Sabtu, 27 Juni 2015

FERRY COMPANY PREPARES TO SERVE EID TRAVELERS

By Andi Abdussalam
          Jakarta, June 27 (Antara) -- State-owned Inland Waterway Transportation Service ASDP is preparing 52 ferries to serve those traveling from Merak, the main ferry port in the western tip of Java, to Bakauheni Port in Sumatra for Eid Fitr.
         "The 52 roll-on-roll-off (Roro) ships are in good condition and are ready to cater to passengers who want to cross Sunda Strait to celebrate the Lebaran holiday after the fasting month Ramadan in their hometowns in Sumatra," Manager of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry for Merak Nana Sutisna said in Merak on Saturday.
          As witnessed in previous years, the annual exodus of travelers following the fasting month of Ramadan for Eid Fitr or Lebaran, which falls on July 17 this year, is expected to rise 2 percent to 20 million.
         A week before (D-7) and a week after (D+7) D-Day are when there is a rush of travelers. They will opt for means of either sea, land or air transportation, with some visiting their hometowns using private vehicles and others, public transport.

 
         PT ASDP has predicted that this year, Merak Port will see an increase of about 7 percent in the number of people traveling for Eid Fitr. While last year, 564,593 passengers, including users of both private and public vehicles, crossed Sunda Strait from Merak Port to Sumatra, this year, the number is estimated to reach 604,115.
        According to Sutisna, the 52 ferries are ready to provide the best services to passengers wishing to observe Eid Fitr or Lebaran festivities in their hometowns and also on their return trips from Sumatra to Java.
        As the number of passengers is estimated to rise by about 7 percent this year, the waterway transportation service has made preparations three weeks before the Eid Fitr D-Day on July 18.
        General Manager of ASDP Yunus Lentanga stated that the number of passengers traveling during the Eid Fitr season this year is expected to increase 7 percent from that last year.
        "The number of two-wheelers alone is expected to reach 70 thousand," Lentanga pointed out.
        Moreover, the Merak office of ASDP is ready to provide travelers with various facilities at the port, such as sale of tickets and the widening of the road that leads to the piers.
         During the peak flow of Eid travelers, lengthy queues of vehicles are usually trapped in a gridlock several kilometers long before they reach the port. This usually happens three days before the D-Day Lebaran festivities.
         Therefore, the state-owned inland waterway transportation service is also preparing five docks for this year's Eid Fitr holidaymakers.
          Spokesman for the Merak branch of ASDP Mario S. Oetomo remarked on Saturday that his company hoped the five docks would improve the flow of vehicles that will be going onboard the Roro vessels during the Lebaran holiday season.
         He revealed that the five docks are expected to address traffic congestion and the issue of long queues of vehicles of Lebaran travelers who will be returning to their home villages in the islands of Java and Sumatra.
         With the renovation of the five docks, Oetomo pointed out that when they arrive at the port, both vehicles and travelers will be able to get onboard the vessels to be ferried directly, without having to wait in long queues.
        "We believe the optimization of the five docks will be effective enough to accommodate hundreds of vehicles and will ensure smooth flow of traffic," he affirmed.   
    In addition, Sutisna said that security will also be tightened to prevent crimes such as hold ups, thefts, hypnotism, tranquilization, and pickpocketing. "We will work hard to provide the best services because it is the government's commitment," he emphasized.

        Sutisna further noted that so far, the ships to be operated are worthy of sailing and in good condition. So they will provide comfortable services to passengers crossing the strait using the ferries.
         The port will witness the peak flow of traffic three days before (D-3) and three days after (D+3) D-Day because thousands of travelers throng the ferries during this period.
         Of the 52 ferries being prepared, 30 will be operated to cater to passengers, while the remaining 22 will be kept on standby. Those brought into operation will serve more than 95 trips.
        Furthermore, loading and unloading activities are expected to take only 10 minutes. So the arrivals and departures of the ships can be improved and carried out smoothly. 
   However, the ferry service company will not increase the number of ships serving each of the existing piers of Merak Port. The ASDP is firm about its decision to operate six ships at each of the five piers. 
  "We will maintain the number of ferries operating at each pier at six so that the total number of ships in operation is 30," he stated.

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(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
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(T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 27-06-2015 19:47

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