Irregularities still

Irregularities still

rife at Priok as new

payment system starts

JAKARTA (JP): Irregularities, including illegal levies, still occur at the container terminal of the Tanjung Priok port despite the introduction of voucher payments for handling services early this month.

However, an official at the port told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the number of irregularities has declined.

Under an agreement concluded by importers and shipping associations at the port, fees for handling services at the container terminal should be paid with vouchers issued by Bank Bukopin.

Such a payment system is designed to eliminate illegal levies by officials at the terminal, to eradicate the operation of brokers for container transportation and to help the procure new trailers that meet the government's regulations regarding the roadworthiness of shipping vehicles.

An official of the state-owned Tanjung Priok port management company, PT Pelabuhan II, said the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), one of the parties involved in the agreement, should improve the implementation of voucher- payment system to help smoothen the handling of containers at the port.

She acknowledged that some truckers continue paying container handling services with cash, instead of vouchers.

Chairman of the Indonesian Importer Association (GINSI) Amirudin Saud said in a press conference yesterday the new system of payment is helpful for both importers and operators of trailers. This is because it cuts down on port related corruption and it allows truck owners to pay-off vehicle loans directly to the bank.

Brokers

"But the new system will affect the operation of brokers, some of whom are still doing business at the container terminal," he said.

He noted that brokers had played an unfavorable role in Tanjung Priok for decades. "They could supply trucks for those in need. However, they charge too much and sometimes hold the payment for some months before they give it to owners of the trailers," he said.

Amirudin said Bukopin has agreed to provide credits for trucking companies to rejuvenate their fleets with new trailers that meet government regulations.

According to Decree No.KM-74/1990 of the Minister of Transportation, trailers must have two and three axles for carrying containers of 20 and 40 feet respectively. The decree has gone unheeded because many trucking companies cannot afford to purchase new trucks with such capacities.

The Directorate of Land Transport has recently stated that it would take firm measures against truckers using old trucks to transport containers as of July 4.

According to Amirudin, Bukopin has thus far helped companies to procure around 800 out of the 2,000 trucks currently operating in Tanjung Priok.

The chief of the container terminal, Abdullah Syaifuddin, told the Post yesterday that the terminal handles some 800 twenty-feet equivalent (TEU) units each day.

A total of 978,305 TEU units were handled at the terminal last year. (icn)