Water Transport Safety
In less than two months, several ship accidents involving hundreds of victims have occurred. This began with the KMP Mutiara Sentosa 2 (Surabaya-Makassar route) catching fire in Madura waters on Sunday, 2 August 2026. This was followed by the KMP Putri Yasmin (Padangbai-Lembar) burning on Wednesday, 12 August 2026. Most recently, the KM Virgo Transport 8 (Surabaya-Banjarmasin route) sank in the Java Sea on Sunday, 13 September 2026. This series of incidents adds to the growing list of accidents involving water transport modes, including seas, rivers, lakes, and crossings.
Data from Basarnas RI indicates that from January to 15 August 202cap, 601 ship accidents were handled by SAR teams. At least 3,607 victims were recorded, consisting of 3,165 survivors, 239 fatalities, and 203 missing persons. This figure does not include incidents from September 2026, such as the disappearance of five journalists and three crew members of the Arupadhatu 1 fast boat in the Sunda Strait, as well as the KM Virgo Transport 8 accident involving 243 people in the Java Sea.
This string of events serves as a danger alarm for Indonesia’s water transport modes. As an archipelagic nation, water transport should be the mainstay for connecting thousands of islands across the archipelago. This issue is expected to serve as a basis for collective evaluation by stakeholders to guarantee safety. According to 2025 BPS RI data, the use of water transport in Indonesia has shown a sharp upward trend.
During 2025 (January-December), sea transport passengers reached 30.5 million people (an increase of 16.48 per cent) and goods transport reached 508.4 million tonnes (an increase of 16.56 per cent). Meanwhile, river, lake, and crossing transport passengers in 2025 experienced a 12.02 per cent increase. This condition illustrates that the demand for water transport remains very high.
Therefore, the assurance of maritime safety and security must be the top priority. Maritime safety is not limited to the condition and age of the vessel, but also encompasses seaworthiness, cargo, crew, weather conditions, navigation systems, supervision, compliance with regulations, emergency rescue readiness, and the accuracy of passenger data.
Regulatory Changes
In recent years, water transport management regulations were divided into two regimes within the Ministry of Transportation: the Directorate General of Land Transportation (Hubdat) and the Directorate General of Sea Transportation (Hubla). Ships used for river, lake, and crossing transport, which generally operate over short distances, were under the auspices of Hubdat, while ships serving long-distance sea voyages were under Hubla.
Ships operating on rivers, lakes, and short-distance crossings are considered bridges connecting vehicles, passengers, and goods between islands, such as the Merak-Bakauheni, Ketapang-Gilimanuk, and Padangbai-Lembar routes. Consequently, their operations were under the authority of the Land Transportation Management Agency (BPTD). Meanwhile, ships operating on long-distance sea routes generally use sea ports regulated by the Harbour Master and Port Authority (KSOP).
This dualism in water transport management ended following the issuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 16 of 2026 concerning the Ministry of Transportation, which essentially removed river, lake, and crossing transport from the jurisdiction of Hubdat. This means all water transport now falls under the auspices of Hubla. Technical provisions are regulated by Ministerial Regulation (Permenhub) Number 7 of 2026 regarding the Organisation and Work Procedures of the Ministry of Transportation. Gradually, maritime transport matters are being transferred to Hubla, except for pioneer services, which remain under Hubdat until 31 December 2026.
For water transport operators, this regulatory change serves as a single reference for providing services. Under the auspices of Hubla, all provisions follow the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) based in London. All water transport businesses must comply with international regulations regarding both security and safety. Thus, the government, as the regulator, can tighten implementation and field supervision.
The Ministry of Transport’s regulatory changes will affect shipping operators. Referring to PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), there are at least six impacts being felt:
Regulatory interface: Shipping functions are more integrated, involving all stakeholders.
Documents and licensing: Opens opportunities for integration and standardisation, ensuring handling is not partial and possesses uniform standards.
Ship operations: Opens opportunities for policies that are aligned with shipping functions, making river, lake, and crossing transport a unified entity.
Governance aspect: Enables the unification of data and more integrated decision-making without inter-sectoral delays.
Regulatory transition: Opens opportunities for the alignment of business processes and operational governance.
Service quality: Encourages shipping operators to consistently meet standards and improve service quality.
Integrated from Upstream to Downstream
Regulatory changes in water transport management are expected to impact integrated handling. Shipping services are merely the end result of a series of processes that cause accidents. Therefore, integrated handling from upstream to downstream is an urgent necessity to strive for maritime safety.
Firstly, starting from the upstream sector, cargo conditions should be known from the outset as they affect the loading scheme on the vessel. Every ship has a maximum loading capacity measured by weight (tonnage), not just cargo size. The loading process must be…