As the Busiest Route, the Ketapang-Gilimanuk Crossing Pier Needs Expansion
Member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Bambang Haryo Soekartono, has spotlighted the crucial role of the Ketapang Port–Gilimanuk Port crossing as Indonesia’s busiest and most strategic national route.
According to BHS, as he is commonly known, the issue of long queues due to pier limitations cannot be taken lightly. If left unaddressed, this situation could have widespread impacts on the economy.
BHS stated that during the Eid homecoming and holiday period, the logistics transport sector requires serious attention, especially since this route also connects to Bali as a world-class tourism destination.
“Logistics transport always goes hand in hand with tourism growth. When tourism grows, logistics certainly grows as well. This requires anticipation, but currently, the number of ship trips is not increasing due to pier limitations,” said BHS at Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java.
BHS emphasised that the situation must be addressed immediately through the addition of pier infrastructure.
“It is high time to build at least two pier units immediately. This way, the piers can accommodate ships that are currently idle, numbering over 20 vessels. With this addition, previously off-service or non-operational ships can be utilised in the schedule and strengthen carrying capacity by approximately 30%. This is a long-term anticipatory step for both tourism and its supporter, logistics,” said BHS.
Furthermore, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) Central stated that logistics in tourism areas must be adequately supplied to prevent price increases due to shortages.
“Currently, obstacles in the form of congestion that can last more than 10 hours for logistics transport have the potential to cause quite high inflation and hinder economic growth. Therefore, logistics distribution must be smoothed,” said BHS.
In countries around the world, BHS continued, during holiday seasons, logistics transport must also keep pace. Because with increased activity in the region, logistics needs will certainly be greater, and this must be anticipated.
“Do not let domestic and international tourists face shortages of goods in tourism areas. Tourism areas must be pampered with sufficient logistics, food, and drinks during the Eid homecoming and holiday period,” stated BHS.
On the other hand, the alumnus of Naval Architecture at ITS Surabaya added that for the time being, ship operations are conducted on a non-scheduled basis as targeted by the government. The processes of arrival, loading and unloading, to departure must be accelerated, and standard time targets need to be set according to ship size.
According to him, such steps are important to anticipate surges in needs during the holiday period.
“The need for goods, especially food and beverages, will certainly increase significantly along with tourism growth coinciding with the Eid homecoming and holiday momentum, so logistics distribution must be properly anticipated to avoid shortages.”
According to BHS, logistics issues not only affect domestic and foreign tourists but also economic actors, trade, and small and medium industries. This situation creates a multiplier economic effect and has the potential to disrupt the achievement of the national economic growth target set at 8%.
Therefore, BHS continued, in countries around the world, logistics transport always runs alongside and never stops. He mentioned that in countries like China, Japan, the United States, Europe, and Malaysia, logistics transport is never completely halted even during long holidays or major religious holidays.
In the European region, for example, several countries such as the Netherlands, the UK, and Spain continue to operate logistics transport without national bans, and transport even increases dramatically to avoid breaking the supply chain.
Meanwhile, in China and Japan, logistics operations also continue during major holidays like Chinese New Year and Golden Week, albeit with capacity and workforce adjustments. Major ports remain operational to maintain supply chain smoothness, even if there is a slowdown.
A similar situation occurs in the United States, where there is no policy to stop logistics during major holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Distribution activities even tend to increase due to high consumer needs during that period.
As for Malaysia, the government only implements truck operational time regulations in certain areas to ease congestion, without halting overall logistics distribution.
“Thus, global practices show that logistics distribution is kept running to match the surge in needs during holiday seasons, to ensure goods availability and maintain price stability in society,” BHS concluded.