Pelni abbreviation of Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia, lit. Indonesian National Shipping is the national cargo and passenger shipping company of Indonesia. Its services network spans across the Indonesian archipelago. Mainly serving as connector between bigger cities and to remote islands, Pelni plays an important role in the Indonesian transport system. Pelni is one of the few remaining economy-class long-distance passenger ship operators. Most of the worlds well-known passenger ship companies have stopped their low-budget passenger services since the 1960s due to shifting trends towards air transport. Pelnis ability to survive is mostly due to monopolies on certain routes and government of Indonesia subsidies.