Pelni responds

Pelni responds

This is in response to the letter Pelni, a disaster waiting to
happen from John Will0iam Starr published in The Jakarta Post on
Aug. 8.

After reading your opinion, kindly be advised that all Pelni
passenger ships are designed to provide mass transportation
from/to islands throughout the Indonesian archipelago. As a ferry
service, all ships' designs are aimed to accommodate people in
class I, II, III and economy. As you witnessed, our ships are not
used for cruises as you had previously assumed.

As a developing country, the majority of Indonesian people do
not need cruises for leisure. They prefer to transport themselves
for urgent matters such as trade activities, visiting families,
etc. Therefore they rushed to the vessel and hoped to be
transported timely, and were willing to be placed outside the
cabins or on the ship's deck. The Tanjung Priok-Ambon route is in
particularly high demand. Other peak seasons are Idul Fitri
(following the Muslim fasting month) and Christmas.

Based on government policy, our fleets are allowed to carry 30
percent more passengers than a ship's stated capacity. For safety
reasons, we have to block some exterior doors throughout some
trips. As a state-owned company, Pelni must fulfill two purposes:
social service and business service. The fares are fixed by the
government, not Pelni.

For emergency purposes we provide sufficient safety facilities
like life jackets for passengers and all are in conformity with
maritime regulations.

ABUBAKAR GOYIM, Head of Public Relations and Administration,
PT Pelni, Jakarta