E. Nusa Tenggara ship routes suspended

E. Nusa Tenggara ship routes suspended

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: State-shipping company PT Angkutan
Sungai Danau dan Penyeberangan says it has suspended operating in
waters of East Nusa Tenggara amid fears that bad weather will worsen
this month.

With waves reaching 3.5-meters tall, traveling at sea was too
dangerous, F. Matitaputty, the operational branch manager of ASDP
in Kupang, said on Wednesday.

He said the company had suspended all sea travel from the
provincial capital of Kupang to Alor, Waingapu, Larantuka, Sabu
and Aimere. The destinations are on islands located north and
west of Kupang and require the passage through the Sawu Sea, the
Sumba Sea and the Ombai Straits.

"We are forced to suspend travel on the routes because of the
stormy weather," said Matitaputty, explaining that the same
problem suspended operations last month.

"We want to ensure the safety of passengers considering that
waves have reached 3.5-meters in height."

Bad weather has also affected air transportation. State-owned
airline Merpati said it had canceled its flights on a Casa 212
bound to Alor and another on a Boeing 373 bound for Denpasar,
Bali and Surabaya.

It was unclear for how long the suspensions would last.

The weather could worsen this month, said the head of Kupang's
Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, Sugeng Tolani.

He warned of what he called variable winds, which were
different types of winds that could trigger a storm.

"In our observation, there is a possibility of variable winds
forming on the West Timor side this month," Sugeng said. -- JP