Editing Transport in Indonesia (section)

===Merchant marine vessels===
[[File:Pinisi Sunda Kelapa.jpg |thumb |right |Traditional wooden [[Pinisi]] ships still used in inter-Indonesian islands freight service.]]
Because [[Indonesia]] encompasses a sprawling [[archipelago]], [[ship transport|maritime shipping]] provides essential links between different parts of the country.  Boats in common use include large [[container ship]]s, a variety of ferries, passenger ships, sailing ships, and smaller motorised vessels. The traditional wooden [[pinisi]] vessel is still widely used as the inter-island freight service within Indonesian archipelago. Main pinisi traditional harbours are [[Sunda Kelapa]] in [[Jakarta]] and [[:id:Paotere|Paotere]] harbour in [[Makassar]].

Frequent ferry services cross the straits between nearby islands, especially in the chain of islands stretching from [[Sumatra]] through [[Java]] to the [[Lesser Sunda Islands]]. On the busy crossings between Sumatra, Java, and [[Bali]], multiple car ferries run frequently twenty-four hours per day. There are also international ferry services between across the [[Straits of Malacca]] between Sumatra and [[Malaysia]], and between [[Singapore]] and nearby Indonesian islands, such as [[Batam]]. Ferry services are operated by state-owned [[ASDP Indonesia Ferry]] and several private operators.

[[File:Pelni Schifffahrtsnetz 2006.png|thumb|400px|[[Pelni]]'s shipping routes, 2006]]
A network of passenger ships makes longer connections to more remote islands, especially in the eastern part of the archipelago. The national shipping line, [[Pelni]], provides passenger service to [[port]]s throughout the country on a two to four week schedule.  These ships generally provide the least expensive way to cover long distances between islands.  Smaller privately run boats provide service between islands.

On some islands, major rivers provide a key transportation link in the absence of good roads. On [[Kalimantan]], [[longboat]]s running on the rivers are the only way to reach many inland areas.