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View all search resultsExtreme congestion chokes Ketapang Port following ferry safety crackdown
The traffic jam leading to Ketapang Port stretched at least 5 kilometers on Monday, 9 km on Sunday and around 25 km on Friday. At its worst, on July 25, the congestion extended 42 km, reaching as far as Badjulmati Dam in Situbondo Regency.
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Bustling port: Vehicles line up to embark a ferry on Dec. 22, 2023, at Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java. (Antara/Budi Candra Setyo)
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evere traffic congestion has paralyzed access to Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, for over two weeks, with lines of vehicles stretching up to 42 kilometers.
The congestion, described by many drivers as the worst they’ve ever experienced, was triggered by a shortage of operating ferries, following tightened sailing regulations imposed after the devastating sinking of the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya in the Bali Strait last month.
The traffic jam leading to Ketapang Port stretched at least 5 kilometers on Monday, 9 km on Sunday and around 25 km on Friday. At its worst, on July 25, the congestion extended 42 km, reaching as far as Badjulmati Dam in Situbondo Regency.
Truck drivers waiting to cross to Gilimanuk Port in neighboring Bali Island were forced to endure days-long delays in the sweltering traffic.
Frustration over the worsening gridlock led around 500 freight truck drivers to block the entrance to Ketapang Port on Friday, demanding that authorities deploy additional cargo ferries in the Bali Strait to alleviate the congestion.
Firmansyah Mustafa, head of the East Java chapter of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), has urged authorities to temporarily allow vessels previously deemed unseaworthy or in violation of maritime regulations to operate in order to ease the congestion.
“Of course, safety must remain the top priority. But once the congestion eases, a phased reassessment of the vessels’ seaworthiness can be carried out,” Firmansyah told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. “Without such a measure, I’m convinced the traffic jam will be extremely difficult to resolve.”
