Major Indonesian Seaports Now Open Around the Clock

The Jakarta Globe, Putri Prameshwari

Jakarta's Tanjung Priok and three other ports around the country will now operate 24 hours a day. (Photo: Antara)

Four major domestic seaports will now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week as part of a government plan to increase trade, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi said on Wednesday.

“This is to boost our export and import activities,” he said.

The four ports are Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, Belawan in Medan, North Sumatra, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, East Java and Soekarno-Hatta in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The move comes after the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and other business organizations called for working hours to be extended at the country’s ports earlier this month.

Operations at the four ports would be open not only for ship docking but also for customs and immigration activities, Freddy said. “This way, if a cargo ship arrives at 2 a.m., it can immediately be served,” he said, adding that it could also avoid vessels from docking for too long as a result of delays.

Freddy said he hoped service would be improved if ports were open for 24 hours.

Sunaryo, director general of maritime transportation at the Transportation Ministry, said the infrastructure to open the seaports around the clock was adequate.

“All we have to do is coordinate with customs,” he said.

The hardest part would be to provide 24-hour manpower to load and unload vessels, Sunaryo said. “That should be synchronized with the Manpower Ministry,” he said.

On the other hand, Sunaryo said, the Transportation Ministry’s initiative could create more jobs, especially for people living near the ports.

The plan is currently in a test phase and would be officially implemented next January, Freddy said.

Richard J Lino, chairman of state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II, said it would take a long time to get all relevant agencies, including customs, immigration, and quarantine services, to coordinate their work activities at the seaports.

“They need time to adjust,” he said.

The government also wants to establish an international-standard port in Indonesia to function as hub port for the wider region.

PT Pelindo II has been pushing for Tanjung Priok to be that port. Lino said he hoped Tanjung Priok would be ready to operate as an international hub port by 2014.

Renovating the port, he said, would take five years and cost up to Rp 7 trillion ($749 million).

An archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia relies heavily on sea transportation. Millions of people and tons of cargo are delivered every day using big vessels and small ships.

Pelindo II manages ports across Indonesia, including in Banten, Palembang in South Sumatra as well as Teluk Bayur seaport in West Sumatra, and Sunda Kelapa port in North Jakarta.