Economy grows by 5.61 per cent as port services come under pressure
Jakarta, KOMPAS.com — Indonesia’s economy grew by 5.61 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, but the expansion has not yet fully translated into the activity of the real sector. A number of port-related services are contending with slowdowns and rising operating costs. The performance of several major ports is starting to decline, with one contributing factor being suboptimal loading and unloading equipment conditions. This situation is impacting port service productivity, making ship loading and unloading slower and triggering queues for berthed ships.
Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, serves as a case in point. The average time for ships to berth at the Berlian Container Terminal is about 30 hours. Wahyu Jatmiko, Senior Manager for Legal and Public Relations at PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) Regional 3, acknowledged that the Berlian Terminal in Surabaya’s service capacity remains below user needs. “There are still ships waiting to berth at Berlian Terminal with an average time of 30 hours,” Wahyu said in an official statement on Friday (22 May 2026). “The terminal’s current capacity can serve only 53 calls per week, while demand has surged to 70 calls per week,” he added.
A similar situation exists at Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang. In the lead-up to and after Eid al-Fitr 2026, ship queues at anchorage reached as many as nine vessels simultaneously. Waiting times reached 4 to 6 days. The Yard Occupancy Ratio (YOR) of the terminal also jumped to 90 per cent, well above the safe threshold of 65 per cent. H Sunarno HS, Deputy Director of Operations at PT Pelayaran Tresnamuda Sejati, the Wanhai shipping agent, complained about a lack of terminal options in Semarang compared with other ports. “In Semarang, the container terminal is the only one; there are no alternatives. If you go to Tanjung Priok there are many options: NPCT One, TPK Koja, JICT, EMA. In Surabaya there are TPS and Teluk Lamong. But in Semarang there is none,” Sunarno said.
The situation makes it difficult to drive service improvements organically. The sole terminal lacks competitive pressure to push for improvements.