Sulawesi-S'pore shipping link

JAKARTA (JP): A direct shipping service from Bitung in North Sulawesi to Singapore will start on July 15, allowing the province's exporters to cut transportation costs, according to Antara news agency.

The news agency quoted Fenny Wurangian, chairman of the government agency responsible for the management of the Bitung- Manado Integrated Economic Zone, as saying on Saturday that a vessel with the capacity of 160 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) would depart from the Bitung port for Singapore twice a month starting July 15.

He did not specify who owns the vessel.

Thus far, he said, the province's exporters had to send their goods to Singapore via Tanjung Perak port in Surabaya or Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta. This has raised the transportations costs paid by the exporters.

The direct shipping service from Bitung to Singapore will cut transportation costs, he said. (03)