Merchant marine vessels ships still used in inter-Indonesian islands freight service. Because
Indonesia encompasses a sprawling
archipelago,
maritime shipping provides essential links between different parts of the country. Boats in common use include large
container ships, a variety of ferries, passenger ships, sailing ships, and smaller motorised vessels. The traditional wooden
pinisi vessel is still widely used as the inter-island freight service within Indonesian archipelago. Main pinisi traditional harbours are
Sunda Kelapa in
Jakarta and
Paotere harbour in
Makassar. Frequent ferry services cross the straits between nearby islands, especially in the chain of islands stretching from
Sumatra through
Java to the
Lesser Sunda Islands. On the busy crossings between Sumatra, Java, and
Bali, multiple car ferries run frequently twenty-four hours per day. There are also international ferry services between across the
Straits of Malacca between Sumatra and
Malaysia, and between
Singapore and nearby Indonesian islands, such as
Batam. Ferry services are operated by state-owned
ASDP Indonesia Ferry and several private operators. 's shipping routes, 2006 A network of passenger ships makes longer connections to more remote islands, especially in the eastern part of the archipelago. The national shipping line,
Pelni, provides passenger service to
ports throughout the country on a two to four week schedule. These ships generally provide the least expensive way to cover long distances between islands. Smaller privately run boats provide service between islands. On some islands, major rivers provide a key transportation link in the absence of good roads. On
Kalimantan,
longboats running on the rivers are the only way to reach many inland areas.
Waterways Indonesia has of navigable waterways (), of which about one half are on Kalimantan, and a quarter each on Sumatra and
Papua. Waterways are highly needed because the rivers on these islands are not wide enough to hold medium-sized ships. In addition to this, roads and railways are not good options since Kalimantan and Papua are not like Java, which is a highly developed island. With the current length of waterways, Indonesia ranked seventh on the countries with longest waterways.
Ports and harbours , the busiest port in Indonesia Major ports and harbours include
Bitung,
Cilacap,
Cirebon,
Jakarta,
Kupang,
Palembang,
Semarang,
Surabaya, and
Makassar. Ports are managed by the various
Indonesia Port Corporations, of which there are four, numbered I through IV. Each has jurisdiction over various regions of the country, with I in the west and IV in the east.
Port of Tanjung Priok in Jakarta is the Indonesia's busiest port, handling over 5.20 million
TEUs. A two-phase "New Tanjung Priok" extension project is currently underway, which will triple the existing annual capacity when fully operational in 2023. In 2015, ground breaking of the strategic North Sumatra's
Kuala Tanjung Port has been completed. It is expected to accommodate 500,000 TEUs per year, overtaking
Johor's Tanjung Pelepas Port and could even compete with the
port of Singapore.
List of ship accidents and incidents in Indonesia This list is a list of
ship accidents and incidents sorted by year, from most recent.
2025 • 5 May – The
Ferry KM Muchlisa sank in the waters of Penajam Paser Utara Regency,
East Kalimantan (Kaltim). A number of drowned passengers have been evacuated. The location of the sunken ship is only 200 meters from the mainland of
Penajam Paser Utara Regency and the Muchlisa ferry is currently sinking. The cause of the sinking of the ship is suspected to be a leak and the engine died during the incident.
2023 • 19 August –
KM Dewi Noor 1 with 15 passengers was reported to have sunk in the Waters of the Seribu Islands, on Friday (8/19/2023). The ship loaded with building materials departed from Mutiara Beach to Sepa Island. • 27 April –
Speedboat Evelyn Calisca capsized at around 13:40 WIB in the waters of Kateman District and Burung Island. The ship departed from Pelindo Tembilahan Port, Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau, bound for Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands Province.
2021 • 29 June – The
MV Yunicee Passenger Motor Ship is one of the
ferries of the
Ro-Ro type owned by PT. Surya Timur Line which serves the
Gilimanuk-
Ketapang crossing route which capsized and then sank when it was about to dock at a distance of 200–300 meters from Gilimanuk Port on 29 June 2021, at 19.20 WITA. This ship is 56.6 meters long and 8.6 meters wide.
2018 • 3 July –
Motorboat KM Lestari Maju carrying passengers from
Bulukumba to
Selayar,
South Sulawesi ran aground in the waters of Pabeddilang Beach, causing at least 34 deaths. • 29 June – A speedboat carrying illegal Indonesian migrant workers from
Tawau,
Malaysia, collided with another speedboat in the waters of Sebatik,
North Kalimantan, causing at least 8 deaths and 2 others injured missing. • 18 June – Around 164 people are missing and 3 people died after the
KM Sinar Bangun sank in
Lake Toba,
North Sumatra. • 13 – 16 June people died after
KM Arista capsized on its way from Paotere Port to Baranglompo Island,
South Sulawesi. • 2 May – A speedboat carrying 12 passengers from Tabonji District to Merauke City capsized in Wamal waters, Tubang District, Merauke Regency, Papua, and caused 11 people to go missing. • 20 February – The ferry
Kayong Utara carrying 31 passengers, eight trucks, one private car and two motorbikes from
Muntok,
Bangka Belitung capsized when entering the waters of
Tanjung Api-api,
Banyuasin,
South Sumatra. • 1 – 8 January people died after the
MV Anugrah Express fast boat capsized in the waters of the
Tanjung Api-api river,
Tanjung Selor,
North Kalimantan.
2017 • 19 May – Five passengers died and 24 others went missing in
the burning of KM Mutiara Sentosa I disaster in the waters of
Masalembu,
Sumenep,
East Java Province. • 1 – 23 January passengers died in
the burning of KM Zahro Express disaster in the waters of
Kepulauan Seribu,
Jakarta.
2009 • 22 November –
Dumai Express 10 Ship Disaster in the waters of Tanjung Balai Karimun, Riau Islands caused by bad weather. The incident resulted in 28 deaths (details attached), 12 missing and 12 hospitalized at Tanjung Balai Karimun Regional Hospital and 2 at Balai Health Center. • 28 August –
KM Sari Mulia Ship For the search for victims on the third day, two more bodies were found by SAR officers. With that, the total number of victims found has reached 21 passengers. • 27 July –
Cahaya Abadi Utama sank in
Makassar Strait, A wooden ship loaded with 50 tons of corn and 3,000 bunches of bananas sailed from Budonbudon District, Mamuju Regency, South Sulawesi to Samarinda on Monday (7/27) morning. "All crew members are safe, there were no fatalities," said Assistant Police Commissioner Handoko • 11 January –
KM Teratai Prima Motor Ship 0 sank in
Tanjung Baturoro,
Sendana,
Majene,
West Sulawesi; of the approximately 300 victims, only 36 were rescued by fishermen.
2008 • 31 August, The
MV Belanak passenger motor ship (KMP) was a ferry type owned by PT Angkutan Sungai Danau and The crossing (ASDP) hit a speedboat belonging to a pamuge fisherman (fish buyer in the middle of the sea) in the waters of the West Coast, precisely 1.5 miles from Putri Island to the west, Sunday (31/8) morning at around 05.30 WIB. • 28 August, the
Ro-ro Dharma Ferry 3 ship departing from Makassar (South Sulawesi) to Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), caught fire when it was about to dock at the Semayang Port pier at around 11.00. • 18 May, the
Ro-ro Dharma Kencana ship from Semarang to Sampit caught fire. At around 12.00 WIB the ill-fated ship caught fire. The location of the burning ship was around 20 miles from Sampit port. The evacuation of passengers was done by the self-help of the Ship's Crew (ABK).
2007 • 18 October –
KM Asita III sank at 11.00. 20.16 WITA in the waters of
Kadatua Strait, about 10 miles from
Baubau City,
Buton Island,
Southeast Sulawesi, 125 people survived, at least 31 people died, and 35 others were missing. • 11 July –
KM Sinar Madinah sank in the waters of the South Sea of Hu'u Village,
Dompu Regency,
West Nusa Tenggara province. The ship sank after being hit by waves as high as five meters. Seven crew members were entangled in the net, but six managed to save themselves. A crew member was missing along with the net that entangled him. • 11 July –
KM Wahai Star carrying around 100 passengers and thousands of tons of agricultural products from Leksula bound for
Ambon sank in the waters between
Buru Island and Ambon. • 22 February – At least 25 people died after the
KM Levina I en route
Tanjung Priok–
Pangkal Balam,
Bangka carrying 291 passengers caught fire in the
Sunda Strait. 4 of them died while investigating the wreck on 25 February. They died when the wreck sank.
2006 • 30 December – Fishermen died when their boat was rolled by waves in the waters of Paciran,
Lamongan Regency. • 28 December –
KM Tristar I disaster that sank in the Bangka Strait. Only 3 floating bodies were found.
2005 • 8 July –
KM Digoel accident in the
Arafura Sea. It is estimated that 84 people were found dead and the fate of 100 passengers is still unknown.
2004 • 15 January –
KM Sutra Alam 02 hit by the
2004 Aceh Tsunami in the waters
Pulau We. Death toll reaches 176, ship dragged almost to shore.
2003 • 7 September – Passenger Motor Ship
MV Wimala Dharma crash in the waters of the Lombok Strait, about 4.5 nautical miles from Gili Tapekong, West Nusa Tenggara, Sunday (7/9) early morning at around 03.30. 5 passengers died.
2002 • 20 November –
KMP Adidas collided with KMP Sinar Akaba in the waters of
Hari Island,
Kendari Regency,
Southeast Sulawesi, about 25 miles southeast of Kendari port. KMP Sinar Akaba sank, one passenger died and others were seriously injured.
1981 • 27 January –
KMP Tampomas II Disaster. The incident that began with the ship hitting the reef on 25, was the biggest tragedy at that time with 1162 people killed. ==Roads and highways==