The Flow Of Ships And Goods At Kuala Tanjung Port Continues To Increase

Illustration of the port of Kuala Tanjung (Photo: dock. intermediate)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Prima Multi Terminal (PMT Kuala Tanjung) Eko Hariyadi Budiyanto said the flow of ships and goods at Kuala Tanjung Port has continued to increase since it first operated in 2019.

The flow of containers in 2019 was recorded at 23.9 thousand Teus, while in 2020 there were 54 thousand Teus. The flow of containers has increased in 2021 which reached 70.3 thousand Teus and decreased slightly by 0.5 percent in 2022.

"It's not just the flow of containers that have increased, the flow of dry bulk goods also grows. In 2022 it was recorded at 10.8 tons," said Eko in an official statement, Friday, April 14.

In addition to container containers and general cargo, said Eko, Kuala Tanjung Port also handled liquid and general cargo loading and unloading activities. The company recorded that the flow of liquid bulk in 2019 was 102 thousand tons, then in 2020 the current increased to 366 thousand tons. Liquid flow in 2021 was recorded at 672 thousand tons.

Meanwhile, for the flow of general cargo goods, said Eko, in 2021 there will be 4.1 thousand tons. This number increased to 63.1 thousand tons in 2022.

"We admit that the flow of ships and goods is still fluctuating, however, management continues to strive to increase ship visits and the flow of goods at Kuala Tanjung Port," he said.

PMT Kuala Tanjung's management said it had met with a number of operators of international container ships to goods owners. As a result, it takes a number of steps to increase ship visits, including tariff incentives for shipping, provision of depots for the accumulation of empty containers (empty) at competitive rates.

Furthermore, said Eko, cooperation is needed with the owners of goods with a more competitive cost guarantee when compared to Singapore. As well as cooperation in services for port activities for companies that are currently building factories in the Sei Mangkei SEZ.

In addition, the Kuala Tanjung Industrial Estate also needs to be developed and optimized. In the future, Kuala Tanjung Port is expected to become a center for bulk goods and supply chain centers (bulk logistics & supply chain hubs).

According to Eko, there is a potential for goods flow of approximately 2.7 million tons per year if the existing industries around the port are fully operational.

"The stakeholders consisting of regulators, operators and goods owners have also signed a joint commitment to optimizing the Kuala Tanjung Port. We are optimistic that if the Sei Manggai SEZ and the Kuala Tanjung Industrial Estate are fully operational, the role of the Kuala Tanjung Port will be even more real," said Eko.

The Presence Of Kualanamu Port Is Right

The port observer and Director of The National Maritime Institute (Namanin) Siswanto Rusdi said the existence of Kuala Tanjung Port as part of the national downstream strategic program and logistics delivery was appropriate.

The port will support the activities of the Sei Mangkei SEZ and industrial areas around the port. He conveyed this in response to the assumption that several parties who called the construction of the Kuala Tanjung Port were in vain.

"Building a port also takes time, not for a while, it can also be crowded immediately, because it will follow the existing goods or cargo. Everything must have been studied. So the existence of the Kuala Tanjung Port is right," said Siswanto.

According to him, industrial estates will be effective if they are supported by the existence of ports for distribution of raw materials and production products from a number of factories in the industrial area.

"How do those in industrial areas want to build their factories if they are far from the port, while we know that construction goods or factory machinery are large enough. We are still talking about factory construction, not yet distributing production results," said Siswanto.

Geliat aktivitas port disebut akan terus meningkat seiring dengan beroperasi sejumlah pabrik di KEK Sei Mangkei atau yang ada di Kawasan Industri Kuala Tanjung.

Siswanto said, from the data he obtained, Kuala Tanjung Port has a number of advantages. One of them is the port pool which has a depth of minus 17 meters lws (low water spring).

With the depth of the pool, Kuala Tanjung Port can serve ships with a length of approximately 250 meters. With this size, the ship can carry a cargo of approximately 10,000 to 30,000 tons of bulk goods and a general cargo and a container of approximately 4,000 Teus.

"The port position is also strategic, it is in the malaka strait, so it is very effective for the industry, both for export and meeting domestic needs," he said.