TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo today approved the procurement of roro (roll-on/roll-off) ships for Central Sulawesi heading to East Kalimantan in support of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) development.

The approval was given after the president inaugurated the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Wani Port and Pantoloan Port in Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi.

"I am pleased that this port has been rehabilitated, and earlier the Minister of Transportation conveyed the need for roro ships from Central Sulawesi to East Kalimantan, mainly to support the development process in IKN. I agree with that," Jokowi said on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, as quoted from Antara.

Jokowi agreed with the proposal due to the amount of materials for IKN development transported from Central Sulawesi, especially rocks and sand. "The value amounts to trillions,” he said.

In addition, Jokowi said that port facilities must continue to be improved. Therefore, service, management, and technology standards must be equipped with integrated logistics services and connected to other modes of transportation for faster and more efficient services. Indonesian ports, he said, must not lag behind other countries.

During the port inauguration, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi mentioned that his side and the Provincial Government of Central Sulawesi used the opportunity to discuss the relationship between IKN and other regions in Indonesia.

"We ask Mr. President to approve roro ships procurement for more productive commodities. For example, from the plantations, transported by trucks and roro ships heading to IKN Port and directly to the markets," Budi Karya said.

The rehabilitation of Wani Port includes the construction of a 150-meter pier, 28-meter trestle, office building, state ship garage, and mosque. Wani Port has an existing cargo service capacity of 82,000 tons per year and can serve the largest ship of 6,000 DWT.

Meanwhile, the reconstruction of Pantoloan Port includes the rehabilitation of a 93-meter trestle, 169-meter pier, extension of the upper structure of the pier, and a 1,500-square-meter KSOP office building.

ANTARA

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