President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the ports of Tanjung Priok and Patimban could compete to provide services, especially for the logistics sector.
“I think the toll road in Patimban will be completed in 2024. The good thing is that there is competition between Tanjung Priok and Patimban, and it will result in the service becoming much better,” President Jokowi stated at the gate of Gabus, Cibitung, Bekasi District, West Java, on Tuesday.
President Jokowi conveyed the statement while inaugurating the Cibitung-Cilincing Toll Road (JTCC), which is part of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) 2 and the Serpong-Balaraja Toll Road section 1 that was the start of the construction of JORR 3.
Patimban Port in Subang District, West Java, is known to be still in the construction stage and comprises three stages, with stage 1 consisting of stages 1-1 and stages 1-2. For stage 1-1, the construction has been completed, and currently, construction will continue to stage 1-2 in October 2022.
Meanwhile, phase 2 will commence in October 2022 and is targeted for completion in 2025.
The Patimban Port is targeted to have the same capacity as Tanjung Priok Port, amounting to 7.5 million TEUs of containers and 600 thousand vehicles per year by 2027.
PT Pelabuhan Patimban International (PPI) has been appointed as a private entity to develop Patimban Port.
President Jokowi is optimistic that the newly inaugurated Cibitung-Cilincing Toll Road (JTCC) would accelerate logistics access from the industrial area to Tanjung Priok Port.
“The Cibitung-Cilincing Toll Road was earlier owned by Waskita that was later taken by state-run port operator Pelindo. We hope this would provide services to container trucks, exported goods, and imported goods to industrial areas and to the logistics areas,” Jokowi earlier stated.
On Tuesday, the head of state inaugurated the JTCC.
He stated that the JTCC can accelerate the mobility of goods in the region.
“We want to increase goods’ competitiveness. If we do not support our products with good infrastructure, it will be impossible to compete with other countries,” Jokowi said.
The JTCC will connect the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road to the Tanjung Priok access toll road and vice versa to provide support for smooth mobility, commuter movements, and logistics, especially for the Cikarang and Cibitung industrial areas and the Tanjung Priok port.
“I think this will greatly affect competitiveness because the industrial areas and logistics areas in Karawang and Bekasi will be given facilities to reach Tanjung Priok Port and vice versa,” Jokowi noted.
Meanwhile, Pelindo President Director Arif Suhartono said the company’s main consideration to take part in the toll road business was to ensure toll road connections to industrial areas and ports are covered properly.
“Cargo from Tanjung Priok Port, especially containers that are more than 60 percent from the East, must reach the industrial and logistic areas on time. This toll road will also reduce the burden of the main toll road. Thus, people will also feel the impact of this toll road development,” Suhartono remarked.
Source: Antara News