Passenger Cargo Boat MV. Yap Wairon

Small passenger ships are in high demand in Indonesia - the largest archipelago in the world. For instance, in the northern coast of Papua and West Papua provinces, there are some vessels that transport thousands of people and tons of goods everyday from one town to another. I went to Manokwari harbor yesterday with Dr. Jaroslav Bacovsky. We went there to meet Mesakh Rumbruren who was coming from Numfor island to Manokwari city to return Mr. Bacovsky's passport which he dropped while traveling to the tropical island two days before. While waiting for the ferry boat KM. Kasuari Pasifik IV, we took the chance of exploring a small passenger cargo boat that was mooring at the pier. Its name was KM Yap Wairon. It was a passenger cargo boat. The front hull has been allocated for cargoes whereas the compartments below the superstructure and near the stern of the vessel have been allocated for the passenger decks.

I did not bring my digital camera Sony Cybershot DSC W310. I only had my cell phone in my hand. I immediately activated its camera feature, changed its settings to night shooting and began taking pictures of the main deck of the vessel and the lower decks for passenger accommodation. Passenger cargo boat Yap Wairon travels around the coastal towns in the Geelvink bay. It can carry approximately 300 passengers. This small steel vessel is powered by marine diesel engine. When I explored the vessel, I did not have any chances of entering its engine room but in my opinion it is powered by one main engine.

Passenger boat Yap Wairon is very very small compared to luxurious cruise ship the Oasis of the Seas whose passenger carrying capacity is 6,000 people. It also does not have swimming pools and modern state rooms.
Technically, passenger cargo boat MV Yap Wairon is a robust vessel. It is simple and it transport people and cargoes. There are bananas, and other tropical fruits on the deck of the boat mixed with passengers who wanted to go to Numfor, and Biak islands. I really like this boat because it was the boat that I went by when traveling to Numfor island in October 2010. I have traveled to the tropical island for three times. The first was by MV Yap Wairon whereas the second and third were by KM Kasuari Pasifik IV - a roro vessel. Although airplanes are getting more attractive to middle class people, small passenger cargo boats will continue to give significant contribution to the economic development of Papuan people who live in the coastal areas of the Geelvink bay. 
If you are interested in traveling around the Geelvink bay by boat and need a travel companion or guide, please contact me via my email: charlesroring@gmail.com.
Also read:
Passenger ship Yap Wairon
Passenger ships of PELNI Lines

Passenger Ship Yap Wairon

Last October I traveled by passenger ship MV Yap Wairon to Numfor island. It is a small tropical island located in the Geelvink bay of New Guinea island of Indonesia. The Motor Vessel YAP Wairon is a cargo passenger ship that routinely travels around the bay to bring cargoes and people from one town to another.
I went to Numfor island to do a little survey on ecotourism potentials that can bring economic benefits to the local people and at the same time preserve the tropical rainforest and the coral reef of the island. Passenger ship Yap Wairon has the capacity of around two hundred people. Its service speed is about 15 knots. Compared to big passenger ships that are operated by PELNI lines, YAP Wairon is a slow and small passenger boat perhaps operated by the local government in cooperation with PELNI lines.

The boat is powered by diesel engine as the main propulsion unit. Because this is only a small passenger boat, the propelling device is of course a four blade propeller. I personally did not check whether the propelling unit is a controllable pitch propeller or not. But from the way she approached the Numfor harbor, I could easily tell that the boat is only equipped with fixed pitch propeller. Marine diesel engine has been the main power plant of most ships operating in the Indonesian islands. Besides its fuel is cheap, it can easily be operated by crews without high technical experience.

There are two passenger compartments located below the main deck. All of them are for economy class. There are only two classes in the boat, economy and VIP. The ticket price for the economy class is Rp. 30,000/person whereas the price for VIP is Rp. 90,000/person. Only the VIP class that is Air Conditioned. I tried both of them. The seats of the VIP class were similar to the seats that we usually found in a jet plane. They were quite comfortable. For the economy class compartments, I felt that the air ventilation system did not work properly. Or because they were a modified version of a cargo ship then the indoor ventilation system has not been optimally calculated. It was too hot and not comfortable for passengers especially foreign tourists. It was not surprising to see that more passengers prefer to stay at the main deck which was only covered with tarpaulin sheet.

The main deck is more windy. One thing that I like from the economy class compartments is their stability. Because the economy class decks were located below the main deck, their center of gravity was lower. When the ship rolled, the passengers did not really feel much movement. The transversal movement of the boat could significantly be felt on the main deck and inside the VIP room. Passenger boat MV Yap Wairon is definitely not a luxurious passenger or cruise ship like Oasis of the Seas. It is only a simple and functional passenger ship that is important for the economic development of small islands in the Geelvink bay. It took 6 hours from Manokwari to Numfor island. I used the time to talk with the passengers about interesting and beautiful places which the local people like to visit in their leisure time. If you are fine with the description about the boat, then I encourage you to take your spring or summer holiday in Numfor island.

From the overnight conversation with the Papuan people who live in the Numfor island, I know that Asaibori beach is the most favorite place to visit. Yes, it is really beautiful to be in that beach. In addition to Asaibori, another white sandy beach that I recommend to tourists is Samido beach which is located not far from Kornasoren village.

Numfor island and other islands in the Geelvink bay have been considered as important destinations for birders who want to watch the tropical birds. From an article about Numfoor island that I read in Wikipedia, it says that the density of birds in the island is higher than its main New Guinea island.

I have also brought Western tourists to Numfoor island to enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving over pristine coral reef that thrive around the island. This is an alternative cheaper place for those who want to enjoy the beauty of the under water marine environment in the tropical region of Indonesia. by Charles Roring

Passenger Boat and Ferry Boat in Manokwari Harbor

When I was traveling to Numfor island last November 2010, I saw a small passenger boat at Manokwari harbor. I was standing on board of the ferry boat Kasuari Pasifik IV when I took the picture of the passenger boat. Her name was Gracelia. She has a long superstructure with three decks are allocated for passengers. The deck below the main deck is constructed for economy class. From the general arrangement of the boat, I can easily tell that the capacity of the boat is around 200 people (sometimes more during the high season or holidays such as school holiday in July and Christmas holiday in December). Please, do not be confused with the banana boat that is usually promoted by certain resort in their travel brochure. The passenger boat that I am talking about in this article is big and able to travel across open seas.

Indonesian islands which consist of more than 13,000 islands need around 50 big passenger ships (each with a carrying capacity of 3,000 passengers) and hundreds of passenger boats to transport people and goods. As the largest maritime state in the world, Indonesia constantly needs all kinds of marine vehicles to support its economic development.

In West Papua province, passenger boat and ferry is now seen as an alternative public transport vehicles to bring tourits from Manokwari - the capital city - to Numfor island, a potential tourist destination in the Geelvink baai. Speed boats are also used to bring tourists from Sorong to Waisai, the capital of Raja Ampat regency. West Papua is a famous destination for tourists who want to enjoy bird watching in Arfak mountains, snorkeling or scuba diving over the pristine coral reefs that thrive around the tropical islands in the region. With more tourists are coming from all corners of the world to West Papua, boat owners and ferry operators should pay attention to waste handling and treatment inside their boats.

When people travel by boat or ship they bring food that is usually wrapped in plastic packagings. These plastic wastes are thrown into the sea by passengers and crew of the boats. Such bad attitude has to be stopped because throwing plastic wastes into the sea will bring marine pollution that is harmful to the coral reef and marine environment as a whole. Not only the tourists are effected but also the ecosystem will be destroyed by that. The sewage water treatment systems in most of the boats that operate in Indonesia need to be improved or upgraded.

In the coming years, more tourists will come to Manokwari, Numfor island, Raja Ampat and other places in West Papua. This is the result of our efforts in promoting ecotourism for this region. Therefore, everybody who is involved in the land and sea transportation industry must work together to improve their services so that this increasing number of tourists will continue to occur and bring positive economic benefits to all of us.

Also read:

Ferry boat service between Manokwari city and Numfor island

Passenger ships of PELNI lines

The interior of passenger ship and cruise ship