Gilimanuk Congestion Eases as 55 Ships Deployed and Buffer Zone Maximised

The density of vehicle traffic at Gilimanuk Port, Jembrana, Bali, is gradually easing after the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub), together with the National Police Traffic Corps and PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, deployed up to 55 ships and optimised the buffer zone or support area. This step was taken to address the long queues of vehicles for the Eid al-Fitr 2026 homecoming, which had previously snaked for tens of kilometres.

Director General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Aan Suhanan, stated that various strategic measures have been implemented collaboratively to handle the surge in vehicles heading to Gilimanuk Port.

“These efforts include increasing the fleet to 55 units, optimising the buffer zone, and implementing the arrive-unload-depart (TBB) system to accelerate the crossing service process,” he said in a statement received by Media Indonesia on Wednesday (18/3).

He explained that if there are still vehicles not transported during Nyepi Day, small vehicles and buses will be prioritised for crossing because they carry more passengers. Meanwhile, large vehicles that are held up will be directed to the buffer zone.

For logistics vehicles, drivers will be dispatched first to Banyuwangi while waiting for the completion of the Nyepi celebration. During the waiting period, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry will also provide accommodation for the drivers, before they are returned to Gilimanuk without additional charges.

Aan stated that the implementation of these various measures has proven effective in reducing the level of congestion.

“If previously the vehicle queues reached more than 20 kilometres, now it has decreased to around 8 kilometres,” he said.

The Ministry of Transportation then urged logistics transport entrepreneurs to comply with the Joint Decree (SKB) regarding restrictions on the operation of goods vehicles with three or more axles. This is because the large number of operating logistics trucks during the Eid transport period has worsened the density around the port.

Previously, the government had predicted a large surge in vehicles ahead of Nyepi Day and the Eid al-Fitr 2026 homecoming at Gilimanuk Port and prepared several strategies, such as implementing the TBB system, adding ships, and traffic management. However, extreme congestion still occurred due to the high volume of vehicles arriving simultaneously, plus the limited number of ferry docks.