Holiday makers trapped at Merak-Bakauheni ferry ports

Oyos Saroso, The Jakarta Post, Merak, Banten

Travelers from Java to Sumatra and vice versa have had to wait for hours for the Merak-Bakauheni ferry during the school holidays because many of the 24 passenger ships usually in service are not operational.

Traffic queues, which started on Monday, stretched for up to six kilometers from Merak in Banten province. However, there were no reports of violence or other trouble caused by the delays.

M. Waluyo, chief of the departure post at Bakauheni, Lampung province, said at least 13 of the total 24 ferries serving the route in the Sunda Strait could not be used and were docked there.

"Of 24 ferries, in practice only 10 are seaworthy," he said.

The delays were worsened by an influx of vehicles carrying school holiday travelers from Java to Sumatra and vice versa.

Thousands of vehicles, mostly large trucks carrying food supplies from or to Java, were stuck at the Merak and Bakauheni ferry ports.

The two-lane roads leading to the two ports were jam-packed with waiting cars.

The situation became more chaotic as every vehicle tried to fight to get through to the ports. Many public bus passengers traveling from Jakarta to Lampung decided to get off buses in the road far from Merak and took ojek motorcycle taxis to drive them to the port.

"I had to alight in Cilegon and take an ojek, which cost me Rp 15,000 to Merak," said Nasirudin, a resident from Palembang who had traveled from Jakarta.

Drivers said that they were incurring losses due to the severe delays. "Just imagine it, I had to sit through 20 jams at the port, while I transport bananas," said truck driver Kurnadi, 38, from Tanjungbintang in South Lampung.

He said some drivers had managed to cross earlier after they each paid Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 in bribes to the port authorities.

"My boss has not provided me with extra bribe money. So I have to stay overnight at the port. I'm worried that the bananas will rot on my truck," Kurnadi added.

Another truck driver, Miftah, 42, who is from Riau, said the flow of vehicles using the Bakauheni-Merak route had sharply increased as many traders wanted to deliver their merchandise before the rise in transport fares came into effect.

"The situation is worsened by the fact that many ferries have stopped sailing," he added.

Head of Bakauheni transport management company PT ASDP Hasan Aldin said the delays would likely continue for some time because it would take a while to repair the damaged ships.

"This is the kind of problem you get if a crossing is served by old ships. There should have been new ferries in service," he added.