I laud all parties who have supported the sea toll implementation. Hopefully, these awards can spur our spirit to keep optimizing it
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Transportation Ministry has bestowed awards on several stakeholders, including local governments, port technical acting units, and ship operators, for supporting the improvement of the sea toll program.



"I laud all parties who have supported the sea toll implementation. Hopefully, these awards can spur our spirit to keep optimizing it," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi remarked here on Tuesday.



Based on an evaluation in the first half of 2022, the ministry awarded some stakeholders, including the Morotai regional government, North Maluku, for the highest number of return cargo shipments, and the East Flores regional government, East Nusa Tenggara, for the highest increase in return cargo shipments.



Sumadi pointed out that since the launch of the sea toll program in 2015, the number of routes, ports, and cargo capacity has increased. Currently, the sea toll program covers 33 routes, with 130 ports and 32 ships serving the routes.


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According to the minister, to make the sea toll program a success, it needs support from other stakeholders, such as ministries and institutions, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), operators, partners, and local governments.



He said that local governments can play an important role in optimizing local top commodities so that the return cargo can be made more optimal.



Based on reports, there are a lot of cargo consignments containing seaweed and fish, which have a relatively high economic value, in the eastern region, Sumadi noted.


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"Therefore, all regions in eastern Indonesia should gather these commodities; we will prepare containers that have a cooling system so that they can be brought to Java or western Indonesia in good condition," he added.



Furthermore, Sumadi said that some innovations, such as the optimization of multi-mode connectivity that involves other programs, such as the air bridge and land transportation subsidies, could help improve the sea toll program.


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Translator: Adimas P, Kenzu T
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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