Government Studies Celukan Bawang Port as New Bali-Java Ferry Route
The Ministry of Transport (Kemenhub) is studying Celukan Bawang Port in Buleleng, Bali, as an alternative Bali-Java crossing route to reduce congestion on the Gilimanuk-Ketapang route during the holiday season.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi, together with the President Director of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo), Achmad Muchtasyar, conducted a direct inspection of Celukan Bawang Port on Thursday (9/7). The visit was also attended by the Deputy Regent of Buleleng, regional leadership forums (Forkopimda), as well as officials from the Ministry of Transport and Pelindo.
Dudy said the government began evaluating the potential of Celukan Bawang Port after traffic jams towards Gilimanuk Port during the Eid al-Fitr homecoming period, which coincided with Nyepi Day, stretched for around 35 kilometres.
“We are studying Celukan Bawang Port as one of the alternatives to help ease congestion, both from the Ketapang and Gilimanuk sides,” Dudy said in a statement received by detikBali on Friday (10/7/2026).
According to him, Celukan Bawang Port has characteristics that support roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) vessel operations. In addition, land is available that can be used as a buffer zone to accommodate vehicles before boarding the vessel, allowing vehicle flows to be better organised.
As part of the study, the government will optimise a number of facilities, particularly Plengsengan Jetty and Jetty 3. The development is expected to increase the port’s capacity to serve both freight transport and ferry crossings.
Pelindo President Director Achmad Muchtasyar confirmed that the company is ready to support the plan. According to him, although the port was originally built to support the energy sector, Celukan Bawang Port has the potential to be developed into a ferry port.
“Pelindo is ready to optimise this port to support public services, both for freight transport and ferry crossings,” he said.
Achmad said Pelindo has instructed its staff to immediately prepare a technical study as a follow-up to the inspection. The study will form the basis for developing Celukan Bawang Port so that it can support the smooth flow of logistics and Bali-Java crossings, particularly when public mobility increases.