Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - State-owned shipping company PT Pelni in Jayapura, Papua, provided five passenger vessels and three pioneer ships to anticipate a surge in homebound travelers during this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season.

"Pelni provides 26 passenger ships and 30 pioneer vessels to serve homebound travelers all over Indonesia for the Eid al-Fitr holiday season," Pelni-Jayapura Office Head Nurul Azhar remarked.

Speaking to journalists here on Friday, Azhar remarked that five of the 26 passenger ships and three of the 30 pioneer vessels would serve travelers in Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, starting from March 26.

Azhar remarked that the five passenger ships are Dobonsolo, Gunung Dempo, Cirimai, Labobar, and Sinabung. He urged those keen on making homebound trips to buy tickets immediately.

Azhar stated that the number of homebound and outbound travelers during the Eid al-Fitr holiday season was expected to reach 588,903 people.

ANTARA reported earlier that the Transportation Ministry has again organized a free homecoming program for this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season.

To this end, the Sea Transportation Directorate General at the Transportation Ministry has provided 13,012 free tickets for 30 port destinations across Indonesia.

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During the Eid al-Fitr holiday season, PT Pelni has allocated 100 free tickets for homebound travelers making trips from Manokwari in West Papua Province to Sorong in Southwest Papua Province.

According to Head of the PT Pelni-Manokwari Office Jusuf, Pelni's ship, MV Sinabung, would serve 100 homebound passengers with free tickets for traveling from Manokwari to Sorong on April 4, 2024.

Another 100 free tickets are also provided for outbound travelers willing to travel from Sorong to Manokwari on April 15, 2024, he remarked while urging the people at large to register for the free tickets.

Those keen on getting the free tickets were able to register at the PT Pelni-Manokwari Office by bringing along their identity cards (KTP) and family cards (KK), he stated.

Registration could be conducted at the latest a day before the departure date based on the availability of tickets, Jusuf explained.

A joint survey, conducted by the Transportation Ministry and Communication and Informatics Ministry, revealed that 193.6 million residents were expected to travel during this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season.

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Translator: Qadri P, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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