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