Mudik Traffic Flow at Gilimanuk Smooth, Long Queues Successfully Cleared
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Long queues of vehicles belonging to holidaymakers heading to Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana Regency, Bali, have been confirmed cleared on Wednesday (H-3 before Eid al-Fitr 2026). Traffic conditions, which had previously experienced congestion, are now gradually under control.
Director General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Aan Suhanan, stated that as of 4:00 PM WITA, there were no longer any vehicle queues on the route to the port.
“Alhamdulillah, today at exactly 4:00 PM WITA, there are no more vehicle queues heading to Gilimanuk Port, and everything is under control and entering the buffer zone area,” he said in Banyuwangi on Wednesday.
He added that traffic flow on the Denpasar-Gilimanuk main road has also returned to normal. Currently, officers are gradually towing vehicles from the buffer zone to the port area to maintain smooth crossing traffic.
The clearing of the queues is inseparable from the implementation of intensive operational strategies, including the arrive-unload-depart (TBB) pattern on the majority of ferry vessels. Of the 40 ships operating on the Ketapang-Gilimanuk route, 34 units are subject to the TBB pattern.
Under this scheme, ships arriving at the port only unload cargo without loading new vehicles, then immediately set sail again. This policy is deemed effective in accelerating the clearance of accumulated vehicle queues on the Bali side.
Aan is optimistic that with this optimisation, all vehicles and passengers crossing from Gilimanuk to Ketapang can be transported before the temporary closure of crossing services in observance of the Nyepi holy day.
The temporary closure of the crossing route is a form of respect for the observance of Nyepi in Bali. PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) will suspend crossing services from Ketapang Port starting Wednesday (18/3) at 5:00 PM WIB and resume on Friday (20/3) at 5:00 AM WIB.
Meanwhile, from Gilimanuk Port, crossings will be suspended starting Thursday (19/3) at 5:00 AM WITA and resume operations on Friday (20/3) at 6:00 AM WITA.
Vice President Director of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), Yossianis Marciano, stated that the success in clearing the queues is the result of synergy among various parties, from port managers and police apparatus to local government.
“The clearing of the queues is the result of collaborative efforts, from optimising ship operations and traffic management to maximum utilisation of the buffer zone,” he said.