Indonesia’s Tanjung Api-Api port to start operating in December 2017: Budi Karya Sumadi


nsnbc : Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the new Port of Tanjung Api-Api in the Banyuasin region of South Sumatra, is to be operational in December, 2017.

Budi, here in February 2017

Budi, here in February 2017

Budi said the physical construction of the port is completed but that the basis is not yet safe for big ships and needs to be dredged. The minister made this statement to the press after a meeting on the port and the progress made in the construction of Light Rail Transit project (LRT) in the city of Palembang on Saturday.

Budi noted that the port basin is currently only 3.5 meter deep and that it therefore it still needs to be made deeper to be safe for big ships. He said South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin also agreed with the decision to open the new international seaport in December.

In addition the 60-kilometer long provincial highway linking the new port with the provincial city Palembang still needs repairs here and there, he said.  He added that later later Tanjung Api-Api will need to be linked with toll road and railways to facilitate the transport of cargoes to and from the international port.

Budi  expressed optimism the port would help accelerate industrialization in South Sumatra and neighboring province of Jambi as it would serve as hub port for goods from the two provinces to be transported to Jakartas Tanjung Priok on the way to export market or other regions in the country.

Meanwhile, Sea Transport Director General A Tonny Budiono said the port would be able to accommodate 464 death-weight ships that could carry 50 TEUs of container cargoes.  Tonny said in the beginning the port would be operated by the Transport Ministry but later by phases it would be handed over to PT Pelindo II, the state-owned port operator based in Jakarta.

Somewhat modifying Budi’s statement that physical construction was completed, Tonny added that the port has yet to be equipped with cranes to load and unload cargoes including containers. The cranes will speed up processing and make the port accessible and serviceable for modern ships that don’t depend on their own, minor and far more inefficient cranes.

The quay of the port is 50×20 meters, the trestle is 118 X 8 meters and the causeway is 100 X 8 meters . Construction of the port project cost around Rp178 billion with fund from the state budget. The South Sumatra provincial administration contributed Rp48 billion for the construction of land supporting facility.  Palembang will co-host the next Asian games in 2018, therefore, the government hastens the completion of infrastructure including the sea port and the LRT project.

The Indonesian government aims at transforming the country into a major international maritime hub, and the new port will bring the country one step closer to materializing that ambition.

F/AK – nsnbc 22.05.2017



Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/05/22/83973/

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