Port becomes sea of stranded vehicles<\/p>\n
BANTEN, West Java: Merak, the biggest ferry port on the
\nwestern tip of Java, has been a sea of stranded trucks and cars
\nfor the past four days.<\/p>\n
Antara reported yesterday that the traffic jam, similar to
\nthose in the Idul Fitri Moslem holidays, was due a dearth of
\nferries working the Sunda Strait from Merak in West Java to
\nBakauheni in Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Of the 16 ferries usually serving the route, only 6 are
\noperating. Eight have been docked for repairs and the remaining
\ntwo have expired licenses.<\/p>\n
Smaller ferries are usually not allowed to cross the strait.<\/p>\n
Intermittent rain Wednesday worsened the traffic, forcing
\nthousands of passengers waiting for ferry services to walk 15 km
\nto the port.<\/p>\n
Thousands of trucks and buses were likewise stranded in
\nBakauheni, with queues stretching 3km from the port.<\/p>\n
A ferry official, who refused to be identified, said his boat
\nhad to suspend operations due to the unpredictable weather.<\/p>\n
Bad weather last week caused a ferry boat and a cargo ship to
\ncollide head on in the Sunda Strait, where strong winds in the
\nrainy season usually cause huge waves. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/port-becomes-sea-of-stranded-vehicles-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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