Bad Weather Halts Shipping, Forcing NU Conference Attendees to Fly

Participants attending the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) conference in Jombang are facing significant travel challenges due to severe weather disrupting ferry services. Those traveling from Bawean Island in Gresik Regency, East Java, have been forced to book costly flights on Susi Air as their only alternative to reach the event.

“

Because the ship cannot sail due to bad weather, participants from Bawean are forced to use Susi Air planes. The cost is around Rp 600,000.

The disruption to the Bawean-Gresik shipping route has left many NU members stranded, unable to join the important conference. KH Fauzi Rauf, the chairman of the NU Bawean branch, stated that the flights cost approximately 600,000 rupiah for a single journey. He expressed concern that many more NU members from Bawean wish to attend but are prevented by the lack of sea transport.

“

There are still many NU members from Bawean who want to go to the Muktamar. But the paralyzed shipping conditions are certainly a barrier for them.

Rauf is urging the Gresik Regency government to address the issue by increasing the number of ships operating on the Bawean-Gresik route. He emphasized that reliable sea transportation is crucial not only for conference attendees but for the general mobility of Bawean's residents, as ships are the primary link to the mainland. The 35th NU conference is scheduled to run from August 27-31.

“

We urge the Gresik Regency Government to add more ships. Don't let the people of Bawean have difficulty traveling just because of limited ships.