CAR FERRIES

Indonesia is sprawling archipelago and boats and ferries provide an important link between islands. Pelni (Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia) is the national shipping company in Indonesia. It operates 25 passenger ships around the archipelago. On the busy crossings between Java and Sumatra and Java and Bali car ferries run twenty-four hours a day. The type of boat which is used is called a roll-on, roll off or RoRo. These Boats have built in ramps which allow the cars and trucks to be “rolled on” and “rolled off” the boat. Before the 1950’s moving a car on a boat was very expensive and difficult. The car was lifted onto the boat by a crane. Boats which have cranes to lift cargo on and off the called LoLo’s (lift on, lift off). RoRo ferries between Bali and Java carry about 45 cars. The largest car ferry in the world was launched on the 1st of September 2000. Called Ulysses, this ferry can carry 1,342 cars or 240 trucks. A ferry from Bali to Java would have to do the trip approximately 30 times to carry the same number of cars! What a long queue that would be!