Eleven times Cilegon to Benete: reading the season in the Alas Strait
Notes from the Shipping team on tug and barge scheduling, the IPSI and Ciwandan jetties, and weather from January to July.
From January to July 2025 we served the Cilegon to Benete route eleven times, alternating between LCT and tug & barge. These notes summarise what we learned about jetties, seasons, and scheduling.
The two Cilegon jetties have different characters. IPSI suits tug & barge for its depth and manoeuvring room; Ciwandan is more efficient for LCTs, which can drop the ramp straight onto the quay. Choosing the right jetty cuts berth time by up to a day.
January and February brought high seas in the western Java Sea, delaying two departures by two days each. June and July were calmer in the Java Sea, but the current in the Alas Strait strengthened and lengthened the approach into Benete.
The main lesson is simple: schedule in ten-day windows, not fixed dates, and let the master, not the office, decide the weather window. That way all eleven voyages arrived without cargo damage.