Pelni predicts peak Lebaran mudik on Batam-Belawan route on 16 and 19 March 2026
Batam, Kepri — PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Persero) Batam Branch, Kepulauan Riau, predicts that the Lebaran 2026 exodus by sea from Batam to Belawan, Medan will peak on 16 and 19 March 2026.
Edwin Kurniansyah, Head of Pelni Batam Branch, when contacted in Batam, Kepulauan Riau, on Friday, said the two schedules use the same vessel, KM Kelud, serving the Batam-Belawan route.
According to Edwin, the passenger load factor for the two schedules is still around 75 percent. “Not full yet, currently about 75 percent,” he said.
He explained that ticket sales are continuing gradually, so there is still an opportunity for people to travel during the exodus on these schedules.
Based on the applicable Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (SKKP), KM Kelud has a normal capacity of 2,607 passengers and an emergency capacity of up to 3,457 passengers.
In addition to KM Kelud, Pelni also operates KM Nggapulu, with a normal capacity of 2,138 passengers and an emergency capacity of 2,955 passengers.
KM Nggapulu, Edwin said, will be an additional vessel bound for Belawan on 15 March and for Tanjung Priok on 18 March.
Meanwhile, during this year’s mudik period there are also a number of free mudik programmes facilitated by companies and institutions.
‘There is a free mudik programme from Persero Batam for departures on 16 March 2026 to Belawan with a quota of 250 passengers,’ Edwin said.
He also said there is a similar programme offered by Telkomsel, for departures on 18 March 2026 to Tanjung Priok with a quota of 200 passengers.
‘You can contact and check the terms and conditions offered by each promo provider,’ he said.
Separately, nationally, Batam is expected to be one of the busiest departure ports during this year’s Lebaran transport period. Batam ranks third after Makassar and Balikpapan.
Regarding the busiest routes, the predicted busiest routes include Batam-Belawan, Belawan-Batam, Balikpapan-Surabaya, Kumai-Semarang, and Makassar-Surabaya.