Press Release
PT PELNI (Persero)
No: 05.01/47/PR/IV/2026
KM Tatamailau Makes Inaugural Call at Tobelo, PELNI Expands Access in North Maluku
Tobelo, May 1, 2026 – PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia or PT PELNI (Persero) has officially expanded transportation access in North Maluku, marked by the inaugural docking of KM Tatamailau at Tobelo Port on Thursday (April 30) at 11:00 AM WIT. This first arrival was welcomed by the Regent of North Halmahera, Dr. Piet Hein Babua, M.Si, several North Halmahera officials, and local community leaders.
The inaugural call of KM Tatamailau at Tobelo is a response from the Ministry of Transportation to a request submitted by the local government since late 2025. Seeing the high passenger potential from the Tobelo community and surrounding areas, the government assigned PELNI’s KM Tatamailau to serve the route starting in the second quarter of 2026.
PELNI President Director, Tri Andayani, commonly known as Anda, stated that the addition of Tobelo as a port of call is part of the company’s commitment to continuously expand sea transportation connectivity in Eastern Indonesia.
“With the inaugural call of KM Tatamailau at Tobelo, PELNI hopes to provide better transportation access for the people of North Maluku. We are ready to carry out the assignment from the Ministry of Transportation and welcome the request from the North Maluku Regional Government,” said Anda.
Anda added that PELNI will continue monitoring passenger occupancy developments on this new route.
“We are optimistic about the existing potential and will continue improving service frequency according to community needs. PELNI is ready to support inter-regional connectivity in North Maluku through safe, comfortable, and well-scheduled services,” Anda explained.
During its inaugural arrival, KM Tatamailau disembarked 13 passengers at Tobelo. The vessel then continued its voyage on Thursday (April 30) at 2:00 PM WIT, carrying 58 embarking passengers from Tobelo Port.
“Tobelo itself has the status of a terminal point under PELNI’s Ternate Branch. Currently, only PELNI vessels serve Tobelo, allowing the public to obtain more certainty in schedules and service quality. We are committed to maintaining the reliability and consistency of services on this new route,” she added.
For information, KM Tatamailau is one of PELNI’s passenger vessels with a capacity of 1,000 passengers and currently serves the latest route: Timika - Dobo - Tual - Kaimana - Fak-Fak - Sorong - Tobelo - Tidore - Bitung.
Tobelo Port, which has a dock measuring 170 meters in length and 20 meters in width, is capable of accommodating KM Tatamailau, which measures 99.80 meters in length and 18 meters in width. This ensures that passenger embarkation and disembarkation processes can run safely, properly, and smoothly.
PELNI continues striving to provide broader and more evenly distributed sea transportation services throughout the archipelago. Through the addition of new port calls such as Tobelo, PELNI hopes to make a tangible contribution to supporting community mobility and regional economic growth in Eastern Indonesia. PELNI also consistently supports government efforts to improve inter-regional connectivity through services that are safe, comfortable, and affordable for the public.
About PELNI
As a State-Owned Enterprise engaged in shipping services, PELNI currently operates 25 passenger vessels serving 483 route segments and calling at 75 ports.
In addition to passenger transportation, PELNI also operates 30 pioneer shipping routes that provide accessibility for population mobility in 3TP areas (frontier, outermost, underdeveloped, and border regions), with pioneer vessels calling at 229 ports, covering a total of 516 route segments and 2,515 routes. PELNI also operates 17 rede vessels. For logistics business services, PELNI currently operates 8 Sea Toll routes and one dedicated livestock vessel route.
For information and inquiries, please contact:
Firdha Islamy
Manager, Corporate Communications
PT PELNI (Persero)
Tel. +62 21 6334342 ext. 1310
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