Jakarta, July 14 (Antara) -- State-owned inland waterway transportation service PT ASDP has predicted that Merak Ferry Port will witness the peak flow of travelers heading home for Eid or Lebaran three days before (D-3) the festival on Friday.
On Tuesday (July 14) evening, thousands of Eid or Lebaran travelers from Java wanting to cross Sunda Strait to reach Sumatra began arriving at Merak Ferry Port in the western tip of Java.
"We are convinced that the number of passengers will peak tonight and throng the port till morning," Mario Sardadi Oetomo, a spokesman for the Merak branch of PT ASDP, said on Tuesday afternoon.
He added that passengers, both pedestrians and motorists, had begun to flock to Merak Ferry Port to reach Bakauheni Ferry Port in Lampung in the eastern tip of Sumatra.
Lebaran travelers, traditionally called 'pemudik,' have been arriving at the port since 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Although the number of travelers pouring in has been rising, traffic has been flowing smoothly.
"We have asked the traffic police for assistance, to monitor the flow of vehicles to ensure that they do not get stuck in queues," Oetomo remarked.
PT ASDP has predicted that this year, Merak Ferry 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 Ferry Port to Sumatra, this year, the number is estimated to reach 604,115.
According to Manager of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry for Merak Nana Sutisna, to ensure hassle-free ferry services for travelers, his side has prepared 52 ferries.
"The 52 roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) 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," Sutisna stated in Merak recently.
He further noted that 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.
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.
As witnessed in previous years, the number of travelers in the annual exodus for Eid Fitr or Lebaran following the fasting month of Ramadan is expected to rise. This year, there will be a 2 percent increase to 20 million across the country.
For those traveling from Java to Sumatra or the vice versa, the ferry ports of Merak in the western tip of Java and of Bakauheni in the eastern tip of Sumatra are very important as they connect the two important islands of Indonesia.
If Merak Ferry Port is hit with the peak of travelers on Tuesday night, Bakauheni Ferry Port will witness it on Wednesday (July 15), which is two days before (D-2) Lebaran on Friday.
Manager of PT ASDP for Bakauheni Ferry Port Heru Purwanto pointed out in Bakauheni on Tuesday that he predicted the peak flow will be in the early hours of Wednesday.
"This is because employees received their fasting month bonuses only today," he remarked.
Purwanto added that passengers of all kinds, such as pedestrians, motorists of two- and four-wheeled private vehicles and those using public buses, will swarm the port to head to Java from Sumatra.
He affirmed that his side will optimize the services of their ships in accordance with the needs of passengers.
Based on data from PT ASDP for Bakauheni, the number of passengers ferried from D-7 to D-4 has reached 144,285, with vehicles accounting for 24,376 units, including 2,853 two-wheelers.
The number of ferries of the ro-ro variety being operated stood at 28 units, Purwanto stated.
In addition, Chief of the South Lampung Resort Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Hengki said that the flow of travelers heading to their hometowns for Eid al-Fitr, or Lebaran, via Bakauheni Ferry Port in Lampung was smooth on Tuesday, three days before (D-3) the festival.
"So far, the flow of traffic at the port has been smooth and secure. There were no incidents that disturbed travelers," Hengki affirmed in Bakauheni on Tuesday.
He added that there were no incidents of criminal activities such as hypnotizing, pickpocketing and other acts.
Hengki emphasized that his side would continue to optimize efforts to ensure the safety of Lebaran travelers so their journeys to their hometowns are smooth.
He also expressed hope that the Lebaran travelers, locally and traditionally known as 'pemudik,' are careful during their trip.
Furthermore, Bakauheni Ferry Port in Lampung province is directing all kinds of vehicles, such as two-wheelers, four-wheelers and trucks, wishing to travel to Java from Sumatra to Pier I and Pier V alternately.
This is being done because the number of vehicles has begun to increase, albeit insignificantly.
Some 500 to 900 two-wheelers passed through the port since the exodus of Eid travelers began a few days ago. Their daily records show that from D-7 to D-3, the number of two-wheelers reached 2,853.
However, private vehicles, trucks and passenger buses constituted the highest number of vehicles wanting to travel to Java. On the whole, the total number of vehicles wanting to cross Sunda Strait from D-7 to D-3 was 24,376.
Moreover, a higher number of passengers arrived at Bakauheni Ferry Port from Merak Ferry Port in Java than the number of travelers heading to Merak from Bakauheni.
In addition, data from PT ASDP showed that on Tuesday, the number of passengers crossing Sunda Strait from Bakauheni to reach Merak was more than 144,285. ***4***
(T.A014/INE/B003)(T.SYS/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 14-07-2015 22:39: |
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