Ferry operator blamed for Bakauheni incident

Ferry operator blamed for Bakauheni incident

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

Ferry operator and security guards in the Bakauheni seaport,
Lampung, were blamed for an incident on Tuesday that killed three
persons who were in a car entering the Duta Banten ferry.

Head of the Lampung chapter of the Indonesian Consumers
Foundation (YLKI) Subadrayani Mursalin said on Thursday that the
incident in which a car plummeted into the sea was the failure of
the ship operator and the security guards.

"The state owned riverboat transportation firm PT ASDP must be
held responsible. Why is there no security assurance for cars
that will enter the ferry?" Subadrayani asked.

He was commenting on the incident at the Bakauheni seaport,
wherein a Suzuki Carry BE 2535 AU plunged into the water on
Tuesday.

Witnesses said the car's engine was suddenly off when it was
about to enter the ship. The car moved backward and plunged into
the 8-meter deep water as there were no barriers on the
background.

The incident occurred also because no ship crews were guiding
the driver into the ship, they said.

Passengers in the car desperately tried to save themselves.
Unfortunately, three of the 12 passengers died, trapped inside
the car.

They were identified as Atang Suryana, 50, Munawaroh, 40, and
their son Abib, four-and-half-a-years old.

The injured were taken to the Kalianda Hospital in South
Lampung.

The ill-fated car was on its way from the village of Sukarame,
Natar subdistrict of South Lampung. The family was on the way to
Salatiga, Central Java, to attend the wedding ceremony of Atang
Suryana's son.

Security guard Suparman acknowledged he was stunned when the
car moved backward and plummeted into the sea.

"I was around the gangway, monitoring the ships," he said.

It was reported earlier that the association of the riverboat
transportation operators (Gapasdaf) had threatened to stage a
massive strike if the authority did not meet its demand to
increase ferry fares up to 79 percent.

Passengers said that the security and service of the ferry
operators was inadequate. They said the seats and rooms for
passengers were very dirty.

"I would like to stay in my car if I drive," said Yuliardi,
37, an electronics businessman from Tanjungkarang, Bandar
Lampung.

He said most of the ferries that serve the Bakauheni-Merak
route provided almost no clean water.

A lecturer in transportation from the University of Lampung,
Nairobi, said it was time to overhaul the transportation system.

"It needs new investment. The old ships must be replaced with
new ones. Security and maintenance must be improved," said
Nairobi.

Despite the demand for a fare rise on Monday, the ferry
operators still charged normal fares as of Thursday. But the
number of ships that operate on the route has been reduced from
the usual 24 to 18.

The condition has created long lines of people waiting for
tickets.

Seaport crewmen confirmed that six ships were not operating
because of minor damage.