Pontianak - Documents

Description:

Pontianak is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan. It is a medium-size trading port city on the island of Borneo.  The city centre is about 16 kms (10 miles) up the Kapuas River which is one of the largest rivers in South East Asia and less than three kms  (two miles) south of the equator.

The city was founded as a small Malay fishing village and became part of the Republic of Indonesia after the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II. 

Pontianak is a multicultural city, with different ethnic groups such as the Dayak, Malay, Bugis people and Chinese living there.  This has created a unique culture with many different languages spoken such as Pontianak Malay,  Dayak and Chinese dialects as well as Bahasa Indonesia.

Cruiser highlights:

A good provisioning stop if travelling between the Anambas Islands or Riau Islands and Kumai in South Kalimantan. ATMs, pharmacies, supermarkets, diesel.  Basic fibreglass repairs possible.

Entrance notes or cautions:

Extensive flats with depths around and below two meters prior to the river entrance. However, the shipping channel is being continuously dredged by the Port of Pontianak for merchant ships and is clearly marked with red and green lateral beacons.  Depths from five to 15 meters inside the river.  

Steer clear of soft sand build-ups near islands or small river inlets.

Note:  Cruisers advise not to rely on Navionics charts for river navigation.

Position:  

Channel Entrance  - 00°05’ N 109°05’E