The Indonesian government will fast-track the building of the IDR15-trillion (US$1.29 billion) Cilamaya Port in West Java from the original 2020 to late 2015 to increase port capacity in support of congested Tanjung Priok, the country’s busiest ocean gateway.
The international port project will sit on 2,000 hectares of land in Karawang regency and serve nearby industrial estates housing automotive, electronics, machinery, and information technology enterprises, according to a report by The Jakarta Post.
Locators in Karawang’s industrial estates take up to eight hours to transport their goods to Tanjung Priok in the neighboring province. Moreover, the port has been experiencing congestion and long dwell times as it struggles with overcapacity. Cilamaya Port is seen as one of the solutions to easing the congestion at the premier gateway.
The government said it will work on ironing out the main obstacle to the construction of Cilamaya Port, notably the presence of an oil and gas production area on the site where the port will be erected.
The Cilamaya Port is one of five key projects that Indonesia is rolling out in a bilateral cooperation with Japan. The others include a mass rapid transit system, waste management facilities, a high-speed train network from Jakarta to Surabaya, and the expansion of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Khlong Yai port
Meanwhile, Thailand is expected to open on schedule in July 2015 a deep-sea port being constructed in Trat’s Khlong Yai district in the eastern part of the country.
The opening of the port next year is timed for the launch of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ economic integration. The district has also been designated by the government as one of the first five special economic zones intended to promote border trade, especially with Cambodia and Vietnam.
The US$40-million multipurpose port has a capacity of 500 gross tons of cargo and includes a 3-kilometer pier to accommodate more boats and visitors going to tourist destinations in nearby islands.
Photo: Mr.TinDC
