Rising Operational Costs Prompt Business Owners to Demand Adjustment of Ferry Transport Fares

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The National Association of River, Lake, and Ferry Transport Entrepreneurs (GAPASDAP) has complained about the mounting pressure on operational costs amid the weakening rupiah exchange rate and high global energy prices.

This situation is seen as increasingly urgent for the need to adjust ferry transport fares, which have not changed to date.

General Chairman of the Central Board of GAPASDAP, Khoiri Soetomo, stated that the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar has a significant impact on the company’s operational cost structure.

“The weakening of the rupiah has a very noticeable impact on ship maintenance costs. Almost all ship spare parts components are influenced by the dollar exchange rate,” said Khoiri in an official statement on Monday (4/5/2026).

He explained that cost increases do not only occur in spare parts, but also cover ship docking, safety equipment, to other mandatory technical needs in accordance with shipping standards.

“Likewise, docking costs, safety equipment, ship technical equipment, to other needs directly related to fulfilling shipping safety standards,” he said.

“When the rupiah weakens, all those components rise. Not to mention the pressure from world oil prices that make ship operating costs even greater,” he continued.

On the other hand, world oil prices that are still above 107 US dollars per barrel further worsen the operational cost pressure, especially for ship fuel.

Based on the 2019 Production Cost Price calculation, the ferry transport fares at that time were already lagging by about 31.8 percent from real cost needs. With the current conditions, that gap is estimated to widen further.

Nevertheless, ship operators are still required to meet strict safety and service standards. This creates a dilemma for business players, as income is not commensurate with the continuously increasing cost burden.