Passenger Flow at Tenau Port Kupang Increases as Pelni Operates Seven Ships for Eid Holiday Travel
Passenger flow through Tenau Port in Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara is showing an increase during the 2026 Eid holiday travel season. PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) Kupang Branch is operating seven vessels to serve the public travelling to various regions.
The Head of PT Pelni Kupang Branch, Teguh Hari Setiadi, stated that the company anticipates a 2-3 per cent increase in passengers departing from Kupang during this year’s holiday travel period compared to the previous year. “For the 2026 Eid holiday travel season in Kupang City, we are projecting a 2-3 per cent increase in passengers using Pelni ships from Kupang. For arriving passengers, we also estimate an increase of around 2-5 per cent,” Teguh told journalists at Tenau Port Kupang on Friday (13 March).
According to these projections, the number of passengers is estimated to increase by approximately 1,000 to 2,500 people compared to the previous period.
To serve the holiday travel flow, Pelni Kupang Branch is operating six regular vessels and one additional ship serving Kupang. These vessels are KM Bukit Siguntang, KM Tidar, KM Lawit, KM Awu, KM Sirimau, KM Wilis, and KM Binaiya as the additional ship. The vessels serve various routes from Kupang to numerous destinations including Lembata, Nunukan, Makassar and Balikpapan.
Teguh explained that the peak travel period began on 10 March 2026 when KM Tidar transported approximately 2,100 passengers from Tenau Port. A surge in passengers is expected to continue from 16 to 20 March as Pelni vessels arrive sequentially.
In providing services to passengers, Pelni applies three key principles: safety first, zero accident, and service excellence. Pelni also conducts regular evaluation of various service sectors, from ticket sales counters, passenger departure systems, to facilities on board the vessels.
Additionally, Pelni coordinates with various parties at the port including the Port Authority, Indonesian Navy, Police, Port Management, health quarantine, fish and plant quarantine, and stevedoring workers to ensure the passenger service process runs safely, comfortably and orderly.
Regarding passenger capacity, Pelni also received a waiver from the Ministry of Transport to increase passenger allocation up to 35 per cent of available seat capacity during the Eid holiday travel period. The government also provided stimulus in the form of a 30 per cent ticket discount effective from 6 March to 6 April 2026. This programme has been utilised by the public wishing to travel by sea from Kupang.
Pelni also urges the public to purchase tickets through official channels such as the Pelni Mobile application, retail outlets and banking services, and not to trust ticket sales through social media. “We urge the public to purchase tickets through official channels and not to trust ticket touts or sales through social media as these potentially involve fraud,” he said.
The company also requested prospective passengers to book tickets well in advance to avoid running out of tickets ahead of the peak Eid holiday travel period.
PT Pelni Jakarta Branch estimates that the peak of the 1447 Hijri Eid holiday travel season at Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta will occur on H-3 Eid, precisely Wednesday (18 March) and Thursday (19 March). Pelni anticipates the peak of the 2026 Eid holiday travel season will occur on 18 March 2026 or H-3 2025 Eid, whilst the peak return journey is expected on 2 April 2026.
PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (PT Pelni) continues to improve passenger service quality during the peak 2026 Eid holiday travel season, providing 751,550 tickets and operating 55 vessels. PT Pelni Makassar Branch is ensuring readiness for the 2026 Eid holiday travel season by operating 14 vessels.