President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), has inaugurated three ports in North Maluku, yesterday which are Ports of Tapaleo, Bicoli, and Wayabula at Central Halmahera Regency.
Jokowi was glad about the complement of these ports. “Indonesia is a great country which has seventeen thousand islands. Unfortunately, only several islands have a port. Thank God, the development of three ports have been finished within three years,” remarked Jokowi.
The President said these ports constructed as North Maluku is one of the regions in which the infrastructure development prioritised.
He assigned the Ministry of Transportation to add traffic schedule to North Maluku’s ports.
“Now, (the schedule) once in two weeks, it could be once a week or once a day. We should create a better improvement,” he said.
The development would continue, Jokowi assured, because, districts and provinces have no port. Addition, a port is a key access to drive the inter-region connectivity widened open.
“We hope these ports could raising up the connectivity and encourage the North Maluku’s economy activity,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi explained that twice a month pilot vessel and ferry called at the Port of Tapaleo. The Ministry and the local government would discuss vessel’s frequency improvement.
“This is a homework for the Ministry and the local government to increase vessel frequency at the Port of Tapaleo and two other ports,” he said.
BKS, the Minister’s familiar name said these ports has been constructing since 2014 with similar capacity of 15 low water springs (Lws) pool depth, make them suitable for 1000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) vessel.
North Maluku governor, Abdul Gani Kasuba appreciated the central government for the inauguration of these ports.
“Port is needed by all North Maluku community, especially in Tapaleo due to its lack of ground and air access there,” he said.
For information, these ports located in the outermost province. Port of Tapaleo appointed as the local feeder port, Port of Bicoli as the regional feeder, and Port of Wayabula as the collector port. (Dds)
Source : Rakyat Merdeka
