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Jakarta Post

Travelers demand safe, seaworthy ships

Travelers have urged the state-owned seaport operator, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, to improve ship safety and reliability during the Idul Fitri exodus following a recent ferry incident

Oyos Saroso H.N. and Nana Rukmana (The Jakarta Post)
Bandarlampung/Cirebon
Thu, August 1, 2013

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Travelers demand safe, seaworthy ships

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ravelers have urged the state-owned seaport operator, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, to improve ship safety and reliability during the Idul Fitri exodus following a recent ferry incident.

A Bahuga Pratama ferry lost power as it arrived at Bakauheni Port in Lampung on Wednesday. The ferry was carrying 350 passengers, 21 trucks, five buses and 27 cars.

Travelers complained that the incident made the travel time longer than usual.

'€œIt usually takes only 2.5 hours [from Merak Port in Tangerang to Bakauheni], but it turned out that it took more than six hours,'€ said Ikram Baadila, who arrived in Lampung on Wednesday morning.

Syarifudin Fattah, a resident of Bandar Lampung, shared a similar thought. '€œMy son has just arrived from Tangerang by taking the Bahuga Pratama ferry. It took him six hours to get to Lampung because the ship suffered damage, while a few days ago PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry had given assurances about the safety and reliability of the ships,'€ Syarifudin said.

Association of Lampung Consumer Protection head Daniel Ghanie called on the seaport operator to check the reliability of all vessels for the sake of passengers'€™ safety.

'€œEach vessel must also provide life vests for all passengers and other safety gear,'€ said Daniel. Proper preparation was necessary given the fact that most PT ASDP vessels were old.

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry operational manager for Bakauheni branch Heru Purwanto said his office had operated 28 vessels for 90 trips.

The ports of Bakauheni and Merak are sea transportation hubs, connecting the islands of Java and Sumatra. Both seaports can accommodate more than 100,000 people and tens of thousands of vehicles daily.

The Lampung Police have deployed 18 patrol vessels to safeguard areas in the Sunda Strait and Panjang, Kotaagung and Labuhan Maringgai waters.

Separately, the Cirebon regency administration in West Java has mobilized hundreds of medical workers along the Java north coast highway during the Idul Fitri exodus.

Puskesmas (community health centers) and hospitals will also be put on standby around the clock during the peak period.

Cirebon Health Agency'€™s pharmacy and services affairs head Budi Soenjaya said 674 medical workers had been deployed for the purpose.

They consist of 38 doctors, 442 nurses, 56 food supervisors, 21 pharmacists, 54 sanitation officers, 38 non-medical auxiliary officers and 25 ambulance drivers.

Budi said his office would also provide 25 ambulances during the period.

The medical services would be provided for free, he added.

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