Priok port ready for Idul Fitri

Priok port ready for Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): Tanjung Priok harbor chief Harmoni said yesterday all is ready to handle the "explosion" in the number of passengers leaving Jakarta through the port for the Idul Fitri holidays.

Harmoni predicted that the number of people traveling by sea this year would increase around 15 percent compared with last year's Idul Fitri celebration.

Indonesian Moslems have a long-standing tradition of celebrating Idul Fitri, which marks the end of the Ramadhan fasting month, in their hometowns. This year the Moslem holidays will fall on March 3 and March 4.

Harmoni said that he did not expect the increase in the number of home-bound passengers in the days leading up to Idul Fitri to be greater than the number of people traveling by sea through the port during last year's school holidays.

He said last year there were 69,648 people who left the city through the port for their hometowns a few days before Idul Fitri. During school holidays last July there were more than 82,000 people, mostly students, who traveled by sea through the port.

He also said the port management is now setting up a 300- square meter tent to improve its services by providing extra shelter from rain and sun to the passengers. (mas)