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Fishing boats used for commercial transportation to Thousand Islands
Small fishing docks such as Muara Saban and Tanjung Pasir have been unofficially organizing passenger transportation.
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People take a boat ride in Panggang Island, Thousand Islands regency in Feb 2017. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
T
he Jakarta Transportation Agency has discovered illegal ticket sales for trips to the Thousand Islands on fishing boats in Tangerang, Banten. The illegal sales were found at Cituis, Muara Saban and Tanjung Pasir ports.
"We have not paid much attention to small fishing docks such as Muara Saban and Tanjung Pasir, which also unofficially organized passenger transportation," said Jakarta Transportation Agency acting head Sigit Wijatmoko on Wednesday, adding that the three locations did not provide official ticket sales.
"Distance-wise, they are closer to the Thousand Islands,” Sigit said as quoted by kompas.com. “However, the specifications of their boats do not fulfill the existing standards to obtain a sailing permit.”
For that reason, the agency partnered with state-owned ship operator PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) to create a fleet management organization, he added. The goal is to improve transportation services to the islets, following an upsurge in visitor numbers during the recent Idul Fitri holiday.
Travelers usually opted to visit Bokor, Tidung and Untung Jawa islands, making use of fishermen’s boats.
Sigit reminded travelers to buy and use services from official ports provided by the government.
The benefits of using official services include safety insurance, reliable departure time and ticket price and availability.
"We need to explain [the official services] to the public so they know where to find reliable, safe transportation to Thousand Islands,” added Sigit. (eyc)
