Transportation Safety Committee Wants BMKG Office Set up at Every Port

TheIndonesia.co - The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has recommended meteorology, climatology, and geophysics office to be set up at every port in Indonesia to provide comprehensive weather reports for seafarers and fishermen.

Chair of KNKT Soerjanto Tjahjono said such office had already been established at airports across the country, and it is deemed necessary that the facility also exists at ports.

“We’re hoping that there are BMKG [Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency] offices at every port. They have been established at airports, and it must be made equal,” Tjahjono said on Wednesday, September 21, as reported by Antara.

Information such as weather forecast, he said, is currently quite limited in some regions, and the lack of data might lead to unsafe seafaring.

In particular, there is also dynamic meteorological phenomenon in certain cities, including Ternate, Tidore, and Halmahera – which is unique and causes rapid change in the weather.

Therefore, the KNKT official expected BMKG to make real-time information on weather available for vessels, especially traditional fishing boats owned by local fishermen.

KNKT, along with the Port Authority and Harbormaster Office (KSOP), also continued to educate local fishers on safe seafaring practices – in addition to emphasizing the importance of having complete weather reports and information.

Tjahjono regarded traditional fishing boat as an important instrument in the transport of goods and people in islands. Therefore, he called for all stakeholders to assist and monitor fishers across regions on both technical and natural aspects in their line of work.