Traditional Shipbuilding in Choppy Waters

Today, the cost of producing a traditionally built ship is about Rp 2.5 billion. The investment takes about 30 years to return – making it a heavy burden for their operators.

KOMPAS/RHAMA PURNA JATI

Boats are moored at Pasar 16 Ilir in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Sunday (15/04/2018). Such boats are a key mode of transportation in the area amid limited overland access. However, the small-scale shipping business in South Sumatra is far from safe, because many vessels lack adequate safety equipment.

PALEMBANG, KOMPAS — Sea transportation using traditionally built ships, mainly of the pinisi type, has been in decline over the past 18 years. This is due to improved overland transportation at lower prices and with more practical services, while at the same time the cost of building the ships is rising.

People’s Sea Transportation (Pelra) Palembang chapter chairman Ghofar Pasolong on Monday (16/4/2018) said the cost of building a wooden pinisi could reach Rp 2.5 billion. Once the ship was completed, however, it would not operate regularly, due to the declining demand for sea transportation. Consumers preferred steel ships or land transportation.

“It takes 30 years to get the investment back. This has caused stagnation in the number of traditional ships serving remote areas in South Sumatra, and the number is dropping gradually. Now, there are only 20 ships, which compares to about 50 ships 15 years ago,” Ghofar said.

The 20 traditional ships in Palembang serve routes to Batam, Bangka, Belitung, Riau, Jambi, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Banten and Jakarta. The goods being transported are cement, fertilizer and staple foods.

Transporting 500 tons of cargo from Palembang to Sunda Kelapa in Jakarta, for example, costs Rp 180 million. From Kalimantan, it costs Rp 200 million. Given that income, it is believed the investment to produce the ship cannot be returned in less than 30 years.

In 1970, it cost about Rp 2 billion to build such a ship, and demand for sea transportation was high at the time, so five years was enough to recoup the investment. “This is the hardest challenge in the traditional sea transportation industry,” Ghofar said.

PT Pelindo II Palembang deputy general manager Sabar Haryono acknowledged that transportation using traditional ships had been declining over the past few years. The volume of cargo was around 10,000-25,000 tons per month. “In one month, 20 ships would usually dock at the port,” Sabar said.

Another issue is the poor safety of the traditional ships. There is often insufficient safety gear for passengers, and sometimes the ships are overloaded. One need only take a look at Dermaga 16 Ilir in Palembang, South Sumatra, where passengers on Sunday were not wearing safety gear.

Passengers were sitting rather uncomfortably aboard overcrowded ships, along with the goods they were bringing.

Meanwhile, operators of ferries in Tanjung Pasir village, Teluk Naga district, Tangerang regency, Banten, expected new facilities to make tourists feel more comfortable. Basri, a 45-year-old crewman of the KM Bunga Kencana saidon Saturday that tourists heading to Untung Jawa Island were often worried.

“They have to walk on a board to enter the ship,” he said.

There was a bamboo handrail for the passengers to hold onto, but better port facilities were needed to make tourists feel safe. “Just like on Untung Jawa Island. There is a dock made of concrete,” he said.

Tourists were seen balancing across the makeshift gangway to enter ships that were rocking with the tide.

“When stepping on the board, tourists – especially women – often panic. We hope the Tangerang regency administration will develop the dock,” he added.

Until today, no officials from the Tangerang regency administration have visited Tanjung Pasir to assess the dock. Basri added that he hoped renovation would improve Tanjug Pasir village as a whole. Today, for example, kiosks in the village are made of bamboo, wood and tarpaulin.

The kiosks are not well built. There is garbage scattered everywhere, with goats and cats roaming around. Dead rats and animal feces are seen on the beach. Besides, there was no path from the parking lot to the ship.

(RAM/BAY)