12,000 Indonesians exit via Kukup
PONTIAN: Up to 12,000 Indonesians are expected to return home to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri through the Kukup International Ferry Terminal (Kukup Ferry) here.
Indonesian embassy communications attache Muhammad Abduh said the terminal, which was a departure point to Tanjung Balai in Karimun, Indonesia, was a popular port for Indonesians to return home, and up to Thursday, more than 7,000 had transited the port.
“In fact today, since the first ferry departed at 6.45am, more than 1,800 passengers have passed through the terminal.
“Even though it is crowded, we can see that everything is going smoothly and everybody who wanted to return home had managed to board their ferries.
“Insyaallah (God willing), even though it is raining frequently, information from the Marine Department shows that all vessels and ferries are still able to depart to their respective destinations,” said Muhammad after visiting the terminal.
Accompanying him were the embassy’s consul Yusron B. Ambari and human resources attache Mustafa Kamal, Marine Department southern region head harbour master Azman Mohd Ali, Kukup Ferry managing director Rasiman Musiran and chief operating officer Wahib Musiran.
Muhammad said, so far, there had been no delays and all nine daily departures were running smoothly.
Considering that today was the last day of Ramadan, Muhammad said the number of departures had been increased to 16 until 5pm, or until all those who had bought tickets had returned home.
Rasiman said the number of passengers travelling to Tanjung Balai had risen to about 2,000 a day during the festive season compared with about 500 during normal days.
“Last year, we even recorded 2,300 passengers at the terminal on certain days and yesterday (Thursday), we recorded 2,100 passengers,” he said.
He said tickets, priced at RM125 for return trips, were sold as early as 3.30am during the festive season, and the first ferry departed at 6.45am.
He also said the leave of all employees at the terminal had been frozen to ensure the smooth operation of the terminal.