KSOP Benoa Clears 67 Fast Boats for Bali Holiday Travel

Denpasar — Port authorities in Bali say 67 fast boats serving Sanur and Serangan passed seaworthiness checks ahead of the 2025–26 Christmas and New Year travel season, with a joint operations post activated from 18 December 2025 to 5 January 2026 to manage expected passenger surges.

The checks were carried out by the Kantor Kesyahbandaran dan Otoritas Pelabuhan (KSOP) Kelas II Benoa, which oversees shipping and passenger movements at Benoa, Sanur and Serangan in Denpasar.

KSOP Benoa head Aprianus Hangki said 67 fast boats operating from Sanur and Serangan had undergone ramp checks and been declared seaworthy to carry passengers over the long holiday period, according to statements made at the opening of the Christmas and New Year transport post on 18 December 2025.

According to local media reports, the fleet consists of 60 fast boats at Sanur, serving routes to Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan, and seven boats at Serangan operating similar tourist crossings. All 67 vessels were reported as having passed technical inspections before being allowed to operate during the holiday season.

Holiday operations and safety checks

KSOP Benoa stated that the ramp checks covered the physical condition of the vessels, safety equipment and crew readiness in line with applicable regulations, though detailed findings for each boat were not published.

The port authority also activated a joint operations post for the 2025–26 Christmas and New Year period, centred at Benoa port and operating from 18 December 2025 to 5 January 2026.

According to KSOP Benoa, the post brings together the military, police, Indonesia’s search-and-rescue agency, state port operator Pelindo, state shipping company Pelni, local government and other agencies to coordinate sea transport services and emergency response during the holiday peak.

Passenger flows at Sanur and Serangan

Sanur remains a key gateway for tourist crossings to Nusa Penida and nearby islands, with port officials reporting substantial daily passenger movements.

KSOP Benoa head Aprianus Hangki said average passenger traffic at Sanur was around 5,000–6,000 people per day during the Christmas and New Year period, with Serangan handling about 1,000 passengers daily.

He forecast that Sanur’s peak could reach roughly 7,000 passengers per day at the height of the holiday season. Separate data from KSOP’s Sanur work unit reported that departures from Sanur between 25 and 29 December 2025 were in the range of 5,000–7,000 people per day, compared with 3,000–4,000 on normal days.

Local coverage of the Nataru (Christmas–New Year) period also noted increased crossings at Sanur, with cumulative passenger movements above 30,000 in the first week after the operations post opened on 18 December 2025.

Safety context and regional incidents

The ramp checks in Bali come amid renewed attention to passenger-vessel safety across Southeast Asia, after a series of accidents involving ferries and fast boats in Indonesian and regional waters.

A mid-September 2026 review of ferry and passenger-boat accidents in Southeast Asia highlighted several recent cases, including a capsized passenger ship in the Java Sea with multiple fatalities and missing persons, deadly ferry fires in Indonesia and the Philippines, and a Bali-origin vessel that caught fire off Lombok in August with one person reported dead and more than 200 people rescued.

None of the available reports link those regional incidents to the 67 fast boats inspected at Sanur and Serangan, and Indonesian authorities have not publicly stated that any of the Bali vessels involved in the accidents were among those cleared in the KSOP Benoa ramp checks.

For travellers, the Bali inspections indicate that local authorities have conducted formal checks on fast boats serving key tourist routes during the year-end holiday period, while broader regional accident data underlines the importance of safety standards and enforcement in Indonesia’s maritime tourism sector.

Sources

• Baliprawara.com – Kesiapan KSOP Kelas II Benoa Hadapi Lonjakan Wisatawan Nataru, Puluhan Kapal Cepat Dinyatakan Layak Operasi
• Detik Bali – Puncak Kunjungan Nataru di Pelabuhan Sanur Diprediksi 7 Ribu Per Hari
• JPNN Bali – KSOP Benoa: Kapasitas Kapal Pelni Ditambah, 67 Fast Boat di Sanur Layak Jalan
• NusaBali.com – Nataru, Penyeberangan Sanur-Nusa Penida Meningkat
• Reuters