Short Sea Shipping in Northern Java
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Short Sea Shipping in Northern Java
  • Ismail Al Anshori 기자
  • 승인 2014.08.11 09:26
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BANDUNG, August 1 (EngineeringDaily) -- The highway on the northern coast of Java is one of the busiest roads in Indonesia. The freeway extending from Merak, Banten Province, to Ketapang in Banyuwangi, East Java Province, especially between the large metropolitan areas of Jakarta and Surabaya, has become the main artery for ground transportation.

Every day, between 20,000 and 70,000 vehicles pass along this 1,316 kilometer-length lane. Because of the explosion of overland shipping, the highway is frequently damaged due to overload. To combat this issue, the Development Planning Board (Bappenas) plans to develop a policy of Short Sea Shipping (SSS) in the area.

This plan was revealed in a meeting between the National Development Planning Agency, Ministry of Transportation, and PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry. The meeting was chaired by the Director of Transport from Bappenas, Bambang Prihartono.

The goal of SSS is to shift the burden of transportation from the road to the ocean, which will also make the cost of distributing goods more economical. In addition, it can reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and saves the cost of road maintenance. Moreover, the operation of SSS can also be helpful in reducing congestion or stagnation of the loading and unloading of ships in the main harbor.

Unfortunately, it will not be all smooth sailing for the new policy. In developing the project, the government is faced with several obstacles. One issue is an imbalance in the trade load going into and out of Jakarta and Surabaya. Another is the relatively small size of the Indonesian shipping fleet.

Perhaps the biggest problem of the SSS policy plan is the lack of financial support. Not only will special subsidies be needed to offset external costs, no specialized financial institutions capable of financing infrastructure projects currently exist in the region, an issue that is affecting other infrastructure projects as well. Finally, there is no incentive for transportation service companies to use the sea rather than the land route, thus no guarantee the SSS plan will in fact alleviate the land-based overload.

There are several proposals on the table to accelerate the realization of SSS services. To solve the lack of ships, the use of foreign vessels within a certain time frame may be allowed. Collaboration with financial institutions such as the National Bank (BNI/Bank Mandiri) for ship leasing and fiscal incentives to help leasing companies buy ships has also been suggested as a possible solution. Preparation of SSS facilities at various ports on the northern coast is also in consideration to facilitate the adoption of the new policy.

Director Prihartono has said the implementation of SSS in northern Java will be used as a pilot project. If it is successful, the program will be expanded into Sumatra and other regions, particularly in eastern Indonesia.

By Isamail Al Anshori



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