Batam ferry

Commenting on the complaint made by the Secretary of Singapore Bike Hash (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 30), may I, as the general manager of the Teluk Senimba Ferry Terminal in Batam, give the following explanation:

1. The group from Singapore with return tickets arrived on Aug. 25 in Batam and were to return on the last trip at 7:30 p.m. Batam time.

2. The group of 49 people returned to the terminal not as one group but in smaller groups. The first group arrived at 7:35 p.m and the last group at 7:45 p.m.. Each member of the group carried his or her own bike and passport.

3. Meanwhile, at 7:35 p.m., 29 passengers (outside the Singapore Bike Hash group) were ready for departure on the Falcon-1 ship. I decided that the ship should leave without waiting for the Singapore Bike Hash group because:

a. The time was already 7:35 p.m., which meant that the departure time of 7:30 p.m. had passed.

b. The ship's captain had to leave on time, because arriving late would involve a sanction by MPA Singapore.

c. The 29 passengers already on board had complained about any further delay.

d. If the 49 passengers of the Singapore Bike Hash had been served, the embarkation process would have taken at least 45 minutes. The ship would then have left at 8:20 p.m. at the earliest.

4. I apologized to the group leader. I could not help to do otherwise because the group arrived late.

5. Assistance was given to the group to spend the night at Waterfront City (Camp Bravo), and the next morning, Aug. 26, the group was given priority to board the first ferry.

6. On Aug. 26 the whole group, with their bikes, left on two ships at 8 a.m. and arrived in Singapore at 9:45 a.m. Singapore time.

S. POERNOMO

Batam