Jokowi inaugurates new port to boost logistics efficiency in eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, inaugurated the Makassar New Port in South Sulawesi on Thursday, aiming to enhance logistics efficiency in Eastern Indonesia amid fierce global competition.

Speaking at the event, he emphasised the need to tackle the country’s high logistics costs, which have decreased from 24 per cent to 14 per cent over the past decade due to increased efficiency.

"Those with good efficiency are the ones who win the game, they are the ones who will win the competition," stated Jokowi, as broadcasted on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.

With an investment of 5.4 trillion rupiah, equivalent to US$345.81 million, Makassar New Port, the second-largest port after Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, features a depth of 16 meters, enabling the handling of large container ships.

He also praised the reduction in dwelling time to below three days and highlighted the port’s capacity of up to 2.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units, positioning it to compete internationally and bolster Indonesia’s competitiveness.

"This is the strength, the potential that we continue to improve so that our competitiveness becomes better than other countries," Jokowi added.

-- BERNAMA