Breaking Congestion In Merak, Minister Of Transportation Prepares Additional Pier In Ciwandan: Including Indah Harbor

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi (left) inspects Pelindo's port in Ciwandan, Banten. (Photo: Doc. Antara/Kemenhub)

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumad directly inspected Pelindo's port located in Ciwandan, Banten. This port is planned to operate as an additional pier to relieve congestion that occurs at the Merak Ferry Port.

The Minister of Transportation directly led the process of operating the Ciwandan wharf, starting from the preparation of the port, the arrival of ships, to the entry of vehicles that were diverted to the pier.

"We will prepare 9 ships to operate, which will serve from the Ciwandan pier to Bakauheni Port starting today," Budi Karya said in a statement quoted by Antara, Saturday, April 30.

Apart from Ciwandan, the Minister of Transportation said that since yesterday another additional dock has been operated at the Indah Kiat Port.

Two ships have been prepared at the port, namely KM Mutiara Ferryndo 7 and KM Mutiara Berkah I.

As is known, the public's interest is very high which has resulted in long traffic jams on arteries and toll roads leading to the Merak Ferry Port.

The Minister of Transportation agreed with the proposal from the Cilegon Police Chief, to urge the public to postpone crossing trips to Merak tonight, while waiting for the capacity to increase again in Merak to avoid the congestion of the port.

"We apologize for the inconvenience experienced by the community at Merak Harbor. We are continuously trying to solve this problem in less than 12 hours," said the Minister of Transportation.

Based on data from PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, the number of passenger surges at the Merak Crossing Port this year is about 40 percent higher than the 2019 homecoming before the pandemic.

It was recorded that yesterday (Friday, April 29, 202), as many as 32 thousand vehicles a day departed through the Merak Ferry Port. This number is greater than the peak of the 2019 homecoming which reached around 20 thousand vehicles.