Hence, I hope that the operation of Kijing Terminal port will be optimized, thus it can encourage Indonesia's economic growth ... through efficient distribution routes...Jakarta (ANTARA) - The operation of Kijing Terminal at Pontianak Port could help strengthen the national port ecosystem and logistics industry, and thereby, support industrial downstreaming, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has said.
He made the remarks in a statement that was received here on Tuesday.
The terminal, which is located in Mempawah District, West Kalimantan Province, is the largest of its kind in Kalimantan region with a capacity to handle up to 1.95 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers and 28 million tons of goods.
However, currently, the terminal is only handling 500 thousand TEUs of containers and 8 million tons of goods.
The terminal is expected to increase the competitiveness of the Indonesian logistics ecosystem as a strategic international trade route in Southeast Asia.
The operation of the terminal could also strengthen state-run port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia’s (Pelindo’s) role as the world’s eighth largest container terminal operator with a total container throughput of 16.7 million TEUs.
The minister informed that his ministry has contributed to the construction of Kijing Terminal by providing funding for its development, among other things. The funding was provided through collaboration between PT Pelindo and state-owned construction company PT Wijaya Karya (Wika).
Thohir said he expected the efforts made by PT Pelindo for developing various ports across Indonesia to increase the country’s connectivity, economic growth, and competitiveness -- as currently, logistics costs in Indonesia are still considered quite high.
"Hence, I hope that the operation of Kijing Terminal port will be optimized, thus it can encourage Indonesia's economic growth -- especially West Kalimantan, which has various potentials, such as crude palm oil, bauxite, and other natural resources -- through efficient distribution routes (starting) from industrial areas to the (container) loading and unloading sites,” he added.
The effort is aimed at making logistics costs more affordable, he said.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated Kijing Terminal, which is among the national strategic projects (PSN), on Tuesday (August 9, 2022).
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Translator: Sugiharto Purnama, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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