Is there (or when will there be) a ferry between Sabah (Malaysia) and Palawan (Philippines)?

Upvote:3

I think it is questionable the the Republic of the Philippines (RP) will allow a ferry connecting Palawan and Eastern Sabah.

  1. There are many, many reasons why things in Southeast Asia do not happen. Possible reasons include: corruption, mismanagement, bureaucracy, and other dynamics that exist strongly in the region.

  2. The Republic of the Philippines has dormant claim on Eastern Sabah based on the Philippines succeeding the Sultanate of Sulu. The Sultanate allowed the British North Borneo Company ownership of Eastern Sabah. Were the Philippines to authorize a border crossing (immigration, passports, entry stamps, etc) from the Philippines into Eastern Sabah it would represent de facto recognition of Malaysia's internationally recognized claim over Eastern Sabah.

Neither reason means that it won't happen. The ferry project could get managed well. The Philippines could come up with a creative way to allow legal movement from Philippines directly into Eastern Sabah. Heck, the government could just be oblivious to the ferry plan and it just happens (or gets cancelled at the last minute). I wouldn't bet on it happening though.

Here are some links for a more thorough discussion on Eastern Sabah border claims:

The Google search

The Wikipedia article

Upvote:4

Talk of extended ferry links and regular international ferries has been going on for years, and not just that route. I know because I've long wondered about being able to travel out of the Philippines without flying.

On that particular route it appears it is going ahead and it will go ahead soon. Note that 'soon' in the Philippines can typically mean anything from a month to a year ...

There's a Facebook post from the Sabah Palawan Chamber of Commerce & Industry that links to a video from FastCat (Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation) who will run the route. Skipping to 6:22 in that video and you'll hear:

Soon our brand new Fast Cat ferries will cover the routes within the Eastern and Western Philippines, as well as Central Philippines, Visayas and Mindanao. We also aim to provide a better, safer and faster connection to our neighboring countries in South East Asia.

The video shows maps with the proposed routes. Your best bet is to follow that Facebook page and that website for announcements that the route is up and running. I'd guess it'll not be ready in January, but I have no more information than what's in those links.

Which is not to say it's impossible to make the trip, you may be able to arrange transport on a cargo vessel or other ship but you'd need someone with more local knowledge of that area than I have to help.

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