Tomorrow Predicted as Peak of Eid Homecoming Rush, PELNI Passengers Urged to Arrive Earlie

PT PELNI (Persero) predicts that the peak of the Eid homecoming rush using PELNI ships will occur tomorrow, Wednesday (26/3). To anticipate congestion during the boarding process, prospective passengers are urged to arrive at the port three to four hours

Press Release
PT PELNI (Persero)
No: 03.25/30/PR/III/2025

Tomorrow Predicted as Peak of Eid Homecoming Rush, PELNI Passengers Urged to Arrive Earlier at Ports

Jakarta, March 25, 2025 – PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia or PT PELNI (Persero) predicts that the peak of the Eid homecoming rush using PELNI ships will occur tomorrow, Wednesday (26/3). To anticipate congestion during the boarding process, prospective passengers are urged to arrive at the port three to four hours before the ship’s departure.

PELNI’s Corporate Secretary, Evan Eryanto, stated that as of Tuesday (25/3) morning, the tentative number of prospective passengers scheduled to travel tomorrow has reached 23,830 people. Meanwhile, the total number of PELNI ship passengers from March 16 to March 25, 2025, stands at 178,771 people.

"The number of passengers for departures on March 26 could still increase as ticket sales remain open. If it aligns with our predictions, the peak of the homecoming rush for PELNI ships will occur tomorrow. We estimate that the number of homecomers tomorrow will reach 26,820 people, and as of today, ticket sales for tomorrow have already reached 88 percent of our forecast," Evan explained.

To avoid any unwanted incidents, Evan urged prospective passengers to arrive early and bring identification matching the person traveling. Evan also extended an apology to those prospective passengers who have run out of tickets and are unable to travel home with PELNI ships.

"We see that the public’s need to travel home using PELNI ships remains quite high. However, due to limited fleet availability and capacity—despite PELNI receiving additional dispensation from the government—there are still prospective passengers who cannot secure tickets," Evan added.

As of March 25, 2025, the busiest routes for PELNI ships are Batam to Medan with 18,500 homecomers, followed by Balikpapan to Surabaya (12,348) and Medan to Batam (12,155). The fourth and fifth busiest routes are Kumai to Semarang (9,922) and Makassar to Surabaya (7,462).

Meanwhile, from March 16 to 25, 2025, the ports with the highest number of boarding passengers are Makassar Port with 28,673 homecomers, followed by Balikpapan (26,818), Batam (24,450), Ambon (18,328), and Kumai (17,049).

For ports with the highest number of disembarking passengers—or the most popular homecoming destinations—Surabaya Port tops the list with 45,104 homecomers, followed by Makassar (29,024), Baubau (24,039), Medan (21,052), and Ambon (15,839).

To deliver a calm and enjoyable homecoming experience as envisioned by the Government and the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, PELNI ship customers can already utilize digital channels such as the PELNI Mobile application or the official PELNI website.

PELNI ship tickets are also available through various banking applications such as BCA Mobile’s Lifestyle feature, Sukha Livin Mandiri, BNI agen46, and BRImo, as well as Indomaret and its OMI partners, Alfamart and Alfamidi networks, ATA Tour, Fastpay, easybook.com, via.com, MMBC, Darmawisata Indonesia, Versa, and Topindo.

For payments, PELNI has partnered with Bank BTN, BRIVA, BNI Virtual Account, Permata Bank, Mandiri Virtual Account, Indomaret and its OMI partners, Alfamart and Alfamidi networks, iSaku, Finpay, and Fastpay.

About PELNI

PELNI, a State-Owned Enterprise in the shipping service sector, currently operates 25 passenger ships serving 511 routes with 1,359 voyages and calling at 74 ports.

In addition to passenger transport, PELNI also operates 30 pioneer ship routes that provide accessibility for population mobility in 3TP (remote, outermost, and border) areas, with these pioneer ships stopping at 230 ports across 522 routes. PELNI also operates 18 rede ships. For logistics business services, PELNI currently manages 8 sea toll routes and one dedicated route for livestock ships.

For information and inquiries, contact:
Ditto Pappilanda
Corporate Communications Manager
PT PELNI (Persero)
Tel: 021 - 6334342 ext. 13106