Law Number 17 of 2008 concerning Shipping establishes ports as nodes in the transportation network, serving as gateways for national and international economic activities. As a First-Class port, Ketapang Ferry Port holds a legal mandate to provide reliable and safe port services. Its existence is not merely a physical infrastructure, but also an instrument of economic sovereignty, connecting the land connectivity of Java and Bali. Within the transportation hierarchy, operational failures at this node will impact the regional logistics system, which legally requires port managers to consistently comply with Minimum Service Standards (SPM) to guarantee the rights of service users and the smooth distribution of national staple goods.

The development of toll road infrastructure from the western to eastern tip of Java has created a highly efficient logistics corridor, but this has created new challenges at termination points such as Banyuwangi Regency. The integration of the Trans-Java Toll Road has transformed the map of freight movement; production centers in Java now have direct, high-speed access to the eastern exit. Consequently, Ketapang Port is experiencing non-linear volume pressures. Efficiency at the Ketapang-Gilimanuk ferry crossing is now a key determinant of whether the toll road's efficiency gains can be maintained or lost due to port queues. Macroeconomically, Ketapang is the lifeline for food supplies and construction materials for development in Bali and Nusa Tenggara. Any increase in operational costs due to queues (such as extra fuel consumption and degradation of product quality) will directly contribute to consumer prices. Therefore, maintaining smooth traffic at the Ketapang Ferry Port is a concrete effort to maintain inflation stability in the southern part of Eastern Indonesia.

The presence of toll roads has empirically triggered an induced demand phenomenon, where ease of access actually stimulates vehicle volume growth that exceeds the design capacity of existing infrastructure. At the Ketapang Ferry Port, this is evident in the drastic change in user arrival patterns. Whereas previously vehicle arrivals tended to follow a random distribution spread over time, vehicles now arrive in batches (large groups), driven by the smooth flow of traffic on the toll road. Productivity data from the East Java Class II Regional Ferry Agency (BPTD) provides a clear picture of the significant increase in passenger and vehicle traffic.

The Ketapang Ferry Port, managed by PT. ASDP Indonesia Ferry (Persero), serves the Bali Strait 24/7 using a fixed schedule, a system that demands high precision in berthing time management. However, complexity arises from the diverse characteristics of the operating Ferry Motor Vessel (KMP) fleet, which necessitates the provision of varied docking facilities. The waterside infrastructure at Ketapang Ferry Port consists of Piers I, II, and III which use the Moveable Bridge (MB) system, one Pontoon Pier unit, and three Landing Craft Machine (LCM) Pier units at Piers IV, V, and VI.

LCM piers have a specific role in accommodating heavy logistics vehicles and vehicles with non-standard dimensions (such as Class VII and VIII vehicles). A frequently encountered technical challenge is the difference in loading and unloading duration (clapping time) between these pier types. LCM piers tend to have more fluctuating operational hours due to their high dependence on coastal hydrodynamic conditions, which often trigger long queues in the port area. This operational gap resulting from the variety of pier types and natural conditions requires a management system and adequate onshore facility capacity to regulate the flow of incoming vehicles before they enter the ship's deck.

In this regard, the ready-to-load parking area, or buffer zone, at the Ketapang Main Class Ferry Port functions as a volume control system. Operations at the LCM piers are supported by a 6,170 m² ready-to-load parking area. Although theoretically, the ready-to-load parking area is specifically allocated for each pier, real challenges arise during peak season periods or peak transportation periods (such as the Eid al-Fitr holiday). Under these conditions, the surge in the volume of vehicles arriving simultaneously (batch arrivals) often exceeds the available static capacity. Infrastructure limitations in handling the surge in traffic during peak season are not simply a matter of queues, but rather structural constraints due to the land area reaching saturation point. Horizontal expansion of the operational area at Ketapang Ferry Port is difficult due to its geographical location, sandwiched between the Bali Strait coastline, the main inter-provincial route, and densely populated residential areas.

Technically, the parking adequacy ratio must correlate with the total ship capacity within a schedule cycle and fluctuations in waiting time (clapping time) at the pier. If the available parking area is smaller than the volume of incoming vehicles within a departure interval, there will be an accumulation of remaining vehicles that continues to increase hourly. This limitation triggers an operational bottleneck: the flow of vehicles accessing the Trans-Java Toll Road (incoming flow) is not commensurate with the speed of ship service at the LCM pier (outgoing flow) during peak season, resulting in the buildup of vehicles that cannot be accommodated in the parking area and overflow onto the access road outside the port authority.

Given the nonlinear, complex nature of these queuing and space constraints, and the interconnected nature of vehicle arrival patterns and the dynamic capacity of the port, conventional static calculation approaches are no longer adequate. Therefore, a sophisticated evaluation methodology using Dynamic System Simulation is required. Through dynamic system modeling, the feedback loop interaction between fluctuations in the volume of logistics vehicle arrivals, the 6,170 m² of ready-to-load parking space, variations in ship clapping time, and ship loading capacity at the LCM pier can be comprehensively simulated. This dynamic system approach is used to optimize the ready-to-load parking space capacity, test load sensitivity, and map operational saturation points between Class VII and Class VIII vehicle scenarios. Recommendations resulting from this simulation aim to ensure that all vehicles can be fully accommodated within the port authority zone without creating externalities to the national highway network.

A study by Rahayu and Santoso (2021) titled "Application of Dynamic System Models for Parking Lot Capacity Optimization and Ground Storage Facilities." This study successfully developed a Powersim-based simulation model to project parking space requirements for integrated static logistics areas to address the annual surge in freight traffic. Both applied dynamic system simulation methodology using Powersim software and focused on parking space capacity optimization. The study focused on static parking areas in general urban logistics areas characterized by random arrivals. Meanwhile, this study was conducted in the loading area (buffer zone) of a major ferry port characterized by large group arrivals (batch arrivals). The dynamic variable included ship clapping time as a determinant of vehicle outflow rate.

A study by Wibowo et al. (2023) titled "Dynamic System Simulation to Mitigate Heavy Vehicle Queues at Toll Gates and Terminal Areas" demonstrated that conventional static approaches are unable to address the nonlinearity of heavy logistics vehicle queues during peak seasons, enabling the use of dynamic simulation to achieve saturation point prediction accuracy of up to 94.5%. Using a simulation approach to mitigate queues for heavy logistics vehicles (trucks and trailers). The research object is located in a network of toll gates and land terminals, and has not integrated the limitations of geographically squeezed storage space. Applying the model directly to the land authority zone of the Ketapang Ferry Port, covering an area of 6,170 m² which directly borders the Bali Strait.

The main subjects of this study are the dynamic behavior characteristics and level of space utilization efficiency of the landside facilities of the ferry port, specifically represented by the existing 6,170 m² ready-to-load parking area. This area serves as a crucial holding zone serving cargo flows to the docks using the Landing Craft Machine (LCM) system, covering Pier IV, Pier V, and Pier VI at the Ketapang Ferry Port, Banyuwangi.

In more detail, the technical entities that serve as the focus of observation and driving elements in this system dynamics simulation include:

1. Vehicle Inflow: The arrival pattern of heavy logistics fleets in large groups (batch arrivals) driven by the induced demand phenomenon of the Trans-Java Toll Road corridor;

2. Load Dimension Characteristics: The actual Parking Space Unit (SRP) requirement for large and long-nosed freight transport fleets, limited to sensitivity testing for Class VII and Class VIII Logistics Vehicles.

3. Vehicle Outflow: The rate of emptying of land parking spaces onto the deck of the Ferry Motorboat (KMP), whose performance is directly influenced by fluctuations in the ramp closure duration or the mooring time (clapping time) on the concrete slipway of the LCM pier.

By determining these subjects, this study will mechanically observe the vehicle accumulation (stock) within the static space of 6,170 m² to map the projected Parking Space Density Index and detect the emergence of the Saturated Capacity Point (CPP) in each load class scenario.

Research Location: The research location covers the operational and administrative areas related to the Ketapang-Gilimanuk crossing. Banyuwangi Regency is the largest regency in East Java Province and Java Island, located at the easternmost tip of Java Island, precisely at coordinates 7°43' to 8°46' South Latitude and 113°53' to 114°38' East Longitude. Banyuwangi Regency covers approximately 5,782.50 km², divided into 25 sub-districts and 217 villages/wards. The boundaries of Banyuwangi Regency are as follows: 1. North: Situbondo Regency; 2. South: Indian Ocean; 3. West: Jember Regency and Bondowoso Regency; 4. East: Bali Strait.

Research Data Collection Procedure: The preparation stage involved formal permitting from BPTD East Java and PT. ASDP Ketapang. Land and Water Survey Implementation involved recording batch arrival rates periodically every hour at the entrance gate to the 6,170 m² ready-to-load parking area and measuring clapping time on the concrete slipway. Secondary Data Collection involved documenting daily vessel manifest data, historical monthly logistics flow data, and port layout blueprints.

Data Analysis Technique: The technique uses a quantitative approach based on computer simulation modeling. Quantitative Input Parameter Analysis transformed survey data into constant parameters and rate variables. Formulation and Running of the Dynamic System Model used integral differential equations in the Stock and Flow Diagram in Powersim software. Statistical Validation Test (MAPE) was conducted by comparing simulation output with actual congestion data during peak season in March 2026. Sensitivity Analysis evaluated critical limits for port's land space adequacy by testing Class VII and Class VIII vehicle scenarios.

Minister of Transportation Decree No. 52 of 2004 stipulates that for Class VII Ferry Vehicles, area (A) is 3,825 m², and for Class VIII Ferry Vehicles, A is 5,346 m². To ensure parallel service of three vessels at the LCM pier without obstruction, a ready-to-load parking area ranging from 3,825 m² to 5,346 m² is required.

For Class VII Vehicles, the time-series graph shows a stable area requirement line (red) at 3,519 m². The Density Index value of 0.57 indicates that the ready-to-load parking area is only 57% utilized, leaving a significant idle space of 2,651 m². This provides a Level of Service in the prime category, minimizing the risk of bottlenecks.

For Class VIII Vehicles, the time-series graph shows an extreme operational load point, with the area requirement line (red) reaching 6,058.8 m². The Density Index value of 0.98 indicates that the ready-to-load parking area has been used by 98% of the total available capacity. The remaining free space (idle space) is only 2% or 123 m². This situation triggers the highest level of warning (critical alarm), as minor delays in the ship loading process will directly cause queues to overflow beyond the port authority area.

Conclusions: 1. The system dynamics simulation methodology approach is reliable for representing nonlinear port land circulation. 2. For Class VII Vehicles, the 6,170 m² ready-to-load parking area is in very ideal conditions (Density Index 0.57, idle space 2,651 m²). 3. For Class VIII Vehicles, the system reaches the Saturated Capacity Point (Density Index 0.98, idle space 123 m²). 4. Saturation in Class VIII scenarios triggers a critical maximum-level alarm, leading to potential queue overflows outside the port authority area.

Recommendations: 1. Integrate the digital ferry ticketing system with real-world parking volume data. When Powersim detects a Density Index exceeding 0.80, the system should automatically slow down the flow of vehicles leaving the toll gate. 2. Redesign operational schedules and group KMP fleet at the LCM dock, prioritizing vessels with large main deck capacities during peak Class VIII vehicle arrivals. 3. Implement SOPs to monitor ramp door opening and closing times on concrete slipways to maintain loading efficiency. 4. Strategic collaboration with local governments to activate emergency buffer zones outside the main port area to accommodate overflow of Class VIII logistics trucks.