Hundreds stranded over Tawau strike

Tawau: Hundreds of passengers from here and Indonesia are stranded following a strike by some ferry operators unhappy at the increase to RM10 in the ferry terminal charge from RM5.They cancelled their trips after being asked to move their operations to the new Ferry Terminal which began operations on Dec.5.

General Manager of the company appointed to operate the new terminal Fokasjadi Sdn Bhd's, Lim Yit Kiong, confirmed the strike in Nunukan but that not all ferries from Indonesia, such as in Tarakan, are taking part.

"Today (Wednesday), only one ferry from Tarakan is expected to enter Tawau but there is no ferry going out.

Tomorrow, it is expected that some ferries will resume services between Tawau and Tarakan," he said, adding that the terminal will carry out its operation as usual.

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The Radar Nunukan newspaper in Indonesia reported that Nunukan-Tawau ferry operators decided to suspend any movement out of Tunon Taka port on Tuesday to protest the new term.

A survey at the Tawau Ferry Terminal showed that the place was quiet in the waiting area because some passengers decided to go home after being informed of the strike.

Ticket sale was also suspended because of unconfirmed travel itineraries. Habil Halim, 56, said he was waiting for his in-law who was supposed to arrive from Sulawesi on Tuesday.

"I hope this issue is resolved as soon as possible because otherwise, my in-law's passport will expire.

We don't want to risk going in illegally," he said.

Another Indonesian, Aris Wahyudi, 27, said he is disappointed as he is still stranded in Tawau despite waiting at the terminal since 8 am.

"If no ferry sails out of Tawau, I may have to sleep here in the terminal," he said.

He said the RM15 terminal fee for adults compared to RM5 in the old terminal could be one of the reasons for the strike.

The new terminal was officiated with much fanfare on Monday by State Economic Planning Unit Director Datuk Osman Jamal who said that the terminal is the best in Sabah so far as it is equipped with state of the art facility with a cutting edge which quickly allows for early detection of attempts to violate the law.

Fokasjadi was appointed to operate the terminal for 30 years based on the privatisation process of the Sabah Ports Authority with Suria Capital for all ports in the State in 2004.

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A total of eight ferries operate on the route namely, Indomaya 3 Express, Nunukan Express, Malindo Express 2, My Mid East Express No 1, KM Francis Express, Labuan Express 5, Purnama Express 1 and Indomaya Express with passenger capacity of between 90 and 200 people.

The new terminal has four pontoons and can accommodate eight ferries docked or anchored simultaneously.

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