Ship Operators Complain of Limited Dock Capacity, Causing Congestion on Merak-Bakauheni Route

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Executive Board of the Indonesian Association of River, Lake, and Crossing Transport Entrepreneurs (GAPASDAP) believes that the crucial issue on the Merak-Bakauheni crossing route is not caused by a lack of ships, but rather the limited capacity of the available docks.

Khoiri Soetomo, Chairman of GAPASDAP, explained that the number of ships currently operating on the route with operational permits actually exceeds the need.

However, the large number of ships cannot be fully utilised because the available docking facilities are inadequate.

“Out of a total of 71 ships with permits, only about 28 ships can operate each day. The rest have to wait their turn,” said Khoiri in an official statement on Thursday (26/2/2026).

“This means that the ship utilisation rate is very low, even averaging less than 30 per cent in one month,” Khoiri continued.

He believes that the policy of adding new ship permits in the current situation needs to be thoroughly reviewed.

Adding ships without adding docks is considered to have the potential to distort the business climate, reduce service quality, and increase risks to shipping safety.

“If ship operating permits continue to be added without adding docks, then the operating time for each ship will be further reduced,” he explained.

“This will have a direct impact on productivity and business sustainability,” he added.

This is because operators still bear fixed costs such as crew salaries, maintenance, and insurance, even if the ships are not operating optimally.

Ship operators are also still required to meet minimum service standards as stipulated in PM 62 of 2019, which covers safety, comfort, and service quality.