Police Chief Recommends 'First Come, First In' to Prevent Port Congestion

Jakarta — National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has recommended a “first come, first in” system to prevent congestion at ports during a cross-sectoral coordination meeting regarding preparations for the 2026 Ketupat Operation held at the STIK-PTIK Building in Jakarta on Monday.

According to him, if the system were based on when migrant workers purchase boat tickets and must board according to the date on their tickets, this would create potential for accumulation at ports.

“Therefore, during peak migration season, we request permission from relevant stakeholders: whoever arrives first boards the vessel directly. We therefore also request policies relating to ferry crossing matters,” he said.

The Police Commissioner also noted that the Banten region would be a particular focus for security and services during migration flow, as it would serve as a crossing point for migrants from Java travelling to Sumatra.

A traffic light system—green, yellow, and red—has been implemented at three Banten ports: Merak Port, Ciwandan Port, and BBJ Port.

At Merak Port, green indicates normal queue conditions, yellow indicates vehicle queues extending to the Cikuasa Atas petrol station, and red indicates queues reaching Merak Toll Gate.

Ciwandan Port operates under the same system. At BBJ Port, which specialises in tanker trucks, semi-trailer trucks, and heavy equipment, the same traffic light system applies: green for normal flow, yellow when vehicles reach the port entrance, and red when buffer zones at PT SMI and on the ring road are at capacity.

The Police will conduct the Ketupat Operation from 13 March to 25 March 2026 under the tagline “Safe Migration and Happy Families”, with hundreds of thousands of personnel deployed to provide security and services for those undertaking Eid migration.