Ahead Of Jokowi's Inauguration, Minister Of Transportation Budi Checks 3 Ferry Ports In Wakatobi

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi while visiting Giwangan Terminal, Yogyakarta. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi paid a working visit to Wakatobi Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Wednesday, June 8.

The visit was to check the condition of three ferry ports and one unit of roro ship which is planned to be inaugurated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Thursday tomorrow.

The three ferry ports to be inaugurated are Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko ports. Meanwhile, one unit of ferry that will be inaugurated is the KMP Sultan Murhum II Ship.

"We built this port using SBSN (State Sharia Securities) funds and we will finish it within two years. The existence of this port is very much needed to launch connectivity in Wakatobi and its surroundings," he said in an official statement, Wednesday, June 8.

Currently, ferry transportation in Southeast Sulawesi serves 11 pioneer routes.

The details are 9 inter-provincial and 2 inter-provincial routes, and have 7 ferry boats.

While in Wakatobi, two ships are served, namely KMP Bahtera Mas II and KMP Sultan Murhum II which will be inaugurated.

The two ships will serve crossings in Wakatobi Regency with the Wanci-Kaledupa-Tomia-Binongko PP route.

Budi said the three pioneer ferry ports, namely Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko, were completed in 2021.

It has a pier length of 82 M, a pool depth of -5m, a berth capacity of 1000 GRT, a Dolphin jetty type, a loading and unloading type of Plengsengan.

"Meanwhile, KM Sultan Murhum II is a roro ship that serves pioneering crossings for the Kamaru-Kaledupa, Kaledupa-Tomia, Tomia-Binongko ships. This ship will start operating on May 2, 2022, with 4 trips a week," he said.

Budi explained that the ship was built by PT Industri Kapal Indonesia (IKI) since September 2020 and completed in December 2021 with a value of IDR 39.3 billion.

This ship weighs 500 GT, has a length of 46.80 m, a speed of 13 knots, a capacity of 262 passengers and 16 medium trucks and 26 small vehicles.

Budi said, this year, the Ministry of Transportation has provided a subsidy of Rp. 17.9 billion for ferry services in Wakatobi, which is operated by PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry.

The fares for crossing transportation in Wakatobi are as follows:

1. Cross the Wanci-Kaledupa crossing (38 miles), the fare for adults is IDR 70,000 and the vehicle for goal 1 is IDR 24,000.

2. Cross Kaledupa-Tomia (34 miles), the fare for adults is Rp. 62,000 and the vehicle for goal 1 is Rp. 20,000.

3. Cross Tomia-Binongko (28 miles), the fare for adults is Rp. 32,000 and the vehicle for goal 1 is Rp. 10,000.

For your information, Wakatobi is an acronym for the names of four islands in southeast Sulawesi, namely, Wangi-wangi Island, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko.

This island is one of the national tourism strategic areas (KSPN) which is being developed.

The Ministry of Transportation is committed to supporting the growth of new economic points through the provision of transportation facilities and infrastructure to open connectivity between regions in Wakatobi and its surroundings.