Residents Start Filling Pangkalbalam Port Babel Ahead of Christmas Holiday 2025

Hundreds of prospective sea transport passengers began to crowd the Pangkalbalam Port Terminal, Pangkalpinang City, Bangka Belitung Islands Province (Babel), to return home to celebrate Christmas and New Year 2026 (Nataru).

Antara's monitoring at the Pangkalbalam Port, Wednesday, December 17, hundreds of prospective passengers on the Pangkalbalam Port (Bangka Island) - Tanjung Pandan Port (Belitung Island) route have crowded the port terminal to celebrate Christmas and New Year 2026.

Meanwhile, prospective passengers on the sea transport route from Pangkalbalam Port to Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, are still normal, because migrant communities on Bangka Island prefer to use air transport.

Observed security officers at Pangkalbalam Port were on standby and arranging parking for visitors to the port in order to maintain the security, order and comfort of prospective ship passengers at the port.

"Currently, the number of prospective passengers of the transportation has increased compared to usual days," said the Head of KSOP Class IV Pangkalbalam Saiful Anwar.

He stated that the increase in sea transport ahead of Christmas and New Year this year was due to coinciding with school holidays.

"This year's Christmas and New Year's Eve also coincide with the school children's holidays, so it has a direct impact on prospective passengers who want to go on vacation on Belitung Island," he said.

He said that in anticipation of the surge in prospective passengers on the Pangkalbalam Port - Tanjung Pandan Port route, KSOP will increase the fleet and departure schedule of the ship.

"We will continue to monitor, if the number of passengers on the ship continues to increase and there is a buildup of prospective passengers, the departure schedule of the ship will be increased. Usually only four times a week, then departures will be implemented every day," he said.