Ferries start trial operation to Seribu Islands

Ferries start trial operation to Seribu Islands

JAKARTA (JP): Two luxurious ferries owned by a state-owned
company under the Ministry of Transportation have begun plying
the Ancol-Seribu Islands route.

"The ferries have been operating since early this month,"
Imran M. Gilipanda, an official of the Jakarta Office of
the transportation ministry, said yesterday.

The ferries, KM Betok I and KM Betok II, which are owned by
the state-owned PT Angkutan Sungai Danau dan Penyeberangan
(ASDP), will travel the route twice a day, at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30
p.m., in each direction.

When Betok I leaves Kelapa Island for Jakarta, Betok II will
travel from Jakarta to Tidung Island. Both islands are parts of
the Seribu chain.

At 11 knots per hour, Betok I will cover the 24-mile distance
between the marina and Kelapa Island in three hours. Betok II
will require two-and-a-half hours to cruise the 20-mile distance
between the marina and Tidung Island.

Gilipanda said that the government would likely suffer
financial losses in the initial stages of operation due to the
light passenger load.

"At present only between 10 and 40 people use the ferries per
trip, or far below the 117-seat capacity," Gilipanda said. "But
its doesn't matter because it is a pilot project aimed at
boosting the economy of the islanders."

According to the National Development and Planning Board
(Bappenas), four of 11 subdistricts rated as less developed areas
in Jakarta are found in the Seribu Islands.

Some residents of the Seribu Islands, however, have asked that
the government lower fares to make the trip more affordable for
the islanders.

"If necessary, there should be two different rates. Local
islanders should be able to pay a lower rate than other
passengers," an official of the Seribu Islands district said.

The ferry fares were set at Rp 3,500 ($1.59) for between
Jakarta and Tidung Island, and Rp 4,000 ($1.79) for the serving
linking Jakarta and Kelapa Island.

The islanders had previously been forced to pay Rp 1,500 for a
trip by a small boat to Rawasaban village in Tangerang and
another Rp 3,500 for the bus journey from Tangerang to Jakarta.

Subsidized rates

Gilipanda, however, hinted that the government would not lower
the fares because it had, in fact, already subsidized the
operation of the air-conditioned ferries while being forced to
pay rent to the owner of the Marina, which belongs to the Taman
Impian Jaya Ancol recreational park.

He said the government is currently developing better,
permanent wharfs on Pramuka Island and Muara Karang subdistrict
on the mainland for the ferries, but he did not explain whether
the operation of the new wharfs would result in lower rates.

"We're going to use the Marina only for a year pending the
completion of the Muara Karang wharf," he said, adding that the
infrastructure on Muara Karang is more complete than the one in
Marina.

Abdul Karim TJ, the head of the Jakarta Office of the
transportation ministry, said earlier that the operation of the
ferries, which cost Rp 1.9 billion ($891,600), will also benefit
domestic tourists who cannot afford to sail by private boats,
which charge higher fares. (09)