Container flow through Tanjung Priok rises 22%

JAKARTA (JP): Container flow, representing exports and imports, through Jakarta's Tanjung Priok rose 22 percent to 1.9 million 20-foot equivalent (TEU) in 1997 from 1.6 million in 1966, the port authority said.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto said the container flow through Tanjung Priok, the country's largest container port, would continue to increase this year and next year in line with freer trade between countries.

He predicted the annual container flow would increase to 24 million TEUs a year by the end of the century.

To ease the bottleneck of containers being transported out of the port, Haryanto said the construction of a toll road linking Tanjung Priok's container terminal III with the harbor road in North Jakarta would start this year, and be completed next year.

"With the construction of this toll road, we expect there will be no more problems in transportation even though the flow of containers will increase," Haryanto told Antara when officiating at a ceremony to mark the last container exported in 1997 through the port Wednesday night.

A. Harbani, president of PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II, which manages Tanjung Priok port, said container-loading and unloading productivity averaged 3,250 containers a day.

Loading and unloading productivity in the port averaged 62,976 tons a day.

A total of 15,146 vessels of various types and tonnages visited the port in 1997, 6 percent more than the port authority's target of 14,638 vessels.

To facilitate export and import flows the port authority had established in August 1997 on-line computer-based services for importers and exporters.

To improve loading and unloading productivity, the port authority has ordered an additional 12 rubber-tired gantries, which will be ready for operation this year.

CPO Supervision

The Directorate General of Customs and Excise said it would tighten its supervision of vessels transporting crude palm oil (CPO) following the government's export ban.

Director General Soehardjo Soebardi said the customs office had been ordered to improve its supervision of vessels transporting crude palm oil.

"We have been given an instruction to tighten the supervision of vessels transporting palm oil and olein following the ban policy," Soehardjo said.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said Tuesday it had banned the export of crude palm oil and palm olein in the first quarter of 1998 to ensure domestic supplies.

Soehardjo said some vessels supposedly sailing to Kalimantan had changed course and headed for Malaysia or Singapore.

The government announced on December 18 that it would impose additional export taxes on palm oil and products, effective Dec. 19, to dampen exports.

It imposed an additional 30 percent tax on crude palm oil, palm oil and crude olein. (rid)