In less than two months, several ship accidents involving hundreds of\nvictims have occurred. This began with the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2\n(Surabaya-Makassar route) catching fire in Madura waters on Sunday, 2\nAugust 2026. This was followed by the KMP Putri Yasmin\n(Padangbai-Lembar) burning on Wednesday, 12 August 2026. Most recently,\nthe KM Virgo Transport 8 (Surabaya-Banjarmasin route) sank in the Java\nSea on Sunday, 13 September 2026. This series of incidents adds to the\ngrowing list of accidents involving water transport modes, including\nseas, rivers, lakes, and crossings.<\/p>\n
Data from Basarnas RI indicates that from January to 15 August\n202cap, 601 ship accidents were handled by SAR teams. At least 3,607\nvictims were recorded, consisting of 3,165 survivors, 239 fatalities,\nand 203 missing persons. This figure does not include incidents from\nSeptember 2026, such as the disappearance of five journalists and three\ncrew members of the Arupadhatu 1 fast boat in the Sunda Strait, as well\nas the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident involving 243 people in the Java\nSea.<\/p>\n
This string of events serves as a danger alarm for Indonesia\u2019s water\ntransport modes. As an archipelagic nation, water transport should be\nthe mainstay for connecting thousands of islands across the archipelago.\nThis issue is expected to serve as a basis for collective evaluation by\nstakeholders to guarantee safety. According to 2025 BPS RI data, the use\nof water transport in Indonesia has shown a sharp upward trend.<\/p>\n
During 2025 (January-December), sea transport passengers reached 30.5\nmillion people (an increase of 16.48 per cent) and goods transport\nreached 508.4 million tonnes (an increase of 16.56 per cent). Meanwhile,\nriver, lake, and crossing transport passengers in 2025 experienced a\n12.02 per cent increase. This condition illustrates that the demand for\nwater transport remains very high.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the assurance of maritime safety and security must be the\ntop priority. Maritime safety is not limited to the condition and age of\nthe vessel, but also encompasses seaworthiness, cargo, crew, weather\nconditions, navigation systems, supervision, compliance with\nregulations, emergency rescue readiness, and the accuracy of passenger\ndata.<\/p>\n
Regulatory Changes<\/p>\n
In recent years, water transport management regulations were divided\ninto two regimes within the Ministry of Transportation: the Directorate\nGeneral of Land Transportation (Hubdat) and the Directorate General of\nSea Transportation (Hubla). Ships used for river, lake, and crossing\ntransport, which generally operate over short distances, were under the\nauspices of Hubdat, while ships serving long-distance sea voyages were\nunder Hubla.<\/p>\n
Ships operating on rivers, lakes, and short-distance crossings are\nconsidered bridges connecting vehicles, passengers, and goods between\nislands, such as the Merak-Bakauheni, Ketapang-Gilimanuk, and\nPadangbai-Lembar routes. Consequently, their operations were under the\nauthority of the Land Transportation Management Agency (BPTD).\nMeanwhile, ships operating on long-distance sea routes generally use sea\nports regulated by the Harbour Master and Port Authority (KSOP).<\/p>\n
This dualism in water transport management ended following the\nissuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 16 of 2026\nconcerning the Ministry of Transportation, which essentially removed\nriver, lake, and crossing transport from the jurisdiction of Hubdat.\nThis means all water transport now falls under the auspices of Hubla.\nTechnical provisions are regulated by Ministerial Regulation (Permenhub)\nNumber 7 of 2026 regarding the Organisation and Work Procedures of the\nMinistry of Transportation. Gradually, maritime transport matters are\nbeing transferred to Hubla, except for pioneer services, which remain\nunder Hubdat until 31 December 2026.<\/p>\n
For water transport operators, this regulatory change serves as a\nsingle reference for providing services. Under the auspices of Hubla,\nall provisions follow the standards of the International Maritime\nOrganization (IMO) based in London. All water transport businesses must\ncomply with international regulations regarding both security and\nsafety. Thus, the government, as the regulator, can tighten\nimplementation and field supervision.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Transport\u2019s regulatory changes will affect shipping\noperators. Referring to PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), there are at\nleast six impacts being felt:<\/p>\n
Regulatory interface: Shipping functions are more integrated,\ninvolving all stakeholders.<\/p><\/li>\n
Documents and licensing: Opens opportunities for integration and\nstandardisation, ensuring handling is not partial and possesses uniform\nstandards.<\/p><\/li>\n
Ship operations: Opens opportunities for policies that are\naligned with shipping functions, making river, lake, and crossing\ntransport a unified entity.<\/p><\/li>\n
Governance aspect: Enables the unification of data and more\nintegrated decision-making without inter-sectoral delays.<\/p><\/li>\n
Regulatory transition: Opens opportunities for the alignment of\nbusiness processes and operational governance.<\/p><\/li>\n
Service quality: Encourages shipping operators to consistently\nmeet standards and improve service quality.<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Integrated from Upstream to Downstream<\/p>\n
Regulatory changes in water transport management are expected to\nimpact integrated handling. Shipping services are merely the end result\nof a series of processes that cause accidents. Therefore, integrated\nhandling from upstream to downstream is an urgent necessity to strive\nfor maritime safety.<\/p>\n
Firstly, starting from the upstream sector, cargo conditions should\nbe known from the outset as they affect the loading scheme on the\nvessel. Every ship has a maximum loading capacity measured by weight\n(tonnage), not just cargo size. The loading process must be\u2026<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/water-transport-safety-1790078212", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }