Ahead Of Jokowi's Inauguration, Minister Of Transportation Budi Cek Makassar New Port

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Transportation)

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said that the construction of phase 1B and 1C of the Makassar New Port (MNP) port is planned to be inaugurated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Thursday tomorrow.

This was conveyed by Budi Karya after visiting Makassar New Port (MNP), Makassar, South Sulawesi, Wednesday, February 21.

"The port will be inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo, tomorrow Thursday, February 22. I appreciate the completion of the 1B and 1C Makassar New Port phase developments. Hopefully this port will further increase export activities in Indonesia," he said in an official statement, Wednesday, February 21.

On this occasion, Budi also visited several locations, such as container terminals, integrated control rooms and planning to see port activities in eastern Indonesia in real time, to training rooms for port employees.

Budi said that MNP's capacity had been increased by 150 percent, from 1 million TEUs to 2.5 million TEUs per year. The ship's dock time at the port also increased, which was a maximum of 24 hours from the previous 48 hours.

Furthermore, Budi explained, MNP was designed to become the main port as well as a hub for ports in eastern Indonesia, especially for export activities.

Previously, exports of various superior products from the area were carried out through Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya or Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta.

The existence of two ports in Makassar, namely Soekarno-Hatta Port and Makassar New Port, is expected to further support and improve logistics distribution in the country, "concluded the Minister of Transportation.

To note, Makassar New Port is one of the National Strategic Projects. MNP development is carried out in three stages and will end in 2037. This development project is fully financed by PT Pelindo.