New ferry's maiden voyage all at sea

SEMARANG, Central Java: German-made Mahakam express passenger ferry, operated by state water transportation company PT ASDP, had significant problems on her maiden voyage on Monday from the Kumai seaport in Central Kalimantan to Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java.

The fast ship, which was built last year, took an extra two hours on its trip due to the tardy response of its autopilot, which forced the ferry at a slower speed.

"That's one of the factors why this express ferry, which I was also riding on, arrived in Semarang late. Besides that, too many passengers got seasick," Minister of Communications Giri Suseno told Antara here on Tuesday.

On her maiden trip, Mahakam and the several VIPs on board including Minister Giri, departed Kumai at 3:30 p.m. on Monday and arrived at Tanjung Emas at 2:30 a.m. the following day.

The ferry was designed to cover the 285-mile distance in nine hours with an average speed of 38 knots.

The vessel has the capacity to carry 925 passengers and five tons of cargo. It has three classes: executive (118 seats), Bisnis-1 (221) and Bisnis-2 (586).

Each class is equipped with a television set, videocassette player, reclining seats, air conditioning and bathroom. Extra facilities for executive class passengers are personal reading lamps, wide TV screen and a first-class menu.

Fares are Rp 250,000 (US$30) for executive class, Rp 200,000 for Bisnis-1 and Rp 150,000 for Bisnis-2.

Passengers wanting to continue their trip to Sampit, another town in the province, pay an additional Rp 25,000 for any class.

The ferry is scheduled to serve the route every Wednesday from Semarang and every Friday from Kumai. It serves Semarang-Sampit route on Sundays.

Minister Giri disagreed with the opinion that the operation of the fast passenger ferry would prompt people who used fly to the destinations to choose the cheaper express ferry service.

"The goal is not like that. We provide this transportation facility in order to let people have a choice of transportation," Giri added. (bsr)