Domestic Ferry Safety in

Indonesia
HAZID/Scoping exercise to identify safety issues pertaining to passenger
ships on non-international voyages in Indonesia

Preliminary findings and recommendations

Jakarta, Indonesia, 30 November 2018

The team
• Bekir Sitki Ustaoglu, Head, Asia and Pacific Section, Technical
Cooperation Division, International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Josephine Uranza, IMO Regional Coordinator East Asia, Technical
Cooperation Division, IMO
• Dr. Jens-Uwe Schröder-Hinrichs, Professor & Director of Research,
World Maritime University (WMU), IMO Lead Consultant
• Stephan P. Assheuer, Managing Owner, admaris GmbH, Hamburg,
Germany, IMO Consultant
The mission Republic of Indonesia
1.9 million square kilometres
255 million inhabitants
The mission
• Hosted by the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia
• 26 – 30 November 2018
• Field visit to Ferry terminal in Merak and PT. Samudra Marine
Indonesia (SMI) Shipyard
• 3 days of interviews in Jakarta with stakeholders of the domestic ferry
sector in Indonesia
• Final day – summary of the mission – preliminary findings
The challenge
• Indonesia as a dynamic and growing economy in South East Asia
depends on a robust and well developed infrastructure. As an
archipelagic State, Indonesia heavily relies on maritime transport.
Domestic ferries are a natural extension of roads and bridges and a
key mode of transport with a vital function for the national economy.
• Maritime transport involves a number of stakeholders including private
industry actors to be regulated by the Indonesian government
• The demand for ferry services is very dynamic and involves seasonal peaks
• To meet the demand for maritime transport in Indonesia a wide spectrum of
ships has been engaged in ferry services, including a large number of
traditional, often wooden-built boats
The findings
• The logistical challenge for the national economy leads to a
prioritization of transport efficiency at the expense of maritime safety
• The creation of a comprehensive and updated national legal
framework for the construction, equipment, crewing and
maintenance of ships carrying passengers in national voyages of
different types (incl. traditional boats and ships) is a major challenge
• Low levels of safety awarness combined with deficiencies in
implementation and enforcement of the national regulations
jeopardize maritime safety on domestic ferries
Recommendations
1. Develop an understanding that it needs a continuous process over
years to achieve safety improvements in the domestic ferry sector
2. Develop an understanding that safety improvements can best be
supported if they are embedded in national strategies and plans
3. Consider to carry out an in-depth study to investigate accidents of
the last 10 years in order to identify major safety problems in the
ferry sector
4. Consider to carry out an economic impact study to understand the
contribution that ferry services make to the national economy and
what benefits investments in safety can cause
Recommendations
5. Consider developing a high level policy/strategic plan for ferry
services in Indonesia on the basis of (3) and (4) making ferry
services at highest possible safety levels a national priority.
6. Creation of a high level committee for consultation to be composed
of senior officials and representative of industry stakeholders to
consider the recommendations of the relevant studies, findings and
analyses of accident investigation reports, particularly related to the
ships carrying passengers to meet on a regular bases (annually? Or
a need basis?) to make recommendations to the Government (not
to the Minster of Transport) or to the President.
Recommendations
7. Develop action plans on the basis of such a high level
policy/strategy. Those action plans should address, among others,
the following items:
7.1 Review of the existing NCVS in light of missing items and to expand it to other
relevant areas, such as marine environmental protection
7.2 Establish a clearer structure in the NCVS which accommodates the different types
of ships in national service, including the traditional, wooden-built vessels
7.3 Establish procedures for regular review and updating of the NVCS
Recommendations
7.4 Consider amending rules concerning the monitoring the cargo on trucks. Such
rules should be developed in a way that they effectively deal with the topic but do not
create obstacles for the traffic flow.
7.5 Address organizational matters in order to achieve greater levels of compliance.
Those matters could include, among others:
7.5.1 Introduction of a performance monitoring scheme for the ferries in
Indonesia with the provision of an annual review
7.5.2 Raising awareness measures on core issues in relation to the outcome of
the performance review of the fleet (e.g. stimulation of training measures, specific
inspection campaigns etc.)
7.5.3 Carefull review of exisiting administrative procedures in order to increase
the level of enforcement of exisiting regulations
7.5.4 Introduction of an overall scheme of organizational performance review
in the administration
Recommendations
7.5.5 Clear assignment of responsibilities so that individual units can handle
their tasks in an effecient way
7.5.6 Avoiding potential conflicts of interest -> those in charge for transport
should not necessarily be the ones in charge for the verifcation of safety
7.5.7 Improvement of the overall communication -> improve the handling of
information and the storage of data
7.5.8 Further use of the outcome of accident investigations to stimulate
improvements of the overall system of maritime safety in the ferry sector