JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) through the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs officially opened the registration of a free sea ship ticket program for Lebaran Sea Transportation 2026 starting March 6, 2026.
A total of 69,232 free tickets are prepared for the public who want to return home by sea. This program covers 97 routes serving various island areas in Indonesia, ranging from Aceh, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku to Papua.
Director General of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transportation, Muhammad Masyhud, said the program was a form of the government's presence to help people return home to celebrate Eid with their families.
"This free ticket program is a tangible form of the state's presence for people who want to celebrate Eid with their families. We want to ensure that no citizen is hampered from going home because of the cost of sea transportation," said Masyhud in an official statement, Thursday, March 5.
Masyhud said this free ticket program is in collaboration with five national shipping operators that will serve various homecoming routes in a number of regions in Indonesia.
The five operators are PT Belibis Papua Mandiri which serves 22 sections, PT Pelayaran Dharma Indah with 54 sections, PT Pelayaran Sakti Inti Makmur with 18 sections, PT Dharma Lautan Utama with two sections, and PT Jembatan Nusantara with one section.
Masyhud appealed to the public to immediately register after the program was opened because the quota provided was limited.
"I appeal to the public to immediately register as soon as the registration line opens. The registration process is easy, just prepare your identity and follow the instructions at each operator," he said.
A number of strategic routes that are the destination of people's homecoming are also available in this program. In the Papua and West Papua regions, for example, there are Sorong-Waisai routes with a capacity of 1,600 passengers and the Jayapura-Biak route with a capacity of 700 passengers.
In the Maluku region, the routes served include from Ambon to Namlea, Ambalau, Leksula, Bula, Geser, to Gorom. Meanwhile, in Southeast Sulawesi, there are routes from Kendari to Raha and Kendari to Bau-bau.
For the western and central regions of Indonesia, there are routes from Banda Aceh to Sabang with a capacity of 1,250 passengers, Gresik-Bawean with 1,900 passengers, Kalianget-Kangean 2,000 passengers, Jangkar-Raas 2,250 passengers, and routes from Lembar to Surabaya and Balikpapan to Parepare.
"We choose routes that are really needed by the community, especially in the archipelago where transportation access is limited," said Masyhud.
In order for the program to run orderly and on target, prospective passengers are required to prepare their identity such as ID cards, driver's licenses, or family cards both original and photocopies. The identity used during registration must also be the same as the identity at departure.
In addition, one person can only register a maximum of four passenger candidates in one Family Card. Passengers are also prohibited from carrying dangerous objects or liquor on board, and free tickets must not be sold or transferred to other parties.
In addition to the free ticket program, the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs ensures that the safety aspect of shipping remains the main priority during the 2026 Lebaran Maritime Transport period. All ships involved in this program have undergone a maritime inspection by the local port authority to ensure that people's homecoming trip is safe and comfortable.
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