Severe Traffic Congestion at Gilimanuk Port as Minister of Transport Issues Directive
Jakarta – Indonesia’s Minister of Transport Dudy Purwagandhi has mobilised efforts to resolve traffic congestion and vehicle accumulation at Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi and Gilimanuk Port in Bali, where backups continue to occur.
Dudy stated that the ministry is conducting intensive field coordination through the Land Transport Management Agency (BPTD) Bali in conjunction with relevant stakeholders, including the police, ferry operators, port authorities, security personnel, and local government.
“We are also accelerating various operational measures in the field to alleviate vehicle and passenger congestion in the Gilimanuk area, ensuring that public mobility remains well-served. To enhance the effectiveness of coordination, I have instructed the Deputy Minister of Transport and the Director-General of Land Transport to travel directly to Gilimanuk,” Dudy stated when speaking to journalists in Manggarai, South Jakarta, on Monday, 16 March 2026.
One approach involves adding ferry vessels and establishing a buffer zone to manage vehicle movement. “We are preparing a buffer zone, adding vessels, and separating large vehicles into the buffer zone so that smaller vehicles and buses can be prioritised,” Dudy explained.
The government is also prioritising motorcycles, which typically dominate the flow of homecoming travellers on the ferry route. “We are also prioritising two-wheeled vehicles because they have no roof cover. We are giving them the opportunity to board the vessels first,” he said.
He added that this measure is part of the government’s mitigation strategy to address the anticipated surge in passengers as the homecoming season peaks.
To accelerate vehicle movement and improve ferry operations, the number of operating vessels has reached 35 units—28 existing vessels plus 7 additional vessels—operating on an 8-trip schedule. These vessels comprise 19 vessels at the moveable bridge (MB) pier, 11 vessels at the landing craft machine (LCM) pier, and 4 additional vessels deployed to increase ferry capacity.
In addition to fleet expansion, the Ministry of Transport is implementing operational measures including the Arrival-Unloading-Departure (TBB) scheme to accelerate vessel rotation, and expedited cargo handling to facilitate faster movement of smaller vehicles.
“Vehicle traffic management has also been strengthened through buffer zone operations at Gilimanuk Port’s cargo terminal and optimisation of the Cekik UPPKB control point to manage vehicles before entering the port area,” the minister stated.
The Ministry of Transport will continue to intensively monitor ferry operations and coordinate with all relevant parties to ensure the smooth functioning of transport services across the Ketapang-Gilimanuk route.