ASDP’s KMP Komodo Tourist Vessel Was Launched in 2018, Not 2026

Labuan Bajo — ASDP launched the KMP Komodo tourist vessel in Labuan Bajo in December 2018, describing it as an 80-passenger boat designed to help visitors reach destinations in Komodo National Park, including Komodo, Padar and Pink Beach, according to ASDP and multiple contemporaneous reports.

The company said the vessel was built for tourism use, with air conditioning, reclining seats, a minibar, entertainment facilities and a musala, and that it would travel at up to 9 knots. An earlier ASDP statement said the vessel was intended as an alternative sea transport option for residents and tourists heading to Komodo.

Reports from 2018 also said the service was promoted as a way to support tourism in Labuan Bajo while remaining affordable and comfortable. One local report said the planned launch date was Dec. 12, 2018, although ASDP’s own release and other reporting placed the official launch in early December 2018.

What is confirmed now

ASDP’s 2024 corporate material still lists KMP Komodo among the routes it serves from Labuan Bajo, but on the Labuan Bajo–Pulau Rinca link rather than as a direct public ferry to Komodo Island. That means the vessel remains part of ASDP’s west Flores operations, but not as the direct park ferry described in the 2018 tourism plan.

Separate recent maritime guidance says the regular ASDP public ferry from Labuan Bajo serves Sape on Sumbawa, while access into Komodo National Park itself is generally by chartered or shared tourist boat from Labuan Bajo. That distinction is important for travelers: the national park is not reached by a normal public ferry route.

Fares and timetable

The 2018 launch reports did not provide a sustained public timetable for KMP Komodo, and no current fare table was confirmed in the sources reviewed for this article. ASDP’s later corporate materials confirm the vessel’s continued presence on the Labuan Bajo–Rinca route, but do not provide passenger pricing in the materials opened for this report.

For now, the verified takeaway for visitors is narrow: KMP Komodo was launched as a tourism vessel in 2018, and ASDP later identified it as serving the Labuan Bajo–Pulau Rinca route. Travelers planning a Komodo trip should not assume the vessel operates as a direct public ferry into Komodo National Park.

Sources

• ASDP Indonesia Ferry
• Industry.co.id
• Tempo