Rp 3.7b for expansion of Samarinda port

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)