MARINA BATU UBAN. 5°21.343N, 100°18.912E
Just south of Penang’s 1st Bridge is the unpretentious Jabatan Laut (Marine Department) government-run public facility with 35 berths for vessels up to 12 metres.
Coming from the south, after the new bridge turn into the Pulau Jerejak channel and keep an eye for the Komptar cylindrical tower block in the distance. You won’t see the marina until you’re nearly on top of it because another jetty building with a blue roof obscures it.
Marina Batu Uban is one of the few successful marinas built and operated by Malaysia’s Marine Department, but has very few available berths for visiting yachts. There is no breakwater so it’s open to wind, wave and vessel wake from the east.
Anchoring off in the channel in 8 metres is fine, but dinghy access to the docks does incur a small fee. Best to contact rosziyana@marine.gov.my in advance for a berth or for approval to anchor off.
Just north, the 1st Penang Bridge has short air height of approximately 6 metres inshore, so passing this close inside to go north is not possible. Best to schlep back south around Pulau Jerejak then north, unless you time it for high tide. At any other tide best to trust someone with local knowledge to draw you a mud map to safely navigate the shallow banks between the marina and the highest span mid way.
Guaranteed safe depth across the mud banks close in near the bridge is debatable, even among the locals.
https://www.marine.gov.my/jlm/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20200910113349-08c57-marina2bm-edited26032018.pdf
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