Merak Port Call for Additional Berths to Tackle Long Queues

Seventy-two ferry vessels are on standby on the Merak-Bakauheni route to transport holidaymakers travelling between Java and Sumatra. The berths at both ports are considered insufficient.

Berth shortages are felt particularly keenly during the Eid, Christmas and New Year holiday periods. Congestion at Merak Port frequently occurs because the capacity for transporting passengers exceeds the port’s infrastructure capacity.

“Look, every time on the Merak-Bakauheni route there are always long queues. Why are there these long queues? Yet the number of ships keeps increasing every year,” said Bambang Haryo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Association of River, Lake and Strait Transport Operators (Gapasdap), at Merak on Friday, 13 March 2026.

“We know that of these ships that have been added, of which there are now 72, only 28 can operate. Those 28 ships are at seven berths,” he added.

Bambang said one berth could only accommodate four vessels. This pattern was considered insufficiently optimal for transporting passengers, particularly holidaymakers whose numbers increase every year.

“So one berth accommodates four ships. This means 44 ships, or roughly 60 per cent more ships, are not being operated. Imagine during peak times, when transport is needed, there is no transport available. Why? Because of a lack of berths,” he said.

According to him, use of the Ciwandan Port, which is a general cargo port, would no longer be necessary if a new berth were built. The construction of new berths was seen as alleviating congestion on the Merak-Bakauheni route.

“This needs attention from the government to expand the existing berths that previously numbered seven to at least add around three berths next year. With these three berths we could accommodate roughly 12 vessels. If those 12 vessels represent 50 per cent of the total installed transport capacity, it will definitely improve flow,” he said.

According to Gapasdap’s records, logistics transport crossing the Merak-Bakauheni route experiences an increase of roughly 10-12 per cent every year. This situation will trigger additional congestion if port facilities are not expanded.

“Why? We know that growth in logistics transport—and this is just logistics transport alone, not including tourism-related transport and private vehicles including motorbikes and so on. For logistics transport alone, the average growth rate is 10 to 12 per cent,” he said.