KUPANG, Kompas – For Four days until Sunday (1/4), the ferry vessels in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) stop operation due to bad weather. Trucks and other cars carrying various commodities queue at ferriage berth while waiting for calm weather.
Ferry vessels in NTT have stopped operation since Thursday (1/1). Six of eight ferry vessels operated by Kupang-Chapter PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau, and Penyeberangan (ASDP) Indonesia Ferry are berthed in Sulamu safe waters, in front of Bolok ferriage berth, Kupang. Meanwhile, the other two vessels are berthed in Alor.
“Via short message sending (SMS) and other media, we have informed people that ferriage service in NTT is halted until uncertain time. Sea still sees wild currents and high waves,” said Kupang-Chapter PT ASDP General Manager, Arnoldus Yansen, in Kupang on Sunday (1/4).
Ferriage disruption sparks traffic gridlock around berth area. In Bolok, for example, on Sunday, 13 trucks queued to cross to Rote Island and some other islands in NTT. Similar condition also occurs in Labuan Bajo and Sape. In Labuan Bajo, 10 trucks queued to cross to Sape.
Fishermen
Bad weather also complicates hundreds fishermen in Kupang City and its surrounding to sail. Some fishermen only sail around Kupang Bay to capture pelagic fish.
This condition brings bad impact to limited fresh fish stock in Kupang City and its surrounding for almost two weeks. Fish prices surge two folds than the previous prices. One kilogram mackerel, for example, surges from IDR 20,000 to IDR 60,000.
NTT Maritime and Fishery Department Head for Harbormaster, Fransiskus Meo, said 76 small vessels in Tenau Fish Landing Port, 25 kilometers from Kupang City and in Oesapa do not sail. Most of the fishing vessels prefer to take shelter at berth and coast.
Big waves in South Sea also scare the fishermen in Puger District, Jember Regency, East Java to capture fishes at sea. “Currently, we have entered western season,” said Imam Fauzi, Fisherman Mutual Business Group Communication Forum Chairman, in Puger.
In the current western season, Imam said, fishes begin to disappear. Therefore, for Puger fishermen, it is a famine season.
In Maluku, sea wave on Sunday reached 5 meters. For voyage safety, local port authority halted some voyage activities. The waters hit by the biggest wave are western Arafura Sea, Leti Island waters, and southern Banda Sea with 5-meter wave height. The wave on other waters such as northern Banda Sea reached 3.5 meters, Tanimbar Islands reached 3.5 meters, and southern Ambon Island waters reached 3 meters. (Kompas)
