Two Hours of Boating Shows Coastal Life in Jakarta, Bekasi
The boat did not immediately dock at Muara Gembong Pier which is located in Pantai Mekar village, Muara Gembong district, Bekasi.
/https%3A%2F%2Fasset.kgnewsroom.com%2Fphoto%2Fpre%2F2022%2F10%2F29%2Fc8250020-b8ac-480f-917d-b54e12eee524_jpg.jpg){kind=logo}
Passengers sleep on the Sinar Ada motor boat heading Cilincing-Muaragembong in Jakarta Bay, on Wednesday (26/10/2022).
The sea off the coast of Jakarta was not friendly when a motorboat departed from the Cilincing Fishing Pier in North Jakarta on Wednesday (2/6/2022) afternoon. The boat was carrying five passengers.
Misar, 50, carried out his duties as captain of the boat.
"If it’s time to go home, we simply go home. Regardless of whether there are passengers or not, this boat must return," he said.
The sky blue boat with a capacity of 20 people left the Cilincing Fishing Pier carrying gallons of drinking water, jerry cans filled with fuel and ice cubes. The journey, which is usually 1 hour and 30 minutes, this time seemed like it would be long.
Also read:
> Guardians of the Semarang Coast
The boat had to struggle against quite heavy waves. For about 2 hours on the ocean, passengers were treated to typical coastal views of Jakarta.
Along the coast, the motorboat met large ships carrying coal to cargo containers. A variety of plastic waste was bobbing here and there in the murky sea.
/https%3A%2F%2Fasset.kgnewsroom.com%2Fphoto%2Fpre%2F2022%2F10%2F29%2Fe837600a-3d27-44cd-9580-21995ebc2f19_jpg.jpg){kind=logo}
Residents arrange shrimp on the Sinar Ada motor boat, heading for Muaragembong-Cilincing in Pantai Mekar Village, Muaragembong District, Bekasi Regency, West Java, on Friday (10/28/2022).
When the motorboat with the name Sinar Ada began to approach Kampung Muara Gembong, various mangrove plants formed a living fence. Also on the coast, fishing boats went back and forth, catching fish, shrimp and trash.
Everyone who got off the boat paid Rp 25,000.
The boat did not immediately dock at Muara Gembong Pier which is located in Pantai Mekar village, Muara Gembong district, Bekasi. First, taking each passenger to their respective homes, which were built on the left and right banks of the Citarum River estuary at its entrance into Jakarta Bay. Everyone who got off the boat paid Rp 25,000.
Eight boats
The motorboat driven by Misar is one of eight boats that take people back and forth every day from Muara Gembong to Jakarta. A total of two boats each morning depart from Muara Gembong Pier and six other boats from Kampung Muara Bendera, Pantai Bahagia village, Muara Gembong district.
The cruising time from Kampung Muara Gembong to Jakarta is at least 1 hour and typically 1 hour and 30 minutes. The cruise from Kampung Muara Bendera to Jakarta is typically 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes.
/https%3A%2F%2Fasset.kgnewsroom.com%2Fphoto%2Fpre%2F2022%2F10%2F29%2Fbd9e64e3-743e-443f-bd15-1d4f287f09a6_jpg.jpg){kind=logo}
The atmosphere of the Sinar Ada motorboat trip to the Muaragembong-Cilincing route in Jakarta Bay, on Friday (28/10/2022).
“This ferry service has existed since the 1970s. In the past, our boats were moored in Kali Baru [Cilincing],” said Misar.
The boat berth in Jakarta moved in 1985 from Kali Baru to the Cilincing Fishing Pier and is still there to this day. However, traditional transportation is no longer attractive to residents. Fewer than 10 people take the boats to Jakarta per day. Those who are still use the boats are the ulele (fish middlemen) who collect fish from the fishermen in Kampung Muara Gembong.
“In one day, a round trip only consists of four to six passengers. In the 1990s, it used to be 30 people one way,” said Misar, who lives in the village of Pantai Sederhana.
The fees for transporting passengers and the ulele are often used up for boat fuel, as much as 25 liters for a round trip.
The reduction in passengers has an impact on the incomes of drivers and boat owners. The fees for transporting passengers and the ulele are often used up for boat fuel, as much as 25 liters for a round trip.
Switch to the land
Ina, 53, one of the ulele from Muara Gembong, said she had been loyal to the boats for the last 20 years. The one-way fare is relatively cheap. From Kampung Muara Gembong to Cilincing, carrying a minimum of 100 kilograms of fish or shrimp costs Rp 100,000.
“The fish from here used to be sold in Cilincing. However, as time went by, after the roads started to be good, people didn’t use boats much anymore," said the mother of seven children.
Now many collectors come to fishermen in Kampung Muara Gembong on motorbikes. The mobility of the people of Muara Gembong had also switched to motorized vehicles as land infrastructure improves in Muara Gembong district.
Different conditions occur in Kampung Muara Bendera, Pantai Bahagia village, Muara Gembong district. According to Mamin, 45, a fish and shrimp collector in Muara Bendera, fish collectors in the village still rely on motor boats.
“Fish from here are usually sold to Muara Angke and Kali Baru. During the harvest season, just one day, fish entering Jakarta can reach 5 tons. That's from 1,500 fishermen from Muara Bendera," he said on Thursday (27/10).
Government support
The shipping services for the people of Jakarta and Bekasi in Kampung Muara Gembong are actually supervised by the West Java administration.
/https%3A%2F%2Fasset.kgnewsroom.com%2Fphoto%2Fpre%2F2022%2F10%2F29%2F4d7377a2-5ee3-4f11-ad1e-dd4dee85f671_jpg.jpg){kind=logo}
Kernet directed the Sinar Ada motorboat to Cilincing-Muaragembong to dock at Pantai Mekar Village, Muaragembong District, Bekasi Regency, West Java, Wednesday (26/10/2022).
“Our job is only to check and collect passenger data because the Muara Gembong Pier belongs to the West Java Provincial Government. We also advise boats departing for Jakarta to be careful when the weather is bad and the waves are high,” said Toni Ferry, an officer at the West Java Transportation Office at Muara Gembong Pier, on Friday (28/10) morning.
According to the head of the advocacy and community division of the Indonesian Transportation Society, Djoko Setijowarno, the decline of small-scale shipping and ferry services from Jakarta to Bekasi cannot be separated from government policies that focus on building and managing public transportation on land, but forget about transportation at sea.
Djoko asked the West Java administration, the Jakarta administration and the Greater Jakarta Transportation Management Agency to organize and facilitate small-scale shipping from Jakarta to Bekasi.
“If the boats are good, the facilities are complete and the safety standards are met, people will be interested in using the boats again. This can be subsidized. Subsidies are not only on land, but also at sea, which needs to be subsidized," said Djoko.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
