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.