Hanjin denies leaving RI

JAKARTA (JP): Korean-based Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd denied yesterday that it had pulled its shipping fleet out of Indonesia and was using feeders to run its operations.

"We want to emphasize that Hanjin will not abandon Indonesia in any way," a representative of Hanjin's owners, S. J. Kim, said.

Kim said the company added an extra ship in October to support the two ships already deployed. The company was currently looking into adding a further ship to its fleet here so that a better service could be offered to export-oriented companies, he added.

Kim said Hanjin had been promoting exports to Indonesia in Europe and America. The confidence built up overseas through these efforts has helped local exporters secure empty containers, which have been in short supply here due to slowing imports.

On Tuesday, The Jakarta Post quoted a shipping source which said that Hanjin had withdrawn its fleet from Indonesia and now ran only feeders here. (das)