Erick Thohir Guarantees Long Port To Be An Alternative During Backflow

SOE Minister Erick Thohir while reviewing the preparation for backflow at Panjang Port with the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy/DOK: Public Relations of the Ministry of SOEs

JAKARTA - The government continues to make efforts to make the return flow for Eid this year run smoothly. A number of steps were taken to prevent overcrowding, including operating an alternative port, namely Panjang Port.

SOE Minister Erick Thohir has even coordinated with the Ministry of Transportation to prepare Panjang Port so that it can be used by travelers.

"From the start, I asked SOEs to support the Ministry of Transportation in realizing safe and healthy homecoming and return flows. SOEs and the Ministry of Transportation continue to coordinate intensively in anticipating a number of dynamics that occur in the field," Erick said in a written statement, Wednesday, May 4.

Erick said that maximum preparation must be done. Moreover, the joint leave period will end on Friday, May 6 next.

Therefore, the Ministry of SOEs continues to make efforts to prepare Panjang Port to break up the density at Merak Port. Because, based on existing data, there has been an increase in Eid transportation at the port.

Erick said that Eid transportation at Bakauheni Port recorded an increase of 190,545 vehicles in 2019 to 209,460 vehicles in 2022, an increase of ten percent.

The biggest increase, he continued, came from four-wheeled vehicles, which jumped by 27 percent, namely 112,139 cars compared to 2019 which was 88,626 cars. Meanwhile, the increase in passengers was recorded at 2.5 percent.

"We hope that Panjang Port is able to anticipate the surge in passengers at Bakauheni Port during this Eid return flow," he explained.

Erick explained that PT Pelni (Persero) prepared two ships to help travelers travel from Panjang Port to Ciwandan Port, Banten. It is hoped that the queues at Bakauheni Port can be unraveled and people can return smoothly, safely and comfortably to overseas from their hometowns.

"Of course, with the assignment to us, the SOE Ministry will continue to maximize whether Pelindo is a port, Pelni is in shipping and ASDP is at the crossing, God willing, with the intention of going up we can solve problems in the field," he concluded.