The Ministry Of Transportation Departs The First Sea Highway Ship To Maluku

ANTARA/Naufal Ammar Imaduddin

SURABAYA - The Ministry of Transportation through the sea toll transport route operator PT Luas Line dispatched the inaugural sea toll ship in 2023 to Maluku which transports staples and other important goods with a total cargo of 54 TEUs.

Head of the Sub-Directorate of Special Sea Transportation and Related Service Businesses of the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenhub RI) Capt. Pujo Kurnianto said the details of the cargo were 16 TEUs to Obi Island, 19 TEUs to Piru, 22 TEUs to Bula, seven TeUs to Larat Island.

"Meanwhile, this route serves T-30 heading to Maluku, with the Tanjung Perak-Obi Island - Piru - Bula - Larat - Tepa route and back again to Tanjung Perak," said Capt. Pujo Kurnianto after releasing the sea toll ship KM Kendhaga Nusantara 12 at Berlian Pier, Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya, was reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 17.

According to him, reflecting on last year's evaluation, his party admits that there are still obstacles to be faced regarding the fleet of ships and containers, even though it has been supported by a number of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) and private companies.

"One of the ways to overcome these obstacles is that from several new routes we have placed containers on large commercial ships such as Meratus, which are then brought to Ambon for example, then from Ambon they are brought by sea toll ships," he said.

Such a pattern, he continued, currently the Ministry of Transportation is pushing to overcome weaknesses or obstacles in sea highway transportation.

"There are still several more patterns that will be implemented, but in essence we hope that services in the three underdeveloped regions, frontier, outermost, and border (3TP) can still be maximized and the frequency of ship arrivals can increase," he said.

So, he said, the need for basic and important goods in the 3TP area can be guaranteed and fulfilled, and most importantly the return load can also be full too.

"We hope for the support of the local government to be able to find out the potential of the region so that it can fulfill the return cargo of the sea toll ship," said Capt. Pujo.

Meanwhile, Deputy for Food Availability and Stabilization of the National Food Agency (BPN) I Gusti Ketut Astawa said President Joko Widodo ordered to address food problems in areas that had not been met.

"This afternoon President Jokowi ruled, and through the departure of the sea toll ship this was immediately realized. With cooperation I am sure everything can be resolved," he said.

Not only that, in cooperation to address the needs of the community, it is hoped that it will stabilize the supply and prices of basic commodities in 3TP.

"The price can't be high, like yesterday's cooking oil, the price can be uniform. We are challenged again for other materials, hopefully, with this it can be realized, at least reducing the price," he said.

According to him, if the program is put to good use then the prices of basic commodities in the 3TP area can be controlled.

"The sea highway ship will have a big role in controlling and reducing the price of basic commodities," he said.