PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero) on 29th August 2015 officially commenced the operation of five new pioneer vessels designated to serve several routes in Eastern Indonesia. Marked by an inauguration ceremony at the Port of Arar in Sorong, West Papua, Mr Ignasius Jonan as Indonesia’s Minister of Transportation, presided over the launch. The new additions to ASDP Indonesia Ferry’s fleet follow on from the Indonesian government’s ongoing efforts to improve connectivity in the eastern parts of the country by making available more transport vessels in the islands of Sulawesi, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua. Other esteemed guests at the launch event included the Governor of West Papua, Mr Abraham Octavianus Atururi; Regent of Sorong, Mr Stephanus Malak; and various officials from the Ministry of Transportation. ASDP Indonesia Ferry itself was represented by Mr Danang S. Baskoro as President Director.

During the event, Mr Baskoro in touching upon the significance of the inauguration ceremony stated that it was an honour for ASDP Indonesia Ferry to once again be granted the trust of the government to operate new ships. “I hope that the presence of the vessels can break the isolation of these regions so as to spur the growth of the local economy and contribute to better nationwide connectivity,” he continued.  Mr Baskoro also explained that eastern regions such as Papua have struggled with skyrocketing prices of goods and services as reflected by an enormous price gap compared with regions such as Western and Central Indonesia. In that respect, he hopes that by developing the country’s logistics network, this will no longer be the case in the future.

Four of the new vessels – namely, KMP Lema which will serve a route from Sorong to Waigeo in West Papua, KMP Erana from Kaimana in West Papua to Tual in Maluku, KMP Ile Labalekan from Kupang to Hansisi in East Nusa Tenggara, and KMP Moinit from Amurang to Toli-Toli in Sulawesi – each has a gross tonnage of 570 with a capacity to hold 196 passengers and 25 vehicles. Meanwhile, the smaller KMP Bambit, which has a gross tonnage of 300, will operate a route from Merauke to Asmat in Papua.