Rp 3.7b for expansion of Samarinda port

JAKARTA (JP): PT Pelabuhan Indonesia IV, the state-owned port managing company, will spend Rp 3.7 billion (US$1.6 million) this fiscal year on the expansion of the Samarinda port in East Kalimantan, to cope with its increasing cargoes and passengers.

"After the expansion, the Samarinda port will have a 1,000- meter-long concrete pier and activities there can be properly organized," the company's manager for Samarinda said, Antara reported Saturday.

Soejatno said that Rp 2.6 billion of the funds will be used to construct a 900-meter concrete pier and a 60-meter steel plaster.

A 4,200-square meter cargo yard will also be constructed, at a cost of Rp 550 million, and a 800-square-meter passenger terminal, also at Rp 550 million, he said.

The Samarinda port, located on the Mahakam riverbank, 60 kilometers from the seashore, was established in 1991 with a total investment of Rp 34.1 billion, including Rp 16.2 billion from the Asian Development Bank.

Currently, the port has a concrete pier of 767 meters times 15 meters; a traditional pier of 50 meters times 7 meters; three warehouses, on a total area of 2,800 square meters; a 21,000- square-meter cargo yard; and a 192-square-meter passenger terminal.

Soejatno acknowledged that the port is encountering a number of problems, including the shallowing of the Mahakam river, that could reach about one meter per year.

Only ships with a maximum weight of 12,000 tons can berth at the port, while bigger vessels, which are generally those transporting export products, should anchor at the river's estuary, he added.(31)