60% of Ships Idle in Merak, Gerindra Legislator Calls for Additional Docks
Member of DPR RI Commission VII from the Gerindra Party Faction, Bambang Haryo Soekartono (BHS), has called for an evaluation and the addition of docks at Merak Port, Banten, due to long queues during the 2026 Eid al-Fitr homecoming and return. He assessed that the limited number of active docks causes more than 60% of ships to be non-operational during peak density periods.
BHS appreciated the smoothness of this year’s homecoming traffic but stressed that there are still fundamental issues on the strategic Java-Sumatra route that must be addressed immediately.
“I see that it was quite smooth from Java, and I appreciate the Ministry of Transportation, GAPASDAP, ASDP, and the Police for the success in homecoming transport. And I want to see the return transport from Bakauheni,” BHS stated in a written statement on Thursday (2/4/2026).
He highlighted the limitations of the docks, which directly impact ship operations. Of the 72 available ships, only a small portion can operate regularly.
“From 72 ships, only 28 can be operated regularly and 5 ships for operations at the emergency dock,” he said.
According to BHS, this situation occurs because Merak Port currently has only seven active docks.
“Currently, there are only 7 docks, where each dock operates 4 ships, meaning more than 60% of the fleet cannot be operated during dense situations like this,” he explained.
As Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), BHS urged PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, along with regulators from the Directorate General of Land and Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, to act immediately.
“This requires a fundamental evaluation from ASDP, the shipping company, especially the regulators of the Directorate General of Land and Directorate General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation to immediately anticipate the difficulties faced by the shipping company to operate, for example, if there is an addition of docks,” he asserted.
BHS calculated that adding one pair of docks could accommodate four additional ships, and two pairs would mean eight additional ships.
“One pair of docks alone can anticipate 4 units of ships; if two pairs of docks, it can accommodate 8 additional operating ships. Of course, this can increase the capacity from 28 ships by around 35% transport capacity,” he revealed.
He also reminded of the trend of increasing crossing users, which grows by 8-12% per year, plus the potential surge in traffic as toll road networks in Sumatra connect.
“Please remember, it also needs to be anticipated the acceleration due to the toll road later when it is connected; this will certainly increase the number of people using crossing transportation,” he said.
BHS also warned that logistics distribution should not be sacrificed. Logistics vehicles were reported to have to wait for days in rest areas up to dock parking pockets.
“Logistics transport must not be sacrificed. If logistics are hindered, it is feared that trade and industry will also be hindered,” he asserted.
At the end of his statement, the Gerindra politician urged that the construction of new docks be realised immediately and the use of emergency docks like Ciwandan be stopped for long-term needs.
“This emergency dock cannot be tolerated continuously and should only be used for emergencies when regular docks experience density. And this cannot be used for a long time because it is less safe, comfortable, and secure. Therefore, the construction of additional regular docks must be carried out immediately so that congestion problems during every Eid holiday can be resolved properly,” he concluded.