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I hope this bad news will pass quickly.
Hundreds of tourists, both domestic and foreign, were trapped and could not get out of the Karimunjawa Islands, Jepara Regency, due to bad weather in the Java Sea.
Bad weather, especially in Karimunjawa waters and in northern Central Java, is expected to last for the next few days. Hundreds of tourists came to the Karimunjawa Islands to celebrate the 2015 New Year by boarding three ships, namely KMP Siginjai and KMC Express Bahari 2 c from Kartini Jetty Jepara and KMC Kartini from Tanjung Emas Port, Semarang.
The positions of KMP Siginjai and KMC Express Bahari are currently at the Kartini Jetty in Jepara. Before bad weather hit Karimunjawa waters, Thursday (1/1), the two ships had already sailed to Jepara.
While KMC Kartini until Friday (2/1) is still stuck at the Karimunjawa Pier. The Coordinator of the Syahbandar Shipping Safety KPLP Post at the Kartini Jetty Jepara, Miswan said, bad weather had hit the Java Sea since Thursday (1/1) evening.
Based on data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the wave height in Karimunjawa waters on Friday (2/1) reached 3 meters with wind speeds ranging from 14-18 knots. While the wave height in the waters of Jepara reaches 2.5 meters with wind speeds between 14-18 knots.
According to Miswan, if the wave height reaches 2 meters or more, it will be dangerous for ships that are desperate to sail. Because the ship will be rolled up in the waves in the middle of the sea. “Because of that factor, KMP Siginjai, KMC Kartini, and Bahari Express are not allowed to sail for the safety of passengers,” said Misan, yesterday.
Syahbandar Jepara Yuniarsono said this bad weather is expected to last until Sunday (4/1). During that period the crossing from Jepara-Karimunjawa-Semarang or vice versa was paralyzed. Because no ferry is allowed to sail. “This is for the safety of passengers as well. We do not issue a sailing permit (SIB) if the conditions are still bad,” he said.
This sailing ban has disappointed hundreds of potential tourists who want to vacation in Karimunjawa this weekend. The tourists regret that there was no information early on, both from the Tourism Office, Transportation Service, ship operators, and tourism agents in Jepara.
Because even though they have arrived at the Jepara Kartini Pier, they cannot sail to the islands which are one of Central Java’s mainstay tourist destinations. “Even though the boat tickets were booked in advance, unfortunately they failed,” said a tourist from Salatiga, Aldrin.
The manager of the Karimunjawa backpack, Jati Utomo, said that 19 tourists from various regions departing from their tourism agents were stuck in Karimunjawa due to bad weather that hit the Java Sea. The dozens of tourists have been in Karimunjawa since last Monday (29/12) and should have returned to their hometown on Friday (2/1).
However, because no ship dared to sail so they were trapped for the next few days. “Hopefully the weather will return to normal soon. It’s a pity if tourists stay here too long,” said Jati Utomo.
The Head of Karimunjawa Sub-district, Muh Taksinul Khuluq, said that although bad weather is expected to last for the next few days, the stock of food and fuel is safe. Therefore, he appealed to tourists not to panic during bad weather.
“In Karimunjawa there is already an ATM (automated teller machine), so it’s not a problem. Just pray for the weather conditions to improve quickly so that tourists can return to their home areas safely and comfortably,” he said.
Copied from online news Koransindo.
