Cargo boats to Batanta and Fam

Taking the supply boat to Batanta and Pam (Fam) Islands can save you quite a bit of money. It’s a great option if you have plenty of time and want to keep your budget as low as possible.

First, though, let us warn you: Do not rely on the supply boat if your schedule is not flexible! The KMP Terebuk I is an island supply vessel, not a fast passenger ferry. You will need to be flexible about departure times, and be ok with taking a long time to arrive at your destination.

There are undercover seats available, and there are a few crew cabins that can be rented too. Ask on the boat.

If you’re going to Batanta, then you’ll be disembarking in the middle of the night, and you might need to wait in Yensawai until morning for your homestay pickup.

You will need to contact your hosts in advance to arrange a pickup at Yensawai or Pam. For some homestays you will need to be able to make yourself understood in Bahasa Indonesia.

Still keen? Details are below, and were last confirmed in November 2024. We update this information as soon as we are aware of permanent changes.

For more info, check the comments below, and consider asking in our Travellers’ Forum group.

Batanta and Pam boat schedule

 

Boat name: KMP Terebuk I (pictured above, courtesy of Liputan6)

Departs Sorong: Weekly on Fridays. Scheduled departure time from the Harbour Rakyat Mina at Sorong is 2000. It’s best to be there by 6pm, because the boat often leaves as soon as it’s loaded.

Arrives in Yensawai, Batanta: 0200 Saturday if running to schedule. Departs Yensawai as soon as cargo transfer is complete, usually around 0300 if running to schedule.

Arrives in Pam Village, Pambemuk: Scheduled arrival is Saturdays at 0630.

Departs Pam Village Saturdays at 0900.

Arrives Yensawai on Saturday at 1230 if running to schedule.

Arrives Sorong on Saturday at around 1830 if running to schedule..

Cost

Sorong to Pam – IDR 145,000
Sorong to Yensawai – IDR 96,000
Yensawai to Pam – IDR 50,000

Note that the Terebuk also regularly sails to Misool, Kofiau and Wejim. See this April 2024 schedule (JPG 211KB) for details.

Comments

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  1. Christian Zaengl on

    Sorry, but the information on the ticket sales in the building turned out to be not correct. The latest news I just got directly at the ferry was that tickets are sold on the ferry..

    Reply
  2. Christian Zaengl on

    I can only confirm Pierre’s comment from february 2024. Just (8th of november 2024) checked at the Pelabuhan harbour, the same harbour the Waisai ferry departs, but from the second pier that’s southeast of the Waisai ferry pier. The price ist still 145.000 rupias, and the ticket office which is in the big building at the entrance of the second pier starts selling tickets 4 hours prior of departure, which is at 8 p.m. They recommend getting there 6 p.m. at the latest
    ..

    Reply
  3. Thérèse on

    Nous avons pris le cargo boat du village de PAM à Sorong ce samedi 28 septembre. Le prix est de 145 000 par personne.
    Notre homestay de Rufas nous y a deposé le matin pour 500 000.
    Attention, il est parti à 7h30 le cargo, on a failli le rater. Nous sommes arrivés à 17h30 à Sorong.
    Il y a des lits et des chaises dans le cargo, des prises électriques. Il n’y avait que des locaux. Il y a un comptoir qui vend des snacks dans le cargo.

    Reply
  4. Fernando on

    I went to the actual boat in Sorong 11th of april and the boat was running again with the schedule in this page. They did tell me that that weekend (12-14 of april) they had a delay of one day (leaving sorong on saturday istead of friday), maybe because of the public holidays, but that made me think they might delay without notice at other occasions…

    Reply
  5. Eric on

    For anyone trying to get the ferry, it was not running on March 15th due to repairs apparently, so we were told. They said it would be back in April, so hopefully some can provide an update in the future

    Reply
  6. pierre on

    I took the ferry from Sorong to Fam last Friday.
    The ship is a ferry and not a cargo boat named Terubuk. It is using the same harbour as the ferry to Waisai (Rakyatmina harbour) but on a different wharf (300m to the East). The ship is yellow and white with a red roof.
    Don’t try to ask information at terminal office for Waisai ferry, nobody knows !
    The price for Fam was 145000rp

    Reply
  7. Stefanie Pontasch on

    We took the ferry from Sorong to Batanta on Friday 22.12.2023. The ferry now leaves at the port next (east) to the waisai ferry port at pertamina harbour: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EdfXcKkmjewfuuaF9
    The ferry is scheduled at 8pm and left at 9pm. It was already full at 6pm, maybe because of the christmas holidays. There is a VIP section available, ask at the ticket counter for prices. There are also several bunk beds and a simple seating section on the upper deck. We found it was comfortable. The lower car deck was packed with people/families.
    We arrived around 3:30 on Batanta. Since a couple of weeks there is a new arrival port on Yensawai, where we were picked up by our homestay (Dayan).
    For us the local ferry trip was a good experience. Ticket price was 80.000 pP.

    Reply
  8. Julia on

    Hello, is the Terebuk boat from Sorong to Arefi still going on friday or is it going on saturday?

    Reply
      1. Emma on

        Hello ! Is the boat still going on friday at this time of the year or as far as you know it changed ? Thank you very much b

        Reply

        1. Hi Emma. Yep! As noted above, the information on this page was verified in September 2023.

          Reply
  9. kelly on

    any further word on Sabuk boat? Running again or….

    Reply
      1. Adam on

        Hello, is the Sabuk Nusantara boat from Sorong to Fam running again ? Thank you.

        Reply

        1. Still no update Adam. Suggest asking on the forum as above.

          Reply
  10. Mike on

    We took Terebuk from Pelabuhan Usahamina, Sorong to Arefi, Batanta on Friday, 28 October, 2022. It’s actually a small car ferry with 2 decks upstairs for basic passenger seating, a kiosk selling snacks and ice cream(!) and several bunk beds, first come, first serve. Squat toilets and a separate wash room were pretty clean and orderly. Ekonomi ticket is still 70,000 per person to Arefi and there’s even a ticket office at the harbor. The boat was scheduled to depart at 20:00 and actually left only 30 minutes late! We had a comfortable bunk bed passage and arrived at Afefi about 01:00.

    Here’s the adventurous part: There’s apparently no port or pier on Arefi that can accommodate a vessel this size! (A large cement jetty is under construction at nearby Yensawai village but maybe a year away from completion). That means, in the darkest hours of the night, passengers and cargo are off-loaded down a short metal ladder onto waiting longboats while Terabuk attempts to idle in place. We had good weather for our exit, but if it’s rough or raining, I imagine it could be quite dangerous. Anyway, if Ibus and babies can do it, why not a few mildly adventurous tourists?

    You definitely need to arrange this middle of the night floating transfer with your homestay. Mandemor in Yensawai village is a good choice because it’s the closest to Arefi and a 100,000 idr, 10 minute boat ride to the pleasant homestay.

    Reply

    1. Tremendously useful info Mike. Thanks so much for taking the time to post it 🙏

      Reply
      1. Largeu on

        Thank you for this information because I couldn’t find it on the net. Did you confirm that the boat always leaves on Fridays?

        Reply

        1. Yes, the Terebuk’s usual schedule remains Fridays.

          Reply
  11. Largeu on

    Hello, is the information on the port of embarkation still relevant (pertamina harbour)? because I have the information that the Friday evening boat for sorong to Arefi leaves from the port of pelabuhan rakyat sorong. Thank you for your answer

    Reply

    1. Hi Largeu

      There may well have been changes that we haven’t heard of yet. If you confirm that the Terebuk’s departure point has indeed been permanently changed, it would be great if you could let us know. Thank you and good luck! 🙏

      Reply
      1. Daniel on

        Just coming from the harbor, the boat schedule changed and goes on Saturday loading at 6pm, not sure if the change is forever or just this week .Location of the harbor is here
        https://maps.app.goo.gl/nATVWEmUtef9BCpV7

        Reply

        1. Cheers Daniel

          Is your info for the Terebuk, or the Sabuk Nusantara?

          Reply
          1. Daniel on

            Hello, from what I heard, the Thu boat Sabuk is not operating at all, wanted to use it from Pam, not running. Terebuk to Batanta is Sat 6pm, again, not sure if just this week or permanently and its leaving from the harbor I marked. Hopefully, will see today 🙂

            Reply

            1. Thanks again Daniel. It’s hard to keep up! Perhaps we should just say “There is a boat. Go ask at the harbour to find out more.” :P Good luck!

              Reply

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