Pelni Ship Transports 482 Homecomers From Tanjung Priok Port To Bangka Belitung

Homecomers get off from KM Bukit Raya at the Tanjung Priok Passenger Port, Jakarta, (Antara-Dewa K)

TANJUNG PRIOK - A total of 482 travelers departed from Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta, to Belinyu Port, Bangka Belitung, Wednesday 27 April.

Head of the Tanjung Priok Pelni Branch, Nuraini Dessy W, said the hundreds of travelers were dispatched using the Bukit Raya Motorboat (KM) by the BUMN, PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni).

Continuing with Antara's report, KM Bukit Raya has a capacity of around 1,000 passengers serving routes including Belinyu, Bangka Belitung, Pontianak and Surabaya.

At around 14.00 WIB, the local port authority began to open the departure gates for the travelers.

The entry flow for travelers is directly supervised by police officers and officers from the Ministry of Transportation assisted by the TNI and Pelni as well as port authorities.

Based on data from Pelni, KM Bukit Raya is scheduled to return to Belinyu at 17.00 WIB.

Previously, KM Bukit Raya rested at Tanjung Priok Port after sailing from Belinyu Port at 13.00 WIB.

The number of travelers arriving or disembarking at Tanjung Priok Port from Belinyu riding KM Bukit Raya based on Pelni data reached 682 people.

During the homecoming flow for the H-5 Lebaran, the Tanjung Priok Port is served by three fleets, namely KM Bukit Raya from Pelni and two private company ships.

Two private vessels operated by PT Bukit Merapin Nusantara Lines, namely the Sawita Ship, which departed at 00.45 WIB for Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung.

The ship with a capacity of 200 passengers carried 52 travelers. In addition, the Sakura Express ship which is scheduled to sail at 23.00 WIB to Pangkal Dalam, Pangkal Pinang.

Meanwhile, a number of travelers who were met at Tanjung Priok Port admitted that they did not take advantage of the free homecoming due to their busy schedules and working hours.

They chose to go home on the H-5 Lebaran while also saving costs and being early for going home. "So that it is more economical to go home by ship and there is quite a long time before Lebaran," said the homecomer to Bangka Belitung, Maulana.

In line with Maulana, another homecomer, Iin Kurniasih, admitted that she wanted to take advantage of the free homecoming but time did not allow her because she had to finish work.

"It's not possible to go home for free the first and second waves later because you have to work. It also leaves early so it won't be too tight, it can be jammed later," he said.