The ministry's Director General of Sea Transportation, Antoni Arif Priadi, noted in the ministry's statement received here on Wednesday that since several people choose the sea route transportation, it is important to ensure the seaworthiness of the sea fleet.
Priadi noted in the statement that the Ministry of Transportation has prepared 765 ships with a capacity of 29,972 passengers to anticipate the surge in their numbers.
"To that end, I ask all officials in the Directorate General of Sea Transportation to ensure ship fleet preparedness, improve coordination with relevant stakeholders, and tighten supervision of the ships' passenger capacity," Priadi stated.
He also called on his ranks to optimize the fleet at several sections to prevent overcrowding of passengers.
He called for the officials' commitment to welcoming the Christmas and New Year period, ensuring smooth and safe travel flow.
He explained that the public chooses to travel on the sea route during the holiday as a solution to avoid land traffic congestion.
Moreover, Priadi said his side had held the preparedness routine at the sea transportation coordination post for the year-end holiday period at the Tanjung Priok Port Passenger Terminal.
A 33-percent jump is projected in the number of ship passengers compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
To anticipate and handle incidents, Priadi affirmed that the ministry has already set up monitoring posts at 264 points that will operate from December 18, 2024, to January 8, 2025.
His side will also coordinate with local meteorological stations to anticipate extreme weather.
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Translator: M Harianto, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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