Heaptalk, Jakarta — PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni), a state-owned enterprise engaged in sea transportation services, projects the total number of passengers during Christmas and New Year 2024/2025 to reach 507,053. The peak outbound flow will occur on December 19, and the peak return flow will occur on January 6.
Calculated, this number contributes approximately 12% to performance in terms of passenger productivity. To anticipate this, Pelni provides 547,549 tickets for Christmas and New Year 2024/2025 and offers 3,100 free tickets. The company also adds routes or deviations for 12 ships, adds assistance for two ships, and increases frequency for one ship, namely the Kelud Motor Ship (KM) in Batam, Belawan.
“For discount tickets, the Pelni scheme differs from air and rail transportation SOEs since our fleet is subsidized. The Ministry of Transportation regulates these prices set on each route. We do not have upper and lower price limits. Therefore, we are giving away 3,100 free tickets during this Christmas and New Year period,” stated Tri Andayani, President Director of PT Pelni, at a press conference in the Ministry of SOEs, Central Jakarta (12/19).
Carrying out regular docking and ramp checks
The largest passenger distribution is in Central Indonesia (40%), East Indonesia (35%), and West Indonesia (25%). The highest mobility is expected to come from Makassar and Baubau. Some ports are forecasted to have the highest departure and arrival volumes, namely Makassar, Ambon, Batam, Jayapura, Belawan, and Surabaya. She said, “For these ports, we have coordinated with Pelindo to anticipate the surge in passengers at these ports.”
In addition, Pelni faces the challenge of extreme weather that will last until the end of January, which could cause delays in ship arrivals. Ships from the east heading west experience delays due to wave pressure at sea with wind speeds of 25 knots.
Tri Andayani explained, “However, we have prepared the fleet readiness. For example, regular docking that should have been done during this peak season has also been advanced. Hence, we ensure that all ships operated by Pelni, both passenger and pioneering, have done regular docking.”
The operated ships have undergone ramp checks conducted by the Ministry of Transportation. Therefore, various aspects of the vessels, both technical and safety aspects, including safety equipment on board and navigation, are ensured to be in good condition.
The company also collaborates with relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Transportation and BMKG, to establish posts and monitor the weather. “BMKG monitoring is also conducted host-to-host directly with the BMKG system in our operation room, which runs 24 hours,” Tri Andayani concluded.
