Eid Holiday Peak Travel Reaches 1,600 Passengers at Ambon Port
Ambon—The peak of Eid holiday travel in 1447 Hijrah at Yos Sudarso Port, Ambon, Maluku, occurred on Friday (13 March 2026), marked by the nearly simultaneous arrival of two vessels operated by PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Persero), known as Pelni. The two vessels, KM Ciremai and KM Labobar, brought thousands of passengers arriving and continuing their journeys to various regions across eastern and western Indonesia.
Marthin Heryanto, head of Pelni’s Ambon branch, revealed that KM Ciremai, sailing from the west, specifically from Bau-Bau Port, arrived in Ambon at 10.00 WIT, disembarking 1,600 passengers. Subsequently, 800 passengers boarded the same vessel to continue their journey towards Sorong, Papua.
“KM Ciremai is the last vessel sailing eastbound before Eid 2026,” said Marthin in Ambon on Friday.
Meanwhile, KM Labobar arrived from Tual Port, Southeast Maluku, disembarking 800 passengers in Ambon. The vessel will continue its journey westbound, calling at Namlea Port, Bau-Bau, before finally docking at Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta. On Friday evening, KM Pangrango followed, arriving after sailing from the east.
Marthin added that PT Pelni has prepared 12 vessels to serve prospective passengers in eastern Indonesia who will travel home for the holidays. These vessels include KM Labobar, KM Nggapulu, KM Ciremai, KM Gunung Dempo, KM Sirimau, KM Leuser, and KM Pangrango.
ASDP Ambon Increases Hunimua–Waipirit Ferry Crossings
On the inter-provincial ferry route, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) Ambon Branch increased the number of vessel trips on the Hunimua–Waipirit route to 17 daily trips. This measure was taken to ease potential queues of vehicles and passengers ahead of the Eid holiday rush.
Syamsuddin Tanassy, general manager of ASDP Ambon, explained that the company typically operates 13 trips per day. However, after coordinating with Maluku’s Land Transport Management Centre (BPTD), this number was increased to 17 trips whilst continuing to operate five ferry units.
“With five vessels, a ferry docks at the wharf approximately every hour. So vehicles needing to cross do not have to wait too long,” he said in Ambon on Friday.
According to Syamsuddin, this operational pattern has proven effective based on experience during the recent Christmas and New Year period. In fact, if one additional vessel were operated for a full 24 hours, the number of trips could potentially increase to 20. The company also reduced loading and unloading time from one hour to approximately 45 minutes during peak congestion hours.
ASDP projects an increase in passenger and vehicle numbers of approximately 4–5 per cent compared to the previous period. Additionally, ASDP is collaborating with Angkasa Pura in providing free ticket quotas for the public whilst maintaining the official ticketing system to ensure passenger insurance protection during travel.