Pioneer Shipping Brings Smiles to People in Remote Areas

FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

A pioneer ship as a supporter of the sea highway program stops at the port on Lirang Island, Southwest Maluku Regency, Maluku, on Sunday (7/8/2022).

As “pioneer shipping” services in eastern Indonesia increase, islanders are no longer isolated. Economic disparities have been lessened and life has improved.

Lasarus Mabala, 36, disembarked from KM Sabuk Nusantara 67 at Lirang Island port in Southwest Maluku regency, Maluku, on Sunday morning (7/8/2022). He was returning home to the outermost island, only a few nautical miles from Timor Leste.

He had been away to Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on a trade trip for less than a week, using the same ferry. Travel time between the two destinations is around 36 hours.

“About five years ago, the ferry serving Lirang used to be once a month. Ferry services have become more frequent lately, up to two times a week,” said Lasarus, a seaweed farmer.

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He set out to Kupang on Tuesday (2/8) with almost half a ton of dried seaweed. He had decided to meet the buyers directly in order to get a better price, which ended up being Rp 30,000 per kilogram.

Local farmers usually sell the commodity to middlemen, who come on their own boats to Lirang and other small islands in the territory’s frontiers. But intermediary sellers pay relatively little.

The transactions with middlemen are at times done in barter with rice or electronic devices.

The price margin can be up to Rp 10,000 per kilogram. The transactions with middlemen are at times done in barter with rice or electronic devices.

Farmers used to have no choice but to accept the low prices, mainly because they did not have access to other markets and had little knowledge about market prices. Neither was shipment transportation available for them.

FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

The pioneer ship docked in Ambon Bay, Maluku, on Thursday (5/12/2019).

"The condition has changed now. Just call the buyer to ask about the price. Wait for the ferry to come and board it straight away," Lasarus said, his face showing smiles and contentment.

Great potential

Located in the southernmost part of the country, Lirang Island is home to some 1,000 inhabitants, most of whom live on fishing and seaweed cultivation.

Some 22.4 tonnes of seaweed was shipped to Kupang over the past month. With the selling price at Rp 30,000 per kg, the shipments totaled Rp 672 million.

Seaweed cultivation also provides livelihoods for the people in Luang Island, Southwest Maluku. The island is inhabited by some 1,000 people, who also rely on other marine products for sustenance.

The recent shipment of seaweed shows that Luang produces more than double that of Lirang, while salted fish dispatched from there can amount to tonnes.

Beyond marine products, broiler farming businesses have also capitalized on more frequent ferry services, as experienced by Frans Dahaklory, 45, a resident of Kisar Island.

He was planning to raise the chicks, and after two months, they are expected to sell for between Rp 70,000 and Rp 100,000 per head.

He arrived in Kisar on Friday (5/8), with 300 chicks he had bought from Kupang. He was planning to raise the chicks, and after two months, they are expected to sell for between Rp 70,000 and Rp 100,000 per head.

He said the broiler business, which earned him a net profit up to Rp 10 million per month, had good prospects in Kisar with people’s need for chicken meat increasing.

He said he supplied chicken for restaurants and government offices, as well as for religious events and traditional ceremonies. Two years earlier, it was almost impossible to expand his market because of limited access to transportation.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

The pioneer ship KM Sabuk Nusantara 66 rests at Sunda Kelapa Harbor, North Jakarta, Wednesday (24/5/2017).

With ferry trips becoming more frequent, Frans finds the sea transportation fares more affordable for both passengers and freight.

“Passenger tickets from Kupang to Kisar are less than Rp 30,000," he said. It takes two days to reach Kupang from Kisar.

Improved life

KM Sabuk Nusantara 67 is among the ferries deployed by the Transportation Minister to serve citizens in outlying regions, usually referred to as kapal perintis (pioneer ships). Skipper Petrus Parapaga said pioneer vessels had been vital in providing transport infrastructure for residents in the outermost and remote areas.

The vessels help transport the residents' commodities to urban areas, from which the vessels carry basic necessities on the return trip. Petrus said there were 24 round trips on one route in a year.

Pioneer vessels help improve local people’s lives, including in their efforts to obtain medical services from hospitals. Transferring a patient to hospital on a speedboat costs at least Rp 10 million.

Thanks to the [pioneer] vessel, that is not the case anymore.

“It occurred several times that a seriously ill patient could not be saved before arriving at a hospital. Thanks to the [pioneer] vessel, that is not the case anymore," he said.

As part of government transportation program to serve people in remote areas, Petrus said, the operation of pioneer vessels still needed subsidy with the intake from ticket sales being below operational costs.

He gave an example that the trip from Kupang to Saumlaki, Tanimbar Islands regency, Maluku, took about seven days. The revenue from passenger and freight fare, he said, was less than Rp 10 million, while the operational costs for fuel and crew salaries reached hundreds of millions of rupiah.

Boosting the economy

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the enhanced sea transportation services for remote areas were expected to boost local economies. He hoped the residents could optimize the use of the pioneer shipping.

KOMPAS/FABIO M LOPES COSTA

A pioneer ship docked at the Port of Jayapura, Papua Province, Sunday (18/1/2015), due to bad weather.

According to data from the ministry, 50 pioneer vessels are being operated by state-owned ship operator PT Pelni this year. Six are on standby as replacement vessels.

In addition, 73 vessels are being operated by private shipping companies. The vessels serve 117 routes, 42 base seaports and 548 stopover ports.

In addition to pioneer services, Budi said, the government was planning to operate roll on, roll off (ro-ro) ships to offer ferry services between East Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. Ro-ro ships can carry not only passengers and goods, but also vehicles.

“These ro-ro are part of an assistance package from the World Bank. The plan [will be realized] next year. The presence of ro-ro is to complement the existing shipping so that the ports are visited more often," he said.

Anos Yeremias, a member of the Maluku legislative council (DPRD), hailed pioneer shipping services as being very helpful for residents at the territorial frontier and remote areas, saying that pioneer shipping had changed the face of development in the areas served.

He said the government should be more prudent considering the sparse distribution of the population in small islands.

He hoped that the current progress in the operation of pioneer shipping could be maintained, and, if possible, be improved. He warned against rushed measures to reduce the trip frequency only because of low occupancy of passengers and goods. He said the government should be more prudent considering the sparse distribution of the population in small islands.

“Pioneer ships come in; the community’s economy gets better. More students go to college, and more residents live in decent housing. So, this pioneer shipping is a true manifestation of independence, which is freeing people from lack of access to transportation," he said.

Anos seems to have common ground with more people, like Lasarus, being hopeful that the seaweed business will help him achieve his dreams and not simply meet his daily needs.

With profit of up to Rp 30 million per harvest season or 45 days, Lasarus said he planned to save for the education of his eldest child. His child is still 3 years old, and he said he wanted his child to become a doctor.

Well aware of how hard it is to live in outlying areas of the country, he wanted his child to grow up to work in Lirang Island and its surroundings. The area has a shortage of health workers.

FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

The captain of the pioneering ship KM Sabuk Nusantara 67 from Petrus Parapaga.

“If the tuition fee to become a doctor is still too expensive, it will be enough for her to become a midwife or nurse. Hopefully from this seaweed business I’ll have the money so that she can help people in the outermost islands,” Lasarus said.

Pioneer shipping has freed the community from a lack of access to essential goods. It is expected to liberate the community from a level of isolation that has held them back.

This article was translated by Musthofid.