Ministry of Transportation Requests Pelindo to Develop Ports in Ketapang-Gilimanuk

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stated that his ministry will request PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) to develop ports in Ketapang (Banyuwangi) and Gilimanuk (Bali). This effort is aimed at avoiding vehicle build-ups that frequently occur during holidays such as Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr. “We will request Pelindo to develop the port, particularly in Ketapang, by opening several new berths. Then, in the Gilimanuk area, we hope to obtain areas that we can use as temporary paired ports to accommodate ferries from Ketapang,” he said during a Working Meeting (Raker) with Commission V of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday. His side hopes for support in providing buffer zone areas in Bali in the future to ease traffic density and vehicle queues during the homecoming flow. Although it is recognised that acquiring land in Bali is challenging due to limited available space, providing holding areas remains an alternative solution to manage the very large vehicle flow. This anticipatory decision is becoming urgent as Nyepi and Eid al-Fitr next year are predicted to occur close together. If there is no schedule change, this series of holidays will create significant operational challenges, necessitating thorough anticipation well in advance. It is known that during the 2026 Eid al-Fitr homecoming flow, queues of vehicles heading to Gilimanuk Port stretched 30-40 kilometres. To address this issue, the Ministry of Transportation plans to develop ferry ports in northern and eastern Bali to break up vehicle volume density, similar to the crossing between Merak-Bakauheni in Banten and Lampung. One berth development will be carried out at Celukan Bawang Port in Buleleng Regency, Bali, which is part of Pelindo. The first-phase development plan for Berth I at Celukan Bawang Port will serve general cargo and bulk asphalt activities, with an additional berth length of 92 metres planned. Meanwhile, Berth II will be a multi-purpose berth serving passengers, general cargo, and dry bulk commodities, with an additional berth length of 60 metres planned. “The development of Celukan Bawang is one of the progresses we will undertake for the development of other ports including in Sangsit (Buleleng), then Amed (Karangasem), and Gunaksa (Klungkung),” the Transport Minister revealed. Based on this year’s experience, the Ministry of Transportation views that anticipation of vehicle queues is very necessary, as occurred on the Denpasar-Gilimanuk route during the 2026 Eid al-Fitr homecoming moment. “Yesterday’s crossing showed that we can no longer combine heavy vehicles with small vehicles, where the port and road capacities are no longer adequate,” he said.