flights that take 50 to 60 minutes.

No, these are direct flights that last 50 to 60 minutes.

Don’t get too excited—yes, there are direct flights. What I wrote was just in case direct flights don’t exist when traveling from one destination to another.