Govt to spend $45m on fishing ports

Govt to spend $45m on fishing ports

JAKARTA (JP): The government will spend about US$45 million
this year to expand two major fishing ports in Bitung, North
Sulawesi, and Tual, Maluku, a minister said here on Wednesday.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja said the two fishing ports, among the largest in
the country, were still too small to accommodate large fishing
ships.

"With the expansion, the government will receive more revenue
from the fishing industry," the minister said after addressing a
working meeting of the ministry's senior officials.

According to Sarwono, most local and foreign fishing ships
operating in eastern Indonesian waters prefer to unload their
catches at General Santos Port in the southern Philippines due to
the poor service and capacity at the two Indonesian ports.

Untung Wahyono, the director general for fisheries at the
ministry, said the government would build a special pier for
fishing ships at the Bitung port, which at present also serves
passenger ships.

He said the construction of the new pier and its supporting
facilities would cost about $33 million.

The project to expand the receiving capacity of the Tual
fishing port will cost about $12 million, he added.

Untung said the projects would be financed with loans from the
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The expansion projects, which are scheduled to be completed in
three years, also will include the construction of infrastructure
to allow fishing companies to build processing facilities near
the ports.

By April of this year the ministry, in cooperation with JBIC,
will complete the renovation of 62 fish landing centers
throughout Indonesia, he added. (05)