GOVT CUTS SHORT CONTAINERS' WAITING TIME AT PORTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 16 (Antara) - One of the factors hampering economic activities at Indonesian ports is the inordinately long time it takes for the imported goods to be released from the container terminals.          At Tanjung Priok Seaport of Jakarta, for example, the waiting time is around 8.9 days before the containers are released as clearance procedures are complicated.          Since the beginning of this year, the government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had set a target to cut this waiting time to an average of 4.7 days only. This meant that while pre-customs processes would have to be completed in 2.7 days, customs processes will take half a day and post-customs handling will have to be cleared in a day and a half.          During an inspection of the Tanjung Priok Port in June, the President threatened to  fire officials because he found them incapable of reducing loading and unloading time at ports. The waiting time was still 5.59 days.         "We must be frank. When I don't get answers for something I ask, I find them myself. It may be difficult but not impossible to dismiss the director general, or officials in the field, or even the minister," he said while visiting Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port on June 17.         Jokowi wanted port services to be quicker and more efficient. He was disappointed when he heard that waiting time at the port still stood at three days, 20 days or even 25 days.