THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS TOWARDS RO-RO FERRY SERVICES: A STUDY AT LANGKAWI – KUALA PERLIS (NORTH MALAYSIA)

Abstract

Around the world, there has been an outbreak of the coronavirus illness (COVID-19), an infectious disease. The shipping and maritime industries have been put in the worst possible situations as a result of this epidemic. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of pandemic Coronavirus towards Ro-Ro ferry services at Langkawi District, Kedah, Malaysia and to analyse the effectiveness of the strategies being used to overcome the impact of Coronavirus towards successful of Ro-Ro ferry services at Langkawi District, Kedah, Malaysia. Data from the Langkawi – Kuala Perlis terminal employees was gathered and analysed using survey questionnaires. Employee demographic data, the impact of Covid-19 on Ro-Ro ferry services, and the effectiveness of implemented strategies are all collected in the questionnaire. This research will be beneficial to the Ro-Ro ferry service providers as the data acquired will be useful to be used in overcoming the current or upcoming pandemic that might occur in the future. In order to investigate the impact of the pandemic and to analyze the effectiveness of the strategies implemented, a total of 20 questionnaires are gathered and the data is analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The impact of the Coronavirus forced Ro-Ro ferry service to be halted due to a Movement Control Order. On the other hand, it can be concluded that the government's 'travel bubble' incentives aid in growing customer demand for Ro-Ro ferry services.