Peak Return Flow at Merak Port Monitored to Proceed Smoothly

Cilegon, Banten (ANTARA) - The situation during the peak of the Lebaran 2026 return flow at Merak Port, Cilegon City, Banten Province, was observed to be running smoothly and safely in the early hours of Sunday. This smoothness was evident from the absence of any build-up of passengers or vehicles in the port’s dock area. Hundreds of four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles that had just disembarked from the ferry could exit the port area directly without significant obstacles. The loading and unloading process of the ships proceeded very efficiently thanks to good coordination among the relevant agencies. Rahmat (45), one of the vehicle owners from Bandar Lampung, Lampung, who was heading to Bekasi, West Java, when met at Merak Port in the early hours of Sunday, claimed that this year’s return journey was smooth. “Alhamdulillah, this year’s return journey is very smooth. The queue when exiting the ship was quite quick, and the on-site officers were very prompt in directing the entry and exit lanes,” he said. Meanwhile, the Head of Public Relations of the Banten Regional Police, AKBP Maruli Ahiles Hutapea, stated that the Banten Regional Police predict the peak of the Lebaran 2026 return flow from Sumatra to Java Island via Merak Port will occur on 28 to 29 March 2026. A significant increase in vehicle traffic is expected during that period. “Vehicle flow from Sumatra to Java is predicted to dominate the movement. This condition is the main focus of attention for police officers in the field,” he said. This aligns with the preparedness of the Banten Regional Police ranks in facing the vehicle surge. Traffic arrangements will be carried out to the maximum by officers in the field. All personnel will be on standby for 24 hours to anticipate congestion. In addition to personnel deployment, the Banten Regional Police are also preparing traffic engineering, one of which is the implementation of a contraflow system if needed. This scheme is carried out to alleviate increased vehicle density, especially on toll road sections leading to the Jakarta area. Based on data from the Bakauheni Post on H+6 of Lebaran, 112 trips operated to serve the return flow. The total number of passengers crossing from Sumatra to Java from H-10 to H+6 reached 1,148,252 people, an increase of 2.5 percent compared to the same period last year. On H+6, the volume of two-wheeled vehicles from Sumatra to Java reached 11,661 units, while four-wheeled vehicles reached 14,142 units. The total number of all vehicles crossing on that day was recorded at 26,565 units. Conversely, from Java to Sumatra via the Merak Post on H+6, 128 trips operated with a total of 11,901 vehicles. Cumulatively from H-10 to H+6, the number of passengers heading to Sumatra reached 1,266,794 people with a total of 319,121 vehicles crossing.