Province needs bigger ships

Province needs bigger ships

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The province needs bigger ships to
facilitate the movement of people and goods in the province, the
head of the local transportation office said.

Martono was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying that
the existing fleets of "pioneering" ships are barely adequate to
meet the local people's transportation needs.

Shipping services down the rivers or along Irian Jaya's coast
provide important means of transportation in the largely
underdeveloped province. Apart from around large cities, there
are hardly any roads in Irian Jaya.

Martono said most ships plying the southern and northern
coasts are in poor condition and must be replaced soon.

The government has offered financial incentives to shipping
operators plying the far-flung areas known as pioneering routes.
(emb)