Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation has asked seaport operators to prioritize safety while accepting ship cargo. Director General of Land Transportation Hendro Sugiatno here on Thursday urged related officials and operators to reject vehicles that do not adhere to the regulations such as those regarding Over Dimension and Over Loading (ODOL).
This is specifically related to the Minister of Transportation’s Regulation No. 103 of 2017 on vehicle regulation and control. "Ferry seaport operators also have the right to reject vehicles that do not adhere to the regulation. Vehicles that do not comply with the regulation can be ejected from the ticket purchasing queue," he said.
The second article of Regulation No. 103 of 2017 states that the dimension (height) and weight of all vehicles and cargo that are to be transported by ferry need to be determined, he informed Moreover, Sugiatno asked seaport operators to provide a special lane for vehicles that are turned away.
According to Sugiatno, seaport operators can coordinate with the police to take stringent action against ODOL vehicles. In the future, he said he expects the implementation of Regulation No. 103/2017 to be carried out comprehensively with the help of portal and weighbridge facilities at ferry ports.
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This is important given that the current weather conditions—bad weather accompanied by high waves—pose danger to ODOL ships. "To this end, for shipping safety purpose, I urge seaport operators and officials to be more stringent when it comes to sorting vehicles that will enter the ship," Sugiatno said. He also confirmed that one truck fell into the ocean during vehicle loading at Merak Ferry Port, Cilegan, Banten, at 8:05 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
