16 Vessels Deployed to Anticipate Maritime Accidents at Bakauheni Port
A total of 16 vessels have been deployed to anticipate maritime accidents on the crossing route at Bakauheni Port, Lampung. The vessels have been positioned at easily accessible locations.
Deputy Police Chief Komjen Dedi Prasetyo stated that 320 combined personnel have been mobilised to prepare for this operation. In the event of an accident or dangerous situation, personnel will immediately initiate response measures.
“While we do not hope for such situations, we have prepared for maritime emergency contingencies. We have 16 vessels ready and 320 combined personnel from the Armed Forces, the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Maritime Police (Polair), and the Police Force to anticipate contingency situations,” Dedi said on Tuesday (17 March 2025).
Additionally, the state-owned ferry operator ASDP has prepared vessels operating on the Merak-Bakauheni route so that personnel are better equipped to handle emergency situations.
Furthermore, additional safety equipment has been carefully prepared for emergency conditions. Dedi noted that careful calculations of response procedures are also important, based on current or real-time data.
“When these contingency situations occur—which we hope they do not—we are far better prepared. We must carefully calculate how many vessels we need, how many life jackets we require, and account for real-time speed so we can mitigate fatalities in the field,” he said.
At Bakauheni itself, Dedi predicted that traffic conditions would increase this evening, with the second wave of the exodus expected on 18-19 March.
“We have prepared security measures, meaning when citizens from the port travel to their destinations, we have arranged patrols to secure and escort them to their respective destinations,” he said.
The return waves are predicted to occur on 24-25 March in the first wave and 28-29 March in the second wave.
“The Regional Police Chief will also escort and secure all holiday travellers from outside Lampung heading to Bakauheni. I also want to inform the public that when they need police services, the Regional Police Chief has prepared the 110 emergency hotline. I also request quick response times from the police so that officers can respond rapidly when the public needs security or other police services,” he concluded.