Pelni operates three ships in Batulicin

Batulicin, S Kalimantan 5/5 (AntaranewsKalsel) - The state owned shipping company PT Pelni Batulicin Branch operates three ships to serve routes for Batulicin-Surabaya, Surabaya-Sampit, Sampit-Batulicin and Batulicin-South Sulawesi.

Head of PT Pelni Branch Office Batulicin Tunggul Ompusunggu here Friday said the three ships, namely KM Sirimau with a capacity of 1,000 passengers, Sabuk Nusantara 55 and Sabuk Nusantara 57 each with capacity of 285 passengers.

"The operation of the three vessels we feel is sufficient to serve passengers from the Seaport of Batulicin to several islands destination," he said.

Tunggul said that currently the number of passengers from Batulicin to Surabaya and vice versa on average only 250 passengers. This still does not meet the minimum target.

According to him, the passengers must reach 50 percent of the capacity to cover operating costs, but because of the conditions are not allowed it perforced with the existing passengers are still departed to the port of destination.

Meanwhile, Head of private shipping company PT Dharma Lautan Utama Branch Batulicin Saleh said it also prepared three ships to serve passengers carrying motor vehicles. Because the PT Pelni's ships only for passengers not the type of roll on roll off (ro-ro).

"The shipping route that we serve is the same as PT Pelni, but the schedule is adjusted so they are not concurrent. We ask passengers to bring cars or other vehicles into the ship because the ship is roro type," he explained.