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n the heels of the fatal Zahro Express ferryboat fire, the Transportation Ministry is set to hand over the management of Muara Angke Port in North Jakarta to the city administration as part of the efforts to improve safety measures and passenger service quality.

Acting Jakarta governor Sumarsono said that after the accident the ministry had greenlighted the administration, through the Jakarta Transportation Agency, to get full control of the port’s management in a bid to optimize monitoring and curb red tape.

Previously, the port was managed by the ministry, which oversees more than 1,000 ports across Indonesia.

“We will gradually take over the port,” Sumarsono said at City Hall on Monday

He said the city administration would develop the area into an integrated port zone equipped with supporting facilities such as restaurants and cafes.

A team led by city secretary Saefullah would be established to handle the transition as well as the development of the port area, he added.

“The team will revise the grand plan of the port,” Sumarsono said.

The Zahro boat caught fire while it was en route to Tidung Island on Jan. 1. Twenty-four passengers were killed with 31 injured.

The accident prompted the ministry and the city administration to thoroughly evaluate the port’s management as well as the safety and service standards of vessels transporting passengers from Jakarta’s mainland to Thousand Islands.

Transportation Agency deputy head Sigit Widjatmoko said that, during the preparation of the takeover, both parties would also discuss issues related to human resources.

“We need to have adequate human resources, both in terms of quantity and quality,” he said, adding that the agency could not give the exact timeline of the takeover.

Therefore, he added, the ministry would still have to help supervise the agency during the transition period. “We also have to ensure there is an improvement in the port’s human resources,” he said.

He gave as an example an issue that should be improved.

“Our officials used to clear a boat to sail as soon as the captain could show the relevant permit from the port master,” Sigit said.

In the wake of the accident, he added, the officials were now required to do a quick visual inspection of the boat before it was cleared.

Sigit added the administration would also separate docks for freight and passenger services.

“We realize too that we need to study the revamping of ports in Thousand Islands, so the service improvement will be more complete,” he said.

He illustrated that bigger ferries of the state-owned ship operator PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) could operate 24 hours non-stop.

“However, only three islands — Untung Jawa, Pramuka and Kelapa — have ports with facilities that can accommodate the ferries,” he said.

At least 44 private vessels have been registered with the Transportation Agency to provide services to Thousand Islands with daily passenger numbers of around 6,000 to 7,000 during weekends. The agency, meanwhile, currently only has 12 boats with capacities of between 20 and 200 passengers.

Immediately after the Zahro incident, the Transportation Ministry deployed two ferries belonging to Pelni to serve the routes.