ASDP Ketapang Optimises Ferry Fleet to Handle Vehicle Congestion

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) is optimising port operations and its ferry fleet to strengthen the handling of vehicle congestion at Ketapang Harbour in Banyuwangi, East Java, for crossings to Bali. The queue of vehicles heading to the port was observed to be approximately five kilometres long, and ASDP Ketapang branch has taken steps to accelerate services by deploying all available resources to smooth the flow of crossings and ensure services remain safe and efficient. In a statement in Banyuwangi on Thursday, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry President Director Heru Widodo apologised for the inconvenience experienced by service users due to the congestion over recent days. “We understand the high mobility needs of the public during the school holiday period, as well as the inconvenience caused by the congestion at Ketapang Harbour, so we apologise to all service users for the situation,” he said. Heru explained that ASDP, together with regulators and all stakeholders, is working hard to deploy all available resources to accelerate the normalisation of services and ensure the optimal flow of the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing. As part of the acceleration efforts, he added, ASDP is optimising the operation of all port facilities and available vessels. He detailed that operations at the Moveable Bridge (MB) Pier are running normally with the support of 30 ferries, while services at Bulusan Pier (Ketapang) continue normally with the additional support of KMP Portlink VII to increase crossing service capacity. Furthermore, Heru said ASDP is also operating one ferry at the Landing Craft Machine (LCM) Pier using a load-unload-depart scheme to accelerate the movement of freight vehicles. “KMP Prathita is being operated at the pontoon pier to help clear the queue of two-wheeled vehicles, which has increased during the school holiday period,” he said. According to gathered information, vehicle congestion at the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing began on Sunday (21/6), influenced by a combination of factors. Besides increased public mobility during the school holiday period, crossing operations also faced challenges from weather conditions in the Bali Strait requiring heightened vigilance. Increased wind speeds and wave heights, particularly at night, necessitated adjustments to the ship loading and unloading process to ensure shipping safety aspects were maintained. Meanwhile, the volume of crossing vehicles increased significantly. ASDP Ketapang branch data noted that on Sunday (21/6), the number of vehicles served reached 9,571 units, an increase of 23 per cent compared to the previous day’s realisation of 7,769 units. The highest surge came from private four-wheeled vehicles, which increased by 30 per cent from 1,681 units to 2,188 units. This condition was also influenced by operational disruptions to two Long Distance Ferry (LDF) vessels owned by PT ALP, which caused some freight vehicle services to be diverted to regular ferries.