SURABAYA (ISL News) - After the inauguration of President Joko Widodo on February 22 2024, PT Pelindo Terminal Petikemas (SPTP) as the manager of Makassar New Port (MNP) continues to strive to expand into new markets. The container market targeted is specifically international container transportation or export and import. Currently there is a global shipping company that routinely uses MNP facilities for container loading and unloading activities, namely SITC which stops at MNP once a week with 1 ship.
TPK New Makassar Terminal Head I Nyoman Sutrisna said there were 2 global shipping companies interested in activities at MNP. The two shipping lines are CMA-CGM and Maersk Line which made a field visit to MNP some time ago.
"CMA-CGM and Maersk Line have stated that they are interested in activities at MNP, currently they are exploring the market to see the potential export and import cargo that they can bring from Makassar," said Nyoman, Wednesday (26/06/2024).
SPTP is optimistic that the two shipping companies will carry out activities in MNP. Nyoman said that the facilities owned by MNP were very sufficient. One of them has a channel and harbor pool depth of up to minus 16 meters LWS (Low Water Springs). This depth allows large, post-Panamax generation ships which are usually used for direct calls or direct overseas voyages to enter MNP. Apart from that, it is also supported by 6 quay container crane units with a total dock length reaching 1,600 meters.
"The terminal area reaches 52 hectares with a container capacity of 2.5 million per year," he continued.
Nyoman said that in the Makassar area, PT Pelindo Terminal Petikemas manages 2 terminals, namely Makassar Container Terminal or Terminal 1 and Makassar New Port or Terminal 2. The total flow of containers at these two terminals in 2023 will reach 700,000 TEUs. For 2024, the party is targeting a container flow of 715,000 TEUs.
Chairman of the DPW Indonesian Logistics & Forwarders Association (ALFI) South and West Sulawesi (Sulselbar) Syaifuddin Syahrudi, who is familiarly called Ipho, said he was optimistic that a number of commodities in South Sulawesi could grow to the point of being able to meet export needs. Therefore, Ipho hopes that the existence of MNP can make South Sulawesi a hub for Eastern Indonesia for logistics distribution.
"The hope is that in the future MNP will become a hub in Eastern Indonesia, no longer needing to go to Java (Jakarta and Surabaya)," he said.
He said, to support MNP as a hub, there needs to be a more massive economic and industrial center. Because, with the current analysis of economic and population growth in South Sulawesi, a number of basic necessities still have to be imported from Java.
(Editorial ISL News/Corcom SPTP/email:islnewstv@gmail.com).
