Governor of Bangka Belitung Criticises Ferry Service Quality During Lebaran Holiday Rush at Tanjung Kalian Port

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA) — Governor Hidayat Arsani of Kepulauan Bangka Belitung (Bangka Belitung) province conducted an inspection of Lebaran 2026 holiday travel operations at Tanjung Kalian Port, Kabupaten Bangka Barat, to ensure the public receives excellent service during the Lebaran holiday rush at the port.

“Members of the public using ferry services have already paid for transportation services, and therefore they should rightfully receive safe, comfortable and dignified service,” said Governor Hidayat Arsani at Tanjung Kalian Port on Sunday.

He conveyed an apology to the public gathered at Tanjung Kalian Port who were travelling to Sumatra Island during the Lebaran 2026 holiday rush if there were any service shortcomings at the port.

“We apologise to all members of the public if there are still deficiencies in port services. This has become a serious concern for us to remedy immediately,” he stated.

“We do not want members of the public to wait from dawn whilst ships are already moored but unable to depart. Conditions such as these must be evaluated and improved together,” said Governor Hidayat Arsani.

The Regional Police Chief (Kapolda) of Bangka Belitung Viktor T. Sihombing stated that security conditions at the port generally remained under control. However, several technical aspects, particularly the regulation of ship arrivals and departures, still required optimisation.

“This is not yet the peak period. For this reason, we came directly to observe, evaluate and make corrections so that when the holiday travel rush reaches its peak, service to the public can be significantly improved,” he stated.