(2/5/2011)
Bisnis Bali reports that while planned construction on the East Bali cruise terminal at Tanah Ampo is almost completed, the technical handling of this key cruise component of Bali's tourism infrastructure remains seriously lacking. Evidence of the disappointing shortfall at Tanah Ampo is the fact that large ships are unable to dock at the new pier which is too short and offers insufficient water depth for large cruise ships to safely berth alongside.
The vice-chairman of the regional house of representatives in Karangasem (DPRD-Karangasem), I Nyoman Karya Kartika, recently led a legislative inspection team on a visit to the port. He concluded that the main problems faced by Tanah Ampo are the inadequate length of the newly constructed pier and the shallow draft of the surrounding waters. Kartika has called on the government to undertake dredging or extend the length of the dock. He believes the most expedient solution is, however, to extend the length of the pier. The legislator also expressed the concern that any large-scale dredging activity could heighten problems of shore erosion in surrounding areas.
The chairman of Commission II of the DPRD-Karangasem, Nyoman Oka Antara, bemoaned that since the commencement of the cruise terminal the project was little consultation by the Karangasem government with cruise operators and travel agents to ensure a functional facility was being constructed. Concerns that the port facility was being built without proper input from the cruise sector were raised by balidiscovery.com in June 2008 [See: Size Does Matter].
According to Antara, the regional government of Karangasem is about to open an expensive cruise terminal that can't be used by the ships it is meant to serve.
The situation ashore is little better with a obvious lack of supporting infrastructure as evidenced by poor access roads to the port and the prevalence of buildings along the shore line in a poor state of repair.
Related Articles
[200 Cruise Ship Visits to East Bali Cancelled in 2010?]
[Cruise Ship Abandons East Bali Anchorages].
© Bali
Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced
if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com.
