Nyepi: Ketapang Port Operations Halted for 35 Hours

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) has halted operations at Ketapang Port, Banyuwangi, for 36 hours starting from Wednesday afternoon, 18 March 2026, at 5:00 PM WIB until Friday morning, 20 March 2026, at 6:00 AM WIB. The suspension of operations is in honour of Nyepi Day, which falls on Thursday, 19 March 2026.

Deputy Director of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), Yossianis Marciano, stated that as part of the respect for Nyepi Day, crossing operations are temporarily halted on several main routes, namely at Ketapang Port from 18 March at 5:00 PM WIB until 20 March at 6:00 AM WIB, at Gilimanuk Port on 19 March at 5:00 AM WITA until 20 March at 6:00 AM WITA, at Lembar Port from 18 March at 9:00 PM WITA until 20 March at 1:30 AM WITA, and at Padangbai Port from 19 March at 4:00 AM WITA until 20 March at 11:30 AM WITA.

ASDP management extends Nyepi greetings to all Hindus celebrating the day. “This suspension of operations is a form of respect for the sacred moment carried out with full solemnity,” said Yossianis Marciano in a written statement received by TEMPO on Thursday, 19 March 2026.

Marciano mentioned that there was temporary congestion on the access road to Gilimanuk Port ahead of the operational halt, which caused some inconvenience. “Thanks to close collaboration from all parties, the service suspension process at several ports ran smoothly, orderly, and prioritised the safety and comfort of service users,” he stated.

He said that vehicle flow management at Gilimanuk Port has now returned to stable and controlled conditions, following the successful dispersal of queues to zero kilometres before the operational halt for Nyepi Day.

A key moment occurred on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, when vehicle queues were reduced to 0 km right before the temporary suspension of crossing operations. By 10:20 PM WITA, no more vehicle queues were found in the port’s tollgate area.

Marciano stated that this achievement is the result of collective cross-sector efforts that moved quickly and in coordination. “Thank you for the patience of the public, as well as the synergy of all parties that enabled the queues to be cleared to zero kilometres before the Nyepi closure. This shows that solid collaboration can deliver real solutions quickly,” he said.

Quick response on the ground, according to Marciano, was key in gradually restoring conditions to stability as they are now.