The Jangkar Port authority issued the sailing permit after taking into account friendly weather conditions in Madura Strait, off the coast of East Java, the port's service coordinator, Ahmad Rozikin, stated here, Thursday.
The East Java administration offers a free homecoming program during the Eid al-Fitr exodus period by providing MV Wicitra Dharma I for those traveling to Raas Island from Jangkar Port, he remarked.
The ferry vessel serves four Jangkar-Raas trips on April 2, 4, 6, and 8, 2024, and three Raas-Jangkar trips on April 23, 25, and 27, 2024, Rozikin stated.
Regarding the number of passengers traveling on the vessel that exceeded its 250-passenger capacity on Thursday, he said the ferry operator had earlier sent a request to the Indonesian Classification Bureau (BKI).
The port authority also considered the ferry vessel's safety equipment while issuing the sailing permit, he remarked, adding that the ship departed from the port at 7 p.m. local time.
ANTARA reported earlier that during the Eid holiday season, state-owned shipping company PT Pelni also offers a free homecoming program.
In this regard, 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 the Head of the PT Pelni-Manokwari Office Jusuf, Pelni's ship, MV Sinabung, served 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 stated.
For this year's Eid al-Fitr holiday season, the Sea Transportation Directorate General at the Transportation Ministry has provided 13,012 free tickets for 30 port destinations across Indonesia.
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: Novi H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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