Dozens of Fishing Boats Stuck in Port Due to Extreme Weather

Dozens of fishing boats from Java have been forced to dock in a port in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, to avoid the dangerous extreme weather.

According to head of Central Lombok’s marine and fisheries office, the Javanese boats are now docked in Awang fishing port in Pujut subdistrict because crew took shelter from the dangerous waves and swells.

“The majority of the boats are docked to take shelter because the waves and swells are quite high,” M. Kamrin said on Monday, December 27, as reported by Antara.

Since the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported that the weather will remain unpredictable, boat crew who had been fishing in the southern part of Indian Ocean decided to turn and dock in nearby Awang port for safety.

According to Kamrin, the boats were from Benoa port in Bali, and some of the boats actually have unloading permit in Awang.

Dedy, local fisherman from Mertak village, Central Lombok, said there are currently 32 boats docking in Awang, and they plan to stay until January 2022 as they wait for improving weather.

“They will stay until the beginning of January 2022 due to the bad weather,” he said.