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Merak, Bakauheni ports reopened
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Stay away from the water: A port worker points to extreme weather hitting Merak Port in Banten on Thursday. (Courtesy of ASDP Indonesia Ferry /File)
F
erry ports in Merak, Banten, and Bakahuni, Lampung, were reopened at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Friday morning after they were closed on Thursday morning because of extreme weather.
The corporate secretary acting head of state-owned seaport operator ASDP Indonesia Ferry, Intan Sugiharti, said the company reopened the Merak and Bakauheni ports after weather conditions improved.
Following the decision, the Merak Port harbormaster permitted the resumption of operations, including ferry services along the Sunda Strait.
“Because of a temporary closure yesterday, there has been a long line [of traffic] from the 96-kilometer point of the Merak toll road to the exit gate,” Intan said.
To resolve the issue, authorities opened Dock 3 on Friday morning to serve those looking to cross the Sunda Strait before opening the other two docks.
“We will serve them with 22 vessels today [Friday]. We hope the weather will get better so the port can return to normal operations,” said Fahmi Alweni, ASDP Indonesia Ferry's general manager for Merak Port.
From 8:00 p.m. on Thursday to 7:00 a.m on Friday, 3,665 people, 961 two-wheeled vehicles, 330 trucks, 289 four-wheeled vehicles and 33 buses entered the port.
“We have transported all of the people to Bakahuni,” Fahmi added.
Extreme weather in the form of waves 5 meters high and wind speed recorded at 45 knots hit the port on Thursday, resulting in its closure for safety reasons. (ebf)
