Bulog's ships hit by port delays

Bulog's ships hit by port delays

JAKARTA (JP): At least 29 cargo vessels carrying imported foodstuff ordered by the National Logistics Agency (Bulog), much of it perishable, were waiting to be berthed at ports in Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya over the weekend.

According to Bisnis Indonesia daily, three vessels were lining up to berth at Belawan, North Sumatra, 19 at Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, and seven at Tanjung Perak, East Java.

The daily quoted the head of Bulog's North Sumatra branch, Moch. Santoso, as saying that MV Feng Yang, a vessel which recently berthed at Belawan, had to wait one month before it was attended to by the port administration.

Santoso said the ship, which carried Bulog's stocks of imported rice, arrived at the port early February but was only able to berth last Wednesday.

In Tanjung Priok, 10 vessels are carrying rice, eight are carrying sugar and one is carrying soy beans.

In Tanjung Perak, the seven vessels which are waiting to berth are carrying 95,000 tons of rice and sugar belonging to Bulog's East Java branch. The ships arrived at Tanjung Perak on March 2.

The report did not state whether the delays were causing shortages in basic food supplies. Bulog is known to have accumulated stock piles and imports are chiefly to replenish the stock rather than for immediate consumption.

Several explanations for the delays have been suggested and some have said Bulog must take some responsibility too.

Port officials said some of Bulog's vessels arrived almost simultaneously, causing major congestions at the country's three main ports.

PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III, the state-run company which manages ports in East Java and Kalimantan, said the low efficiency of cranes in the ports was to blame for the delays.

Bulog chairman Beddu Amang admitted that the arrival of several ships at once is making it difficult to handle the unloading but he blamed the ship operators for the situation.

Beddu also said that Bulog is expecting more food shipments in the coming weeks.

Earlier reports stated that in Tanjung Priok, Bulog at one time could not unload its imports because its warehouses were packed with goods owned by a private company.

Ship operators, meanwhile, are complaining that the long delays are costing them a lot of money. The waiting cost is currently US$5,000 a day for vessels under 5,000 deadweight tons and $10,000 for bigger ships.

Some news reports stated that the delays have caused some of the foodstuff to deteriorate.

Kompas reported that 5,900 tons of rice imported from India were found rotting on board the MV Sun River at Tanjung Priok.

Another vessel, the MV Primonik, was fumigated last week after the port's quarantine officials found a pest, known as kumbang khapra, which is hazardous to people's health.

The Primonik entered the port's waters on Feb. 13 but was only able to berth on March 1. (pwn)