Tourist Transportation In Lake Toba, Kemenhub Has KMP Jurung-Jurung Water Bus

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation supports transportation connectivity in the National Tourism Strategic Area, such as in Lake Toba, North Sumatra. By launching the KMP Jurung-Jurung 70 GT water bus to serve tourism transportation.

Director of River, Lake and Ferry Transportation, Cucu Mulyana, said that the construction of this water bus is very necessary to provide easy connectivity and comfort for the community.

"Apart from that, the provision of water bus transportation facilities is a form of the Government's commitment to improve accessibility for tourists, especially in the Lake Toba National Strategic Tourism Area [KSPN]," he said in a press statement received on Thursday, December 24.

He explained that the KMP Jurung-Jurung Water Bus measuring 70 GT, with a ship length of 17.7 meters and a width of 8 meters, is made of aluminum and is the first catamaran type ship in Lake Toba. Catamaran ships are vessels that have two hulls with the advantage of better ship stability with a passenger capacity of 150 people.

In addition, the body design of the KMP Jurung-Jurung Air Bus accommodates local culture by adding a distinctive batak accent motif, namely ulos cloth. In addition, the ship's interior design is made like a tourist boat. With its large design and capacity, this water bus is suitable for traveling around Lake Toba.

Then, the Head of BPTD Region II of North Sumatra Province, Putu Sumarjaya, said that in 2019, the Ministry of Transportation had launched two ships that had served the Ajibata - Ambarita route, namely KMP Ihan Batak and KMP Pora-Pora.

"As for 2020, the Ministry of Transportation has built three ships, namely the KMP Kaldera Toba, the KMP Asa-Asa Water Bus, and the one that will be launched today is the KMP Jurung-Jurung Water Bus. In the future, the three ships will serve public transportation. in the Lake Toba region, "said Putu.

On the other hand, the KMP Kaldera Toba Ship, the KMP Asa-Asa Water Bus, and the KMP Jurung - Jurung Water Bus will later be carried out by sea trials, which are a series of final inspections before the ship is allowed to sail and has a class certificate. The ship will be tested with a series of tests to determine its feasibility while sailing.

"Hopefully this ship from the Ministry of Transportation can increase the interest of local and international tourists to visit the Lake Toba National Tourism Strategic Area," he said.