Local administration has postponed the completion of a cruise harbor development project in Karangasem regency due to technical and funding problems, Regent Wayan Geredeg said Monday.
The administration initially aimed to complete by the end of 2009 the international harbor, which is located in Tanah Ampo village in Karangasem regency - 50 kilometers to the east of Denpasar.
"We have missed the target, but we expect to finish it by the middle of this year" Geredeg said in Denpasar.
The development project started in 2006.
The Rp 97 billion Tanah Ampo harbor is expected to be the largest cruise harbor in Southeast Asia.
The budget for the project is jointly provided by the central government, provincial administration and regency administration.
The central government funded the majority of the harbor construction, with Rp 70 billion, while the province shouldered Rp 22 billion to build supporting facilities in surrounding areas.
The regency is responsible for providing the land, which is worth Rp 5 billion.
Although the project is almost completed, Geredeg said, a broader area was needed to extend the 150-meter harbor.
"Cruise ship operators said 150 meters was not enough for big ships to come ashore, so we still need to fix the design. We have to expand the area by 150 meters."
To double the length of the harbor, the regency needs an additional Rp 200 billion, Geredeg said.
He added the regency had proposed the extra budget to the central government and was waiting for approval.
The harbor is expected to escalate foreign tourist visits to Bali as Karangasem has been included in list of destinations by a number of international cruise ship companies.
Due to limited infrastructure, the regency is currently only able to accommodate 13 cruise ships per year.
The ships usually disembark in the nearby Padangbai port, although some have had to make use of the Tanah Ampo harbor for the last couple of months.
"Cruise ships arriving at Tanah Ampo could not come ashore, so we use small boats to get the tourists off the ships," Geredeg said.
Tourist operators said they were disappointed by the delay of the harbor project.
Head of Bali Tourism Board Ngurah Wijaya said the harbor was crucial to boost the arrival of tourists using cruise ships.
"Bali is a strategic position for cruise ships from around the world to disembark. We can attract hundred millions of foreign tourists with the new harbor."
