12 seaports suffer losses last year

12 seaports suffer losses last year

JAKARTA (JP): PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) III, the state- owned firm managing 41 ports in the central part of the country, was forced to subsidize 12 ports in 1994 due to their losses.

Taryono, a spokesman for Pelindo, said in Surabaya yesterday that the 12 ports suffering losses last year were in Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, Waingapu, Kalabaki, Ende and Badas in East Nusa Tenggara, Tegal in Central Java, Maumere and Tenau in West Timor, Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan, Kalianget and Pasuruan in East Java and Bima in West Nusa Tenggara.

He said that losses at the Banjarmasin and Tenau ports were caused by increasing spending for facility development, while the other 10 ports failed to gain enough revenues to cover their own operational costs.

Taryono, who refused to reveal the total amount of losses, said that the 12 ports are expected to suffer losses again this year, meaning his company will still have to subsidize them.

Despite the 12 ports' losses, Pelindo III achieved a total profit of Rp 45.81 billion ($20.88 million) last year from its revenues of Rp 161.44 billion, Antara quoted the spokesman as saying.

He said that the 1994 profit was 92 percent higher than the Rp 23.89 billion recorded in 1993.

"This year, we expect Rp 204 billion in revenues and Rp 73.5 billion in profit," he said.

Last year's profit was mainly derived from container services.

The volume of overseas goods handled at the ports increased by 10 percent to 19.2 million cubic meters in 1994 and the volume of domestic containers by six percent to 29.7 cubic meters. (icn)