Labuan Bajo sailing ban: what happens to your trip

By Komodo 3D2N Editorial Desk

A Labuan Bajo sailing ban is a harbourmaster decision to stop issuing sailing approvals, and it can cancel a Komodo trip at short notice. From late December 2025 into early February 2026, closures followed each other nearly week by week. ASITA's provincial head said no standard refund rules exist, so settle in writing what happens to your money before you pay.

Who can impose a Labuan Bajo sailing ban?

The local harbourmaster's office, known as KSOP Labuan Bajo. Reports describe it closing sailing approvals, which means boats are not cleared to set off even if the crew and guests are ready and the sky looks fine from the harbour. Your operator or booking platform cannot simply override it.

The office also enforces it. In August 2026 the harbourmaster suspended a captain's licence for three weeks and removed him from his boat for sailing during a ban. For a traveller, the lesson is simple: if a seller says a boat can still go while a closure is in force, ask how that is possible and get the answer in writing.

What closures have been reported?

The clearest record is the sequence around the turn of 2026. The dates below come from the two outlets named, and they are the dates those outlets reported. We have not treated them as a complete list.

Those dates followed a serious accident, which we report here for chronology. The harbourmaster dates the sinking of KM Putri Sakinah, which carried 11 people, in the Padar Strait to the night of 26 December 2025. RRI dates the first closure to three days later. We are not stating that one caused the other, and the sources cited report no final finding on the sinking.

The shape of that sequence is what matters when you plan. In RRI's account each later order ran for about a week, so a departure booked for that month could not be relied on. A closure of one week also takes out every 3D2N departure starting that week, whichever day the boat normally leaves.

Why do boats stop sailing, and what weather triggers it?

Potential extreme weather is the stated reason: RRI quotes the harbourmaster putting sailing safety first, and CNN Indonesia says the January closure was issued in anticipation of it, citing the BMKG maritime forecast. RRI adds that one closure ran until 27 January or until BMKG declared the weather safe, so an end date can move. Komodo Resort, an operator, says the harbourmaster is most likely to stop boats from December to March and that wind, not rain, is the main risk to a trip. So a dry-looking morning does not settle whether you will sail, and a rainy one does not rule it out.

Do not expect a simple trigger. CNN Indonesia reported a BMKG forecast during one closure of significant waves of 0.80 to 1.20 metres and winds of 6 to 13 knots, up to 23 knots in gusts. Those are forecast figures for one period, not the line at which boats stop. Do not check a wind app and decide your trip is safe from a ban because the numbers look smaller.

Do they only happen in the wet season?

December to March is the likeliest period by Komodo Resort's account, but the calendar gives no protection. The captain's sanction above came in August 2026, well outside Komodo Resort's window, and Antara reports that the captain kept sailing with tourists aboard during a ban issued for bad weather. August is the date of the sanction, so it does not tell you when that ban began or how long it lasted. It does suggest a ban is not something you can rule out by travelling mid-year.

For more on what the wet months look like on the water, see our page on a Komodo boat trip in the rainy season.

What happens to refunds?

There is no common answer. Commenting on the early 2026 closures, the head of ASITA in the province said lack of standard refund rules between boat operators, agents and hotels caused big problems for travellers. No source here sets out your legal rights, so read your written terms.

Some terms offer little to start with. A Viator supplier listed its product as non-refundable, on a listing shown as unavailable in November 2026. Do not assume a government closure entitles you to money back. We cannot give legal advice.

The wording to look for, or to request:

• Does the term "force majeure" or "weather" appear, and does it cover a harbourmaster closure by name?
• If sailing is closed on your date, do you get a refund, a credit or a new date, and who chooses?
• If a credit, how long is it valid, and can it be used in a later season?
• How is a park ticket already bought for that date treated?
• Which company pays you back, and how long does it take?

Our Komodo 3D2N booking checklist puts these alongside the other questions worth asking before you pay.

How should you plan around one?

Build the trip so a closure costs you a boat trip and not the rest of your holiday. These steps help:

1. Keep flights flexible if you travel between December and March. Check whether your flights can be changed if the boat cannot sail.
2. Put a spare night in the plan. It gives you room if a departure slips, and if the boat cannot go you have somewhere to be while you decide.
3. Ask for the latest closure status before the final payment. Ask the seller, and check the date on anything they forward to you.
4. Have a shore-based alternative in mind. A closure on sailing leaves you in town, and it helps to know beforehand how you would use those days.
5. Do not press a crew to leave. A captain who sails against an order risks a licence, and our guide to Komodo boat trip safety sets out the wider record.

Check travel insurance wording too, for how the policy treats a sailing closure.

What do people ask about sailing bans?

Why do boats stop sailing in Labuan Bajo?

Because the harbourmaster's office closes sailing approvals, and RRI and CNN Indonesia both report potential extreme weather as the reason. Komodo Resort, an operator, names wind rather than rain as the main risk to a trip, and says stops are most likely from December to March.

How long do sailing bans last in Labuan Bajo?

There is no fixed length. RRI reports closures from 29 December 2025 extended to 6 January 2026, then a limited week, then orders of about a week each to 27 January. CNN Indonesia reports a further closure to 4 February 2026.

What happens to my Komodo trip if sailing is banned?

The boat cannot depart while the order stands. The provincial head of ASITA said no standard refund rules exist between operators, agents and hotels. Ask for refund, credit or rebooking wording before paying.

What weather conditions cancel Komodo boat trips?

Treat any single forecast as context and not as a threshold. CNN Indonesia reported one forecast during a closure, but those figures describe a single period and are not a trigger. Komodo Resort, an operator, points to wind as the main risk. Your seller or the harbourmaster's notices are the place to check.

Which sources support this page?

• RRI: harbourmaster halts tourist boat sailings again
• CNN Indonesia: operators protest closure, February 2026
• CNN Indonesia: BMKG forecast during a closure, January 2026
• Antara: captain sanctioned, August 2026
• Antara: KM Putri Sakinah, December 2025
• Komodo Resort: rainy season
• Viator: Longlasting Trip listing, shown as unavailable in November 2026

How do I reach the desk?

If your dates fall in the wet months, or a closure has already touched your plans, write to WhatsApp +62 811-3823-875 or email the desk. The desk can talk through options, but it cannot predict a closure or promise a sailing. Refund and rebooking terms bind only as written in an offer.