Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi Ports Recover Quickly After Flores Blackout

Labuan Bajo — Port operations at Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi in Flores returned to normal only hours after a power blackout triggered by a major earthquake in Nusa Tenggara Timur, according to port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) and supporting local reports.

Pelindo said both ports experienced a temporary loss of electricity shortly after the earthquake struck on Saturday, 15 August 2026, forcing a brief halt to activities dependent on power, including dock lighting, port information systems and some cargo-handling equipment, according to Ruang.co.id and a Pelindo information release carried by Tempo.co.

Executive Director 3 Pelindo Wahyu Widodo said Pelindo’s technical teams were dispatched as soon as blackout reports were received at Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi.

According to Ruang.co.id, technicians conducted inspections and repairs to the electrical installations and restored power once the systems were declared safe. Pelindo’s statement cited by Tempo.co similarly noted that supply was recovered in a short time and that the two ports resumed normal activities.

Cargo and vessel services resume

After the electricity supply was restored, Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi returned to serving both passenger and cargo vessels, according to Ruang.co.id and Tempo.co.

Ruang.co.id reported that loading and unloading operations at the two Flores ports had restarted and were running “like usual” without significant queues, quoting Pelindo’s confirmation that cargo handling and vessel services were again operating normally.

Pelindo’s release cited by Tempo.co said services at the ports were back to normal, including passenger ships, cargo vessels and cargo-handling activities, following on-site checks of Pelindo-managed facilities across NTT.

The reopening is important for the movement of goods and passengers to and from Flores. Labuan Bajo serves as a key maritime gateway to the Komodo tourism area and wider regional travel, so a prolonged interruption could have affected visitor flows as well as the delivery of supplies.

Power restoration after the earthquake

The blackout at Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi formed part of wider electricity disruption on Flores following the earthquake.

BMKG and multiple news outlets reported that a strong earthquake struck Flores and other parts of Nusa Tenggara Timur on the morning of Saturday, 15 August 2026, prompting a temporary shutdown of power in many areas as PLN worked to secure and restore the grid.

A subsequent update from PLN, reported by national and local media, said that power distribution across Flores and other affected regions had largely been restored within the following days, with the vast majority of customers reconnected.

Operations and traveller guidance

Pelindo’s statements summarized by Ruang.co.id and Tempo.co do not specify the exact duration of the blackout at Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi or the volume of cargo delayed during the outage.

They also do not provide detailed shipping schedules, vessel-by-vessel lists of departures or any breakdown of individual cancellations, focusing instead on the rapid recovery and the confirmation that port operations in Flores and other parts of NTT were broadly back to normal.

For travellers and businesses using Labuan Bajo and Ende Ippi, Pelindo’s message is that the ports are once again handling passenger and cargo vessels and that cargo handling activities have resumed.

Passengers and shippers are still advised to check directly with their shipping lines or tour operators for the latest departure times and any remaining changes to schedules in the days after the earthquake.

Sources

• Ruang.co.id – “Pelabuhan Labuan Bajo dan Ende Pulih dari Blackout Pascagempa”
• Tempo.co – “Pelabuhan Pelindo di NTT Berangsur Normal, Pemulihan Maumere Dipercepat”
• Komparatif.id – “Gempabumi Magnitudo 7,7 Guncang Flores, BMKG Umumkan Peringatan Dini Tsunami”
• Labuanbajotoday.com – “564.065 Pelanggan Kembali Dialiri Listrik Pascagempa 7,7 di NTT”