SHIPS LESS THAN FIVE THOUSAND GT CAN NO LONGER SERVE MERAK PORT

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Nov 19 (Antara) - Merak Port in the western tip of Java and Bakauheni harbor in the eastern edge of Sumatra are the busiest ferry harbors that connect the two Indonesian major islands.          Being the busiest sea-crossing lane in the Sunda Strait, the Merak-Bakauheni routes have so far been served by at least 52 ferries of various sizes. However, the government has set a size standard for ships that could be deployed to serve passengers willing to cross the Sunda Strait from Sumatra to Java or the vice versa.         The government, through Transportation Ministerial Decree No. PM 88 of 2014, has stipulated that starting from Dec 24, 2018, each ferry to be operated on the Merak-Bakauheni routes should be less than five thousand gross tonnage (GT) in size.         The Directorate General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation has pointed out that the authorities will move 9 of the 52 ferries usually serving the Merak-Bakauheni ports to other ferry ports. The nine ferries are less than five thousand GT in size.

SHORTER DWELLING TIME TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY DECEMBER

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 7 (Antara) -- The government has expressed hope that its plan to shorten the dwelling time at Indonesian ports from the current 10 to 11 days to only four days will be implemented by October or December this year.          President Joko Widodo's government is focusing on reducing the dwelling time, which continues to be considered too long, to smooth economic activities at ports.      It will reduce the time taken to load goods on and unload goods from ships at Indonesian ports to only four days.          Chief Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said on Thursday that the four-day dwelling time target will be implemented by December at the latest.          To make improvements to this service, good coordination among relevant ministries/agencies is needed.          "As a mid-term plan, it should be completed by October, and we hope it is at least 95 percent complete by December," he remarked.

GOVERNMENT STRIVES TO IMPROVE DWELLING TIME AT PORTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 18 (Antara) -- The Indonesian government is taking steps to improve the flow of goods at ports by obligating importers to complete licensing procedures before their goods arrive at ports of destination.          "Many importers handle their customs licensing procedures after their goods arrive at the port. This lengthens the dwelling time. So we urge importers to complete the procedures before their goods are delivered to Indonesia," Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel said on Thursday.          Three ministers met on Thursday to coordinate to reduce the dwelling time at ports, which still stands at 5.5 days, longer than the target of 4.7 days set by the government.          Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan, and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Soesilo met to find ways to fulfill President Joko Widodo's wish to reduce the loading and unloading time to less than 4.7 days.          "As a follow-up to President Joko Widodo's visit (to Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port) yesterday, we prepared two measures and inspected the Customs and Excise Directorate General and (port operator) Pelindo this morning," Soesilo stated.          He explained that the two measures to be taken were strengthening the online service system and improving the licensing system in the trade and transportation sectors.

ALL FISHING PORTS EXPECTED TO ADOPT ECOPORT CONCEPT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 21 (Antara) - As the global market increasingly demands clean fishery products, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) urged all fishing ports in Indonesia to apply the ecoport concept to eradicate environmental pollution in ports.         The ecoport concept is also expected to help the government develop sustainable fisheries and advance the country's fishery industry.         The ministry has now launched an ecoport pilot project in at least four fishing ports, after which the country's more than 800 fishing ports will follow suit.         Besides that, the ministry is also launching a fishery research program, particularly for tuna fish, as part of its efforts to develop a sustainable fishing industry.         "The Ministry of Marine Resources and Fisheries (KKP) has launched a tuna research program to develop sustainable fisheries," Marines Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said on Wednesday.         Tuna is considered the most threatened fish variety in Indonesia. According to Minister Sutardjo, the exploitation of tuna fish in Indonesia had reached an alarming level and all parties need to cooperate to stop it.

JAMBI TO BUILD OCEAN-GOING SEAPORT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 17 (Antara) - Jambi this year plans to build an ocean-going seaport, which will connect the province with its neighbors to form a golden triangle of economic growth with Singapore and Malaysia.          The ocean-going seaport, which will be built in Ujung Jabung, East Tanjung Jabung District, is expected to be a part of the main sea corridor in Sumatra, as it will connect two other main seaports of Dumai in the Riau province and Tanjung Apiapi in South Sumatra.          "The regional government will commence construction work on the Ujung Jabung seaport. It is expected to boost economic development in Jambi," Haviz Husaini, an assistant to the regional government secretary for development, social and economic affairs stated in Jambi, on Sunday.          He noted that the regional government has begun carrying out land clearance for the construction of the Rp140 billion worth seaport. It will sit on a 4.2 thousand hectare plot of land.          Last month, the Ministry of Transportation assured the commencement of the development of the Ujung Jabung seaport in Jambi's East Tanjung Jabung district. Transportation Minister E.E. Mangindaan was quoted by Buisnis.com as saying that the construction of the Ujung Jabung seaport should have commenced last year.

GOVT BUILDS SEA CORRIDOR TO CUT FREIGHT COSTS

By Andi Abdusalam

Jakarta, Feb 10 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is building what it calls 'Pendulum Nusantara' (Archipelago Pendulum), a sea corridor linking six major seaports in the country from Papua in the eastern region to North Sumatra in the western parts.          The Pendulum Nusantara system is expected to reduce freight costs by at least 50 percent and to shorten cargo dwelling time at ports from about seven days to four days only.          This system will facilitate large tonnage ships to call at major ports to unload cargoes to be delivered by supporting smaller ships through an integrated system to smaller parts of the country or to smaller regions.          According to state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II, the system would also enable returning ships to have freights so that there would be no ships sailing back with vacant holds.     "The pendulum system is an effective solution to the problem of ships sailing with vacant holds from one port to another," PT Pelindo II President Director Richard J Lino was quoted by centroone.com online media as saying on Tuesday last week.          He said that the system will accommodate the arrivals of large tonnage ships at six major ports.  After they berthed at the ports, supporting smaller ships in the pendulum system would take their cargoes and delivered them to their destinations in the surrounding regions.

RI AIMS TO BECOME BUSINESS HUB THROUGH SEAPORT EXPANSION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 1 (ANTARA) - The government is determined to expand seaports across Indonesia in a bid to set in motion the Master Plan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development (MP3EI), promulgated for developing public infrastructure throughout the country.          The plan has been proposed in the wake of concerns expressed about the inadequate seaport facilities provided by the government. Importers have pointed out that the services available at Indonesian ports are still insufficient and prohibitively expensive.          "If port conditions are not improved soon, the government will continue to face resistance in its attempt at encouraging the nation¿s industry to raise its competitive edge," Achmad Ridwan, the secretary of the Indonesian Importers Association (GINSI) said recently.          Indonesia being an island country has to develop a reliable and efficient logistical distribution system at its seaports, which will boost the country¿s economy and make Indonesia an economic power to be reckoned with in the Asia.          "The government needs to fix its logistical distribution system before it enters the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, " Ridwan stated.           Meanwhile, the government already has a blueprint for initiating the developmental work at seaports in the country, including those that will be a part of the MP3EI infrastructure development programmes.          Developing the around 1900 seaports in the country, will require considerable funds, and should therefore be carried out in stages.          Leon Muhammad, the Secretary of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation, estimates that the government will need at least Rp439.67 trillion or US $46.112 million for the development of the seaports across the country, which is expected to be completed by 2030.          However, the government does not plan to bear the entire cost of this project and is hoping to attract additional capital from private investors. As of now, the government can only allocate up to US $14.618 million for the project, which only makes up for about 31.7 percent of the total needed for completion.          "The remaining US $31.499 million are expected to be sourced from foreign investors," Muhammad added.          Seaports, which are included in the MP3EI alone, will need an investment of Rp117 trillion.          "We plan to invest Rp117 trillion for the expansion of seaports in the country," Deputy Minister for Transportation Bambang Susantono said, adding that even though the budget of Rp117 trillion seems like a big commitment to make at present, it is a very small portion of the total expenditure needed for developing all the ports spread across the country.          Therefore, the government needs to prioritize which ports should be revamped first as a locomotive or as a gateway, he added.          Muhammad pointed out that the Indonesian government began its port expansion project in 2011 to support its MP3EI programme.          "We expect that for the 2011 to 2015 period, the investment required for port expansion projects should be around US $12.114 billion, but the government is ready to only spend US $5.148 million, which is about 42.5 percent of the total funding required," he noted.          He added that the remaining 57.5 percent or US $6.966 million will be obtained from the private sector.          "The government¿s role in developing the ports of Indonesia will continue to decrease as we get closer to 2030, while that of the private sector will gradually increase," Muhammad stated.          Indonesia currently has 1,978 ports, which consist of 111 commercial, 614 non-commercial, 472 special terminal and 721 private terminal seaports.          Muhammad also acknowledged the underlying challenge for the Indonesian government in trying to source huge investment for developing and making its ports efficient. At present, the government is expanding the main seaports of Indonesia, which are located in North Sumatra, Aceh, Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak in Java, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Bitung and Sorong in Papua.          "These are strategic seaports and enjoy a close proximity to international shipping routes," Muhammad asserted.          The government is also developing container terminal ports in Kalibaru at the Tanjung Priok port, at Teluk Lamong in East Java and a container terminal at the Belawan port in North Sumatra.          Meanwhile, in the next five years, the government plans to expand at least 26 seaports, which include the port of Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Batam in Riu Islands, Madura in East Java, Cilamaya and Palembang in South Sumatra, Kuala Tanjung in North Sumatra, Panjang in Lampung, Ambon in Maluku, Dumai in Riau, Teluk Bayur in West Sumatra, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, Bitung in North Sulawesi, Tanjung Emas in Semarang, Probolinggo in East Java, Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Jayapura and Sorong in Papua, Pleihari in South Kalimantan, Sei Gintung, Gorontalo and Pantoloan in Central Sulawesi, and Pare-Pare in South Sulawesi.          "Our vision is that we want to turn Indonesian seaports into international business hubs, which we plan to do starting with the Kuala Tanjung seaport in North Sumatra and the Bitung port in North Sulawesi," he said.          Seaport capacities are also being ramped up and by 2030, and each seaport is expected to accommodate 500 million tons of coal, 107 million tons of petroleum, 40 million tons of oil palm, 43 million tons of cargo and 42 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, Muhammad pointed out.          The Indonesian Logistics and Forwarders Association (ALFI) also urged the government to expedite the development of the Kalibaru port in North Jakarta, ahead of the establishment of AEC in 2015.          The Kalibaru container terminal port will be strategically located for businesses, owing to its proximity to the harbor area of the Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta.           "ALFI has asked the government to prioritize the development of the Kalibaru port in North Jakarta, because the Tanjung Priok port is currently unable to accommodate the increased flow of containers," ALFI deputy chairman Anwar Sata said.          The government is also developing the Kalbaru port to step up the capacity of the current Tanjung Priok port from 5 million to 18 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of containers.           The first phase of the new Priok port¿s expansion includes the construction of a 195-hectare plot of land located in North Jakarta¿s Kalibaru area.          Meanwhile, the construction in the first phase of the expansion of the Kalibaru is expected to cost around US $2.47 billion. ***2*** (T.A014/INE/A014/KR-BSR/A/A014) 01-09-2012 17:36

BATAM MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MALACCA STRAIT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 5 (ANTARA) - Situated in the world's busiest shipping lane, Batam Island must upgrade its ports and take advantage of cargo trans-shipment in the Strait of Malacca so it can compete with Singapore and Malaysia, which have much enjoyed the benefits of the strait.         The island, which is expected to become one of Indonesia's industrial hubs, must upgrade its port of Batuampar and develop a trans-shipment port in its neighboring island of Tanjung Sauh in order for Batam to take advantage of cargo ships sailing in the Malacca strait.         "So far, Singapore and Malaysia have taken advantage of the strait and enjoyed a lot of commercial benefits. Indonesia has not yet utilized it at all. The Tanjung Sauh port must be developed soon so that Batam can also take advantage of it," said Airlangga Hartarto, the chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission VI for trade, industry and investment affairs, recently.          "Tanjung Sauh can be a suitable trans-shipment port. Its [surrounding] water depth is 18 metres, so it can accommodate large ships," he explained.           Therefore, Airlangga said, his Commission VI would ask the central government to revise a regulation with regard to the free trade zone in Batam.          The revision, if made, would designate Tanjung Sauh port as a free trade zone in Batam, which would then be in line with the government's plan to develop Tanjung Sauh as a trans-shipment port.          "The development of the container port of Tanjung Sauh is not possible as of now because it has not yet been included in the Batam's free trade zones (FTZ). We will ask the government to revise the regulation immediately so that the project is not hampered," Airlangga said.           Tanjung Sauh island, which will be developed as a trans-shipment port with a capacity of 4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), has not yet been recognized as an FTZ by the Batam Industrial Development Board (BP Batam).          "In order to get FTZ status, a port must have world-class infrastructure. If the port only had a capacity of 600,000 TEUs, like Batuampar port, then Batam would not be able to compete with Malaysia and Singapore," he said.          "So far, business in the Malacca Strait has been dominated by Singapore, which has a port of about 30 million TEUs, and Malaysia with its port of about 7 million TEUs," Airlangga added.          BP Batam Head Mustafa Widjaya said his office had finalized the development concept of the Tanjung Sauh port and had submitted a proposal to the local government of Riau Islands province, requesting the inclusion of Tanjung Sauh in the FTZ area of Batam.          "Batam FTZ areas cover Batam Island along with a cluster of other isles that are connected with a chain of six bridges, called the Barelang Bridge.  We hope that our proposal will be accepted and Tanjung Sauh will also be included in the FTZ areas," Mustafa said, adding that the regional government and the legislative assembly of Riau Islands had in principle approved the plan.          In the meantime, the Batam Industrial Development Board said its budget for 2013 was increased to Rp981 billion, from Rp640 billion in 2012. The extra funds would be used to finance the upgrading of Batuampar port's capacity, from 600,000 TEUs to 1.2 million TEUs.         "We expect that BP Batam will receive a budget of about Rp918 billion in 2013. Most of the amount will be allocated for the development of infrastructure in Batam's FTZ areas. This includes the upgrading of the Batuampar port, which is expected to cost about Rp360 billion," said Dwi Djoko Wiwoho, the director of the On-Stop-Service and spokesman of the Batam Industrial Development Board.          He explained that the development of Batuampar port was necessary because it was no longer able to facilitate the flow of cargoes or goods needed for the development of industry¿.          According to the plan, Batuampar port will be developed in a three-year time period. The upgrading of the port will require Rp60 billion in 2012, Rp200 billion in 2013 and Rp100 billion in 2014.          "We cannot provide more details as of now. What is clear is that most of the funds will be used for infrastructure development to increase the competitive edge of Batam's free trade zones," Dwi Djoko said.           Besides, Batam also is planning to develop other infrastructure facilities such as the Hang Nadim airport and the Tembesi reservoir, which will be built in stages.           Regarding the Rp918 billion of funds, legislator Harry Azhar Aziz of the House of Representatives, who represents the Riau Islands province, said the central government was planning to allocate the funds for the development of Batam's free trade and free port areas (KPBPB) in the 2013 draft state budget.          "The House's Commission VI has approved the funds for the BP Batam. What remains to be done is to endorse it," he stated.          Harry said Rp918 billion was a relatively big sum, which reflected the central government's commitment to development in the area.          However, Airlangga expressed discontent over the slow development of Batam in comparison with Malaysia's Iskandar Development Region.          "They have been very aggressive in attracting investment over the past several years, but Batam seems to be making no progress," he said, urging the Batam Development Board (BP Batam) to be more aggressive in promoting the island to investors.           Airlangga stated that Batam would be able to attract more investors if it was serious in developing its infrastructure.           "This year, BP Batam only set an investment target of US$300 million, which is relatively small if compared with the Rp640 billion allocated by the central government," he said.***2*** (T.A014/INE/H-YH) 05-07-2012 21:38:

RI'S BIGGEST PORT TO BE BUILT IN NORTH JAKARTA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 4 (ANTARA) - The government is planning to build the country's biggest harbour in an effort to expand and increase the capacity of the current Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta from 5 million to 18 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of containers.          The commencement of this groundbreaking construction is scheduled next July, when the first phase of the New Priok Port will be constructed on a 195-hectare plot of land located in North Jakarta's Kalibaru area.          State-owned port operator PT Pebuhan Indonesia II (IPC II) will begin construction on the New Priok Port after it receives a copy of the Presidential Regulation No. 36/2012 containing development recommendations for the port, the first phase of which is expected to cost about US$2.47 billion.          "With the issuance of the presidential regulation, we can now make preparations for the construction of New Priok Port," said IPC President Director Richard Joost Lino.          According to the IPC II website, IPC II has officially received a copy of the presidential regulation which mandates IPC II to build and operate the Kalibaru Port (New Priok Port) in North Jakarta.          In implementing Presidential Regulation No. 36/2012, which was signed by the president on April 5, 2012, the IPC II will invest some Rp22.55 trillion, or US$2.47 billion, in the first phase of construction.          The project's first phase will include the installation of container terminal infrastructure and related equipment worth US$1.38 billion, while a further US$730 million will be made available for constructing a new petroleum product terminal in the port.          According to Lino, IPC II is enthusiastic about the project and believes that it will rise up to the challenge offered by the presidential instruction to make Indonesia's dream come true - that is, to build a port that the country can be proud of.           IPC II's challenge is to build the port without funding support from the government or the state budget. "It does not involve a state budget fund. The funds will come from the investors and be facilitated by PT Pengembangan Indonesia, a subsidiary of the IPC II," Lino added.          IPC II may also raise funds for the port by forging partnerships with and receiving investments from major shipping and port operators as well as loans from national and international lenders.          The New Priok Port will be built to alleviate the load on the currently over-burdened Tanjung Priok Port. Therefore, the New Priok Port's construction will be accelerated to reduce the old port's burden by about 1 million TEU containers.         Upon its completion in 2023, the New Priok Port will more than triple the annual capacity of Tanjung Priok Port, from 5 million TEU to 18 million TEU.         Lino remarked that the construction of the New Priok Port, which was previously called Kalibaru Port, will elevate Indonesia's reputation to the level of countries with international scale ports.          The IPC II has already provided the various requisite documents to the government, and after receiving approval, it will enter the final stage of preparation. Lino explained that the master plan of the port includes three container terminals, two oil and gas fuel terminals, and a 300-m wide two-way shipping lane.          According to Lino, the first phase of port construction will be carried out on 195 hectares of land, with the length of piers reaching 4,000 metres. In the first phase, the port will be able to accommodate 4.5 million TEU containers.         "When all of its three phases are completed, the total capacity of New Priok Port will reach 13 million TEU" Lino remarked. It is expected that phase one of port construction will be completed and operational by 2014. The entire port, from phases one to three, is expected to be operational by 2023.         The New Priok Port is expected to facilitate the movement of large ships, so that ships of EEE class (with a capacity of 18,000 TEU containers) can sail directly to Indonesia without needing to undergo transshipment in other countries. This, in turn, will help reduce transportation and logistics costs.          For this purpose, the 300-m two-way lane in the piers of the port will be dredged as deep as -16 mLWS during the first phase and as deep as -20 mLWS in the subsequent phases of the port's construction.         Thus, at present and in the future, the New Priok Port is expected to be as productive as other international seaports in the world which are able to accommodate the largest container ships.          With a port of this capacity, Indonesia is expected to attract more investors. The presence of the New Priok Port will help strengthen the national logistics flow, thus attracting investors to Indonesia.          "It should be noted that this is the biggest harbour in Indonesia," Lino added.***2*** (T.A014/INE/A/E002) 04-05-2012 18:17:

TRAFFIC JAM AT MERAK PORT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 10 (ANTARA) - Merak port in the western tip of Java and  Bakauheni  harbor in the eastern point of Sumatra, two ports so far serving as a main economic lane for the two important Indonesian islands,  have of late experienced traffic flow problems.          Trucks transporting commodities needed by consumers in the two main islands of the country were forced to stay in queues for days or even weeks before they could be ferried to their destinations.          The main cause of the traffic jams is the decrease in the number of ferries operating to serve heavy flows of cargoes and passengers that would cross the 36-km Sunda Strait.          Of the 33 ferries usually plying the route, 11 are now put at dock-yard for maintenance or repair.          "There were usually 33 ferry ships operating but now only 22 ships because 11 of them are under repair. This has caused traffic jams at Merak port," Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi said on Sunday.          Currently however  a total of 17 ferries at Merak port in Cilegon city, Banten, are not in operation because they are undergoing maintenance processes  or have been sent to  dock-yards for repairs. "There are 17 ferries usually serving the Merak-Bakauheni ports which are not in operation. Today, there are only 22 ferries are serving passengers at the two ports," Hery Widarto, a supervisor of TP ASDP for Merak.          The government is now considering building a bridge that would connect the Java island with  Sumatra in its efforts to solve the transportation problems between Java and Sumatra in the long run, but for solution to the problem in the short term, the government is still trying to find the best way.          Among the solutions that are being thought by the government included building additional piers, separating piers between those for faster ships and those for slower ones. The urgent step to be taken is to evaluate docking schedules for ships going for repair of maintenance.          For this, Minister Freddy Numberi asked the Inland Waterway Service (PT ASDP) to evaluate its ship-docking arrangements at Merak port. "It should evaluate its docking arrangement and fix accurate schedules. The other efforts that could be made include separating special piers for faster ships," the minister said.         He said that his office continued to do its best to overcome the traffic jams that had hampered the flow of trucks at the ferry port of late. Therefore, Numberi said, he has asked PT ASDP and its private partners to evaluate the schedules of ships which would be sent to the dock-yard. The schedules should be arranged properly so that it would not cause overlapping and take too long at the dock-yard.          Besides, the other effort that could be made is separating or grouping faster ferries and direct them to certain  piers, not to piers where slower ships would also berth at. "Faster ships could be put in a group to be directed to special piers, for example to pier 5 or pier 4," Numberi said     "We have complaints that low-speed ferries that transport queuing trucks  hamper those of the fast speed ones. We have reported to the vice president that we have regrouped ships based on their speed classification. So that later on, the low-speed ones will  be facilitated by a special pier," the minister added.          He said the government would therefore increase the number of piers at ports so that each of the ferry ports would have six piers. The construction of the piers is a follow up effort to overcome the traffic jams at the two ports which connect  Java with Sumatra.          The minister said the construction of piers in Merak would cost Rp120 billion while those in Bakauheni would take some Rp450-Rp550 billion.           In the meantime, Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, whose administrative areas included Marak, has asked PT ASDP to help overcome the traffic jams at Merak port.          "The queues of trucks willing to be ferried from Merak port in Banten (Java) to Bakauheni port in Lampung (Sumatra) of late are caused by the small number of ships operating," she said.          The governor said  that besides the small number of ferries, the traffic jam at Merak port had also been caused by bad weather. "Bad weather factor has caused long queues of trucks," she said.          The governor said that the best solution to the problem was the construction of the Sunda Strait bridge (JSS) project. "We hope that the JSS project would be started soon. The presidential regulation on that matter is expected to be issued this month," she said.          The JSS whose construction is expected to start in 2014 and would constitute the world's second longest bridge (36 km) after the Shanghai bridge in China, will cost some Rp150 trillion.           But the JSS project is a solution for the problem in the long run, so that the ports of Merak and Bakauheni must be revitalized soon. Ratu Atut said that revitalization of the ports of Merak and Bakauheni in Lampung should also be carried out.           Former mayor of Cilegon, Tb Aat Syafaat, regretted the performance of the transportation ministry which until now was still unable to overcome traffic flow problems at Merak port. "I once submitted a proposal to the ministry of transportation but it seemed that my concept has got no response," he said.            When he was still Cilegon city mayor, he proposed the construction of additional piers and increase the number of ships. "Ferries existing now are old ships. They need to be replaced," he said.            Most of the 33 ships under ASDP firm at Merak port are already old, or over 25 years, some others even almost reaching 40 years old. It included the Jatra I and Jatra II ferries which were produced in 1980.          The others are Jatra III (produced in 1985), BSP I,1973, BSP II,1971, BSP III,1973, Bahuga Pratama, 1992, Bahuga Jaya,1987, Menggala, 1973, Mufidah,1979, Duta Banten, 1973, Jagantara, 1979, Nusa Dharma, 1986, Nusa Bahagia,1979, Victorius, 1990, Laut Teduh I, 1990, Musthika Kencana,1975, HM Baruna,1992, Tribuana, 1997 and Rajabasa I, 1990.           Besides that other old ferries are SMS Kartanegara,1984, Windu Karsa Dwita,1997, Windu Karsa Pratama,1993, Titian Nusantara,1995, Panorama Nusantara,1987, Royal Nusantara,1985, Prima Nusantara,1975, Mitra Nusantara,1997, Titian Murni,1985, Nusa Agung,1992, Nusa Jaya,1987, Nusa Mulia, 1992 and Nusa Setia, 1994. ***5*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:010/A/S012)10-04-2011 21:10: