RI's seaport services win support from the Dutch
RI's seaport services win support from the Dutch
JAKARTA (JP): The Netherland's Port of Rotterdam is
negotiating a contract with the government to help improve the
management of Indonesia's seaports and increase their efficiency,
a company commissioner says.
"Discussions about the planned cooperation between Indonesia
and the Netherlands are in the final phase and will soon be
completed," Port of Rotterdam's vice-mayor commissioner, Rene M.
Smit, told reporters before delivering a speech at a business
luncheon held by the Indonesian Netherlands Association (INA)
here yesterday.
He said that the planned cooperation was first discussed last
year with Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto and that
a pilot project will begin after the two parties reach an
agreement next month.
According to Smit, his company will provide training and
consultancy services to help improve the management of
Indonesia's vessel traffic system and cargo services.
Smit said that the cooperation will be based on a long-term
contract. He refused to estimate the fees for the cooperation.
INA's chairman Frans Seda said the planned cooperation is
expected not only to improve the services of Indonesian seaports,
particularly those in Jakarta and Surabaya of East Java, but also
to promote the country's exports to the Netherlands and other
European countries.
Rotterdam's port, one of the largest seaports in the world, is
a major gateway to Europe and one of major players in the global
transportation networks.
He also said that Indonesia opened in 1992 the Indonesian
Trade Distribution Center (ITDC) in Rotterdam to promote the
country's exports to the Netherlands and other European
countries.
ITDC's president, Kusumo A.M., told The Jakarta Post that the
center was established by 13 private firms with an investment of
five million guilder (about US$320,000).
A number of other Asian countries, including South Korea,
Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Israel, Malaysia and
India, have also opened their distribution centers in the
Netherlands.
Port of Rotterdam, the biggest container port in Europe,
recorded last year a four percent increase in the transshipment
of goods to 294 million tons.(icn)