60 Thousand Riau Islands Residents Will Go Home For Eid 2022 Using Sea Transportation

Ship passengers at the Sri Bintan International Port, Pura Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands. (ANTARA/Ogen)

KEPRI - Around 60 thousand people or about three percent of the population of the Riau Archipelago Province (Kepri) will return for Lebaran 2022 using sea transportation. This is based on the prediction of the Riau Islands Province Transportation Service (Dishub).

Head of the Riau Islands Transportation Agency, Junaidi, revealed that the number of residents who were going home this year would increase significantly. The easing of COVID-19 cases and the relaxation of residents for going home are the main triggers for the flow of going home to increase.

"According to President Jokowi's appeal, people please go home early to avoid overcrowding," he said in Tanjungpinang, quoted from Antara, Friday, April 22.

Junaidi estimates that the traffic for homecomers on Bumi Segantang Lada will peak on April 29-30, 2022. He appealed to residents to go home early to avoid overcrowding.

He added that the available fleet of ships to transport homecomers to other areas was adequate and ships had also been prepared to transport homecomers.

According to him, the Dunai Express ferry is prepared to serve passengers on the Tanjungpinang-Karimun route; passengers with the Tanjungpinang-Lingga route will be served using the Lintas Kepri ferry, Super Jet, and Ro-Ro ship from Dompak Island; and the Seven Star, Batavia, and Anggraini ferries are prepared to serve passengers on the Tanjungpinang-Natuna-Anambas route.

In addition, he continued, at least 15 ships are available to serve passengers on the Tanjungpinang-Batam route. "The full ship immediately departed, without waiting for another schedule," he said.

Homecomers who go through the Tanjungpinang-Batam route, he continued, can also use Ro-Ro ships from the Tanjung Uban port, Bintan Regency.

According to him, the government has prepared an additional one Ro-Ro ship to deal with the possibility of a surge in users of sea transportation facilities during the 2022 Lebaran homecoming period.