Large Lorries Queue for Miles at Padangbai Port, Loading and Unloading Accelerated

The ferry crossing route from Padangbai Port, Karangasem, Bali, to Lembar Port, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), recently experienced long queues. However, the congestion was limited to large cargo trucks, while pedestrian passengers, motorcycles, and small cars continued to move normally.

At its peak, the truck queue stretched several kilometres outside the Padangbai Port area. The situation was subsequently resolved following rapid coordination between relevant parties to accelerate the loading and unloading process.

“It is true that long queues occurred from Friday (12/06/2026) until Sunday (14/06/2026) morning. However, from Sunday afternoon until now, the queues have cleared and the area is quiet,” said the Chief of Padangbai Port Area Police, Commissioner I Wayan Gede Wirya, on Monday (15/06/2026).

Wirya explained that the queues were caused by operational disruptions to one of the sea toll ships on the Ketapang, Gilimanuk to Gili Mas, Lembar, NTB route, which suffered damage and required docking. This condition led some truck drivers to choose the Padangbai crossing route to avoid congestion at Gilimanuk Port.

“Long queues occurred in Ketapang, so trucks chose to pass through Padangbai. That is what caused the long queues here since last Friday,” said Wirya.

The situation on the ground was further complicated by the high volume of international tourists being picked up at the Padangbai Public Pier, who had just arrived from Gili Trawangan. This necessitated police intervention to manage traffic flow around the port area.

“The situation is now safe and quiet thanks to the acceleration of loading and unloading, which was reduced from 2.5 hours to 1.5 hours,” added Wirya.

Meanwhile, Port Operation Superintendent Yeri Kena also confirmed the increase in truck queues over the past few days. However, the increase only affected freight vehicles, while pedestrian passengers, motorcycles, and small cars did not experience any significant surge.

“There was an increase in large tronton trucks from 56 units to 114 units per day, while other vehicle types remained low,” said Yeri Kena.