Samudera Indonesia (SMDR) Chief Unveils 2026 Business Strategy
JAKARTA — Samudera Indonesia (SMDR) chief Bani M. Mulia has outlined the company’s 2026 business strategy, which focuses on two key pillars: efficiency and flexibility.
The strategy stems from Mulia’s reading of the global landscape, which has tilted towards protectionism — a development that is not inherently positive for global trade as it signals anti-trade sentiment.
However, Mulia views protectionism as essentially a tactic employed by certain countries to buy time whilst reorganising their respective strengths. Ultimately, he argues, trade volumes always recover.
This was borne out during the 2025 financial year, when the logistics and shipping services industry performed better than the previous year. Singapore’s container port throughput, as the largest hub in Southeast Asia, recorded more than 40 million TEUs, surpassing all previous volumes.
Additionally, China’s total export volume to countries other than the United States — including European and Asian nations — also rose when Washington imposed new tariffs. Such shifts in export destinations are a common phenomenon when a country adopts protectionist measures.
The key message, however, is that growth in the logistics and shipping services industry persists even as global protectionism intensifies. Indeed, growth in 2025 could be described as higher than earlier predictions.
Mulia therefore takes the view that if protectionism were applied by every country worldwide, it would actually make sustainable business growth difficult. Moreover, reality shows that nations are interdependent.
“In my view, this reality is recognised by every shipping operator in the world. We know that global trade cannot stop, so shipping companies will not stop adding capacity. Ship orders remain high to this day. There is still a queue if you want to buy a new vessel. This means there is still optimism among all players that the volumes are there,” Mulia explained at the Investor Market Today event on Thursday (19 February 2026).
Turning to the Indonesian context, Mulia observed that Indonesia’s domestic market is enormous, meaning trade will continue regardless of global protectionist trends. Samudera Indonesia, as a logistics operator, is fully cognisant of this fact.
There is also the need for additional carrying capacity due to limited domestic port capacity, even though cargo volumes exist. This represents an ongoing challenge for Indonesia as a country blessed with a large market and population.
Therefore, even without protectionism, trade in Indonesia will always continue and Samudera Indonesia will remain operational. The key, Mulia said, is how the company can operate more efficiently and astutely identify every opportunity.
This means the company must invest in quality equipment by building, ordering, and rejuvenating production assets — particularly vessels and cargo-handling equipment at ports — using cutting-edge technology to achieve higher levels of efficiency and productivity, as well as greater carrying capacity.
Crucially, this must be achieved with lower fuel consumption. This strategy, Mulia said, is what Samudera Indonesia continues to pursue in order to secure better margins amid potential freight rate fluctuations. This includes being astute and flexible in reading volume shifts.
“Where are the shifts heading, and where can volumes deliver better margins? We must pay close attention to that. In my view, that is the key for logistics companies. First, efficiency; second, we cannot remain on certain routes alone. We must be flexible enough to move in line with existing demand,” he affirmed.