TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi urged the management of ports in Indonesia to emulate ports in other countries, such as Laem Chabang in Thailand, in order to boost competitiveness at the global level.

"We learned a lot here (Laem Chabang Port), considering that this port is designed and built with a cargo capacity of 14 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units)," he noted in a statement received from the Transportation Ministry in Jakarta on Saturday.

Sumadi made the statement during his visit to Laem Chabang Port to have a discussion with the port's leaders in Thailand on Friday (February 9).

The minister affirmed that Indonesia, as a country that is home to over 17,000 islands, should pay special attention to the management and operation of its ports. He emphasized that ports are of the essence to develop connectivity of people as well as logistics.

Sumadi assessed that Thailand's Laem Chabang Port had presented a good example of proper management of a port.

"This port helps Thailand divert the density of export-import activities from Bangkok. We are grateful for having the opportunity to take notes from the port's management on how to manage a terminal by collaborating with plenty of partners from different companies," he stated.

The minister then expressed belief that Indonesia would be able to apply quality port management that can help the country drive its ports to compete with those in the Southeast Asian region as well as at the international level in a broader sense.

Accompanied by several officials from the Transportation Ministry, Sumadi met with Laem Chabang Port's Director General Rutthakom and managing director of the port Suwit Ratanachinda during his visit.

ANTARA

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