Berlin Nakroma in Dili, October 2018
History
Name
  • Nakroma (2007–2008)
  • Berlin Nakroma (2008–)
OperatorGovernment of East Timor
Port of registryJakarta,  Indonesia
BuilderPT PAL, Surabaya
Acquired2007
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length47.25 m (155.0 ft)
Beam12 m (39 ft)
Capacity
  • 300 passengers
  • 110 t DWT cargo

Berlin Nakroma is a roll-on/roll-off passenger and cargo ferry owned and operated by the Government of East Timor since 2007. A gift to East Timor from the Federal Republic of Germany, she links Dili, capital city of East Timor, with Pante Macassar in the East Timorese exclave of Oecusse, and with Atauro Island.

Concept and construction

Nakroma in September 2007
Nakroma in September 2007

The Democratic Republic of East Timor is made up of three main parts, being the eastern half of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse adjacent to the northwestern coast of Timor, and the island of Atauro. Passport-free transport between these three locations is possible only by sea.[1]

In 2002, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned a cooperation project to improve East Timorese living conditions by establishing a regular maritime passenger and goods transport connection between the three locations.[1]

From 2003 to 2006, a passenger ferry was chartered to operate such a connection. During that period, around 3,400 passengers used the service each month. In February 2007, a new ferry commissioned by the BMZ and financed by KfW Development Bank, the Nakroma, was officially handed over to the East Timorese government to assume the operation of the service.[1][2][3]

The donated ferry was built in Surabaya, Indonesia, by PT PAL.[4] She is a roll-on/roll-off vessel 47.25 m (155.0 ft) long, and has a beam of 12 m (39 ft). Her tonnage is 1,134 gross tonnage (GT) and 262 tons deadweight (DWT).[5] She can carry up to 300 passengers (20 in first class, 149 in second class forward, and 131 in second class aft), and up to 110 tonnes deadweight (DWT) of cargo.[3][6]

In recognition of the success of the cooperation project, the ferry was renamed Berlin Nakroma.[3]

Service history

Berlin Nakroma operates regular ferry services linking Dili with Pante Macassar in Oecusse, and with Atauro, using landing facilities in Dili and Oecusse that were upgraded as part of the cooperation project.[1]

The vessel flies an Indonesian flag with Jakarta as her port of registry, although an East Timorese ship registry was established in 2015 and was scheduled to be up and running by 2017.[5][7]

In July 2017, it was announced that the German government had donated €7.5 million to the East Timor Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communication (MOPTK), for the building of a Berlin Nakroma II. East Timor would be designing the new ship, while the funds from Germany would be used to build her.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "German Cooperation in Timor-Leste: Financial Cooperation in the Maritime Transport Sector" (PDF). Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). February 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  2. ↑ "Timor-Leste". German Federal Foreign Office. October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eine Fähre für Timor-Leste" [A Ferry for East Timor]. Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung [Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development] (in German). Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  4. ↑ "9335472 BERLIN NAKROMA". Maritime Connector. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  5. 1 2 "BERLIN NAKROMA Ro-Ro/Passenger Ship". MarineTraffic.com. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  6. ↑ Burnet, Ian (2015). "Chapter 15 East Timor – Portuguese Dili". Archipelago: A Journey Across Indonesia. Kenthurst, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781925078718. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  7. ↑ Reynolds, Zoe (26 September 2016). "Timor-Leste sets its sights on maritime statehood". Fairplay. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  8. ↑ Oliveira, Venidora (13 July 2017). "Germany donates €7.5 million for the building of Nakroma II". The Dili Weekly. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

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