Merak port ready for Idul Fitri exodus

Merak port ready for Idul Fitri exodus

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Banten

As the most crucial seaport connecting Java with Sumatra island,
Merak port has made preparations to anticipate the upcoming
holidays, when millions of people will travel home to celebrate
Idul Fitri with their families.

An official with the Merak branch of PT ASDP, which operates
river, lake and sea ferry transportation across the country, said
recently that the company expected the number of travelers to
dramatically increase between Nov. 20 and Dec. 3.

Director Taufik Hendriawan told The Jakarta Post that the port
serves an average of 58 round ferry trips carrying some 12,000
passengers per day between Merak and Bakauheni, Lampung province.

"During the upcoming holiday season, we will be operating 70
to 90 round trips a day," he said.

Taufik said his company would employ all of its 24 ferries and
the additional 16 speed boats to handle the big increase in
passenger numbers.

Unfortunately, he said, 14 of the ferries available were made
in 1970s, and due to their age, no longer met the safety
standards stipulated by the International Maritime Organization
(IMO), while the government had yet to respond to ASDP's request
for new ferries.

To cope with this problem, ASDP will build a special dock for
the newer, faster boats -- which are able to make more trips in
one day than the older ones.

The Post observed that health posts had been established at
the port and on the ferries.

In a bid to anticipate heavy congestion at the entrance to the
port, the port operator has also prepared two large parking lots
that are sufficient to accommodate thousands of trucks.

"But no trucks will be allowed to cross seven days before and
seven days after the Idul Fitri holiday," Taufik said, adding
that mandatory security checks on all vehicles, cars and
passengers would inevitably cause long delays.

Separately, head of the bus terminal in Merak, Uteng Dedy
Apendi, said that a total of 501 interprovincial and intercity
buses had also been provided to transport passengers out of the
terminal.