Revitalising traditional cargo shipping : the Indonesia case study

Tools

Ardhi, Eka Wahyu and Turan, Osman and Kurt, Rafet Emek and Gunbeyaz, Sefer Anil and Arif, Mohammad Sholikhan (2026) Revitalising traditional cargo shipping : the Indonesia case study. Ocean and Coastal Management, 278. 108247. ISSN 0964-5691 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2026.108247)

[thumbnail of Ardhi-etal-OCM-2026-Revitalising-traditional-cargo-shipping]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Ardhi-etal-OCM-2026-Revitalising-traditional-cargo-shipping.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 logo
Download (3MB)| Preview

Abstract

Traditional wooden cargo vessels, or Pelayaran Rakyat (Pelra), remain vital to Indonesia's inter-island logistics but face persistent operational and financial constraints. This study assesses policy-performance misalignment in Pelra by combining policy cycle analysis with stakeholder-based the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) Key Performance Indicators (KPI) ranking. Stakeholder perspectives were obtained from 70 semi-structured interviews across seven key maritime groups. A multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach using the SMART was applied to evaluate five KPI domains: Operational Safety (OS), Accessibility to Finance (AF), Integration into National Logistics (NI), Infrastructure Support (IS), and Environmental Compliance (EC). The findings reveal pronounced perception asymmetries among stakeholders and identify severe structural gaps, particularly in AF and EC, which hinder Pelra's participation in national maritime programs. Despite strong policy intent, fragmented enforcement, regulatory distance, and limited stakeholder engagement remain key barriers. Ultimately, this study proposes an evidence-based, participatory policy framework to support adaptive reform, improve access to financing and environmental compliance, and strengthen the logistical role of traditional shipping in Indonesia.

ORCID iDs

Ardhi, Eka Wahyu, Turan, Osman ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1877-8462, Kurt, Rafet Emek ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5923-0703, Gunbeyaz, Sefer Anil ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5624-1845 and Arif, Mohammad Sholikhan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6406-2951;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)