Ports in the eastern part of Indonesia posted a slight increase in the number of ship calls in the first half of 2012 owing to the strict implementation of a new cabotage rule, said state port operator Pelindo III (PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III).
Ship visits in ports that Pelindo III manages hit 36,549 in January-June 2012, an increase of 3 percent year-over-year, Pelindo III said in a statement on its website.
The port operator oversees 43 seaports in seven provinces: East Java, Central Java, Bali, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara. The seaports carry commodities and people between Kalimantan, Bali and the eastern islands.
Pelindo III said the increase in port calls was due to the full implementation of a cabotage law that mandates vessels operating in Indonesian waters to register as Indonesian-flagged vessels.
The cabotage law was enacted in 2005, but enforcement was delayed for years. It was fully implemented on May 7 last year, according to the Jakarta Globe.
The busiest port for the period was Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, which documented 7,995 ship visits, followed by Pelabuhan Kotabaru, also in South Kalimantan, with 4,184 visits.
Indonesia’s eastern territory is included in the national government’s plans to accelerate growth through the long-term Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic Growth.
The plan involves the investment of US$424 billion in various projects to realize a sixfold increase in gross domestic product over the next 14 years.
Photo: calflier001
