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.

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.

PEOPLE AWAIT REALIZATION OF MARITIME 'TOLL ROAD'

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 14 (Antara) - The people, particularly businesspeople, are awaiting the realization of a maritime supercorridor transportation system that will link thousands of Indonesian islands from the eastern to the Western regions, cutting freight costs up to 50 percent.          The concept of the maritime supercorridor has been prepared by the current government in what it calls 'Pendulum Nusantara' (Archipelago Pendulum) program where large tonnage ships with cargoes or passengers serve main sea lanes and call at six major seaports located in areas stretching from the eastern to western parts of the country.          The government hopes the sea corridor will help smooth the implementation of the national connectivity program as regulated in Presidential Instruction No. 26/2013 on National Logistics System.          In a recent presidential debate, presidential candidate Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, revealed his program on the sea transportation system, which he called 'Maritime Toll Road' scheme, a sea lane transportation system which is more or less the same as the  'Pendulum Nusantara' concept.          Therefore, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) supported the idea of Jokowi to follow up the sea lane development program, as the current maritime-based national connectivity scheme designed to boost economic development and growth has yet to be implemented.

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.