Gapasdap urges ASDP to build new ferry terminals on Ketapang-Gilimanuk route

Banyuwangi (ANTARA) - The National Association of River, Lake, and Ferry Entrepreneurs (Gapasdap) is urging PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) to add or build three new ferry terminals on the Ketapang (Banyuwangi)-Gilimanuk (Bali) route to improve services.

Gapasdap General Chairman Khoiri Soetomo, speaking in Banyuwangi, East Java, on Saturday, stated that adding or constructing three new terminals on both sides (Ketapang and Gilimanuk) is essential for optimising the operation of 56 vessels on the Bali Strait crossing.

“If three terminals are added, we guarantee there will be no long queues stretching up to 40 kilometres, as occurred during the H-5 Lebaran homecoming rush in 2026 at Gilimanuk Port,” he said.

Khoiri said he had conveyed to Deputy Minister of Transportation Komjen Pol (Ret.) Suntana the importance of building new terminals on the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing.

According to him, the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing has never faced a shortage of ferries and even has a surplus.

“In reality, the Ketapang-Gilimanuk route has never experienced a shortage of vessels; in fact, there is an excess. Ideally, with facilities for only 28 vessels here, we have 56 vessels operating,” Khoiri said.

He noted that ferry transport is a highly vital mode of transportation, as evidenced by officials and even the Deputy Minister of Transportation continuously monitoring the Lebaran homecoming and return flows on the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing and other locations.

Previously, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) Deputy Director Yossianis Marciano revealed that this year ASDP will strive to improve facilities and infrastructure, including adding terminals on both the Ketapang Port and Gilimanuk Port sides.

“We will also reorganise the ports, both in Ketapang and Gilimanuk, so that operations will be smoother in the future,” he said.

Yossi invited other vessel operators (private sector) to also replace their fleets with larger vessels than those currently in use and operating on the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing.

“Because population growth continues to be high, and this must be accompanied by providing larger-sized vessels,” he said.