Port Development in Indonesia
As has been said before that ports are vital for an archipelagic country in Indonesia, therefore the development of the archipelago in Indonesia is also quite good accompanied by the development of time and technology. Although it is still less than the others, Indonesia’s ports are slowly starting to develop. This can be seen in the world port rankings, where in 2008 Indonesia was ranked 104th, in 2017 it was ranked 95th. What makes Indonesian ports a little slow is the infrastructure that is still lacking in upgrades. However, the Indonesian port itself can still be said to be busy with export and import activities.
Port’s Indonesia Update
Although we received news that Indonesia’s economic condition was not doing well, in December 2020 Indonesia had just inaugurated the Patimban port which is one of the results of cooperation between Indonesia and Japan. One of the newly inaugurated large ports is Patimban Port, located in Subang, West Java, between Jakarta – Cirebon and can be reached via toll roads, the Pantura line, and the railway line. The Patimban port is said to start operating optimally in the middle of 2021, this is because since its soft launch in December 2021, the Patimban port is still under construction for its container terminal and This container terminal will have a capacity of 218 thousand TEUs. Director General of Sea Relations (Dirjen Hubla) of the Ministry of Transportation, Agus H Purnomo said Patimban Port in Subang, West Java is in the middle of the sea. This international-scale port is in the shape of the letter L and has a back up area on the mainland which has an area of 380 hectares. The Patimban Port project is in a very strategic location and at its soft launch it will send the initial export of 140 units of cars using the MV Ship.
Suzuka Express owned by PT Toyofuji Shipping Co., Ltd to Brunei Darussalam. Tanjung Priok and Patimban ports are expected to collaborate because they have the potential to compete with foreign countries. This collaboration is also supported by more adequate
infrastructure such as the Transjawa toll road, Kertajati airport and also the strategic position of the Patimban port because it has easy access to 10 industrial estates in Subang, Indramayu, Cirebon, Brebes, and surrounding areas, thus allowing transhipment (movement activities/delivery of goods) to be carried out in Patimban and Tanjung Priok. With this Patimban project, the Indonesian government hopes that there will be infrastructure development at other ports in Indonesia.
Business Opportunity from Patimban Port
Patimban is a port that is proclaimed to be of international standard and is also supported by its strategic location that connects 10 industrial areas, so that Patimban itself has various business opportunities as a trade route. It is said that this pandemic has had an unfavourable impact on the Indonesian economy, but the online shopping trend has actually made the goods delivery sector rise again. This shows that there is an opportunity to do business in the shipping department, one example of which is the warehouse rental business to customers. In addition to warehouses for stock goods, other projections are cold storage for fish, meat, or other food to be shipped. The warehouse business opportunity is considered very profitable because it will always be needed as a place to store goods temporarily at the port, considering that the goods to be sent by ship are large enough goods, so people need a large enough area to store their goods while waiting for delivery. Besides that, the cold storage has the same function as a warehouse, but this freezer can be used for fish, meat or various foods that will be exported abroad. This will encourage the progress of exports and imports of Indonesian marine fish.
Promising projections for investors
The Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment stated that it would support the realisation of investment in the Kuala Tanjung Port and Industrial Estate (KIKT). “The government will oversee and support the realisation of investment in the Kuala Tanjung International Hub Port which is integrated with the Industrial Estate that supports the value chain,” said Deputy Assistant (Asdep) for Investment Services Sector Farah Heliantina at the Coordination Meeting on Evaluation and Monitoring of Acceleration of Investment Realisation in the Kuala Tanjung Port and Industrial Estate. Cape in Medan (19-11-2020). It is predicted that the flow of containers in 2030 will reach 100 million TEU, of course Indonesia will not only watch but will also participate by shifting the container flow which usually passes through the port of Singapore, Port of Tanjung Pelepas, and Port Klang, to pass through the port of Kuala Tanjung.
By Nadira Rahmani