TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jokowi visit highlights port upgrade in Lampung
President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo visited Bakauheni Port in Lampung on Tuesday to inspect the condition of Bakauheni harbor, which is to be developed as part of his administrationâs infrastructure projects
Change Size
P
resident Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo visited Bakauheni Port in Lampung on Tuesday to inspect the condition of Bakauheni harbor, which is to be developed as part of his administration's infrastructure projects.
Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said the visit was also related to the plan to develop an airport and a sea highway to improve transportation links between Bakauheni and Merak in Banten.
'Government provision of more large passenger ships is needed to optimize transportation services,' Jonan said in Bakauheni on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.
La Mane, the head of ferry operator PT ASDP's Bakauheni branch, said a number of large-scale piers would be developed at Merak and Bakauheni ports.
'We have not determined the number of piers, but they will be designed to develop the sea highway,' he said.
The Bakauheni-Merak crossing is one of the busiest in the country, serving an average of 3.2 million people and 3.2 million vehicles annually.
Jokowi and his entourage arrived at Bakauheni port's Pier III at about 10:40 am on Tuesday, later holding a closed-door meeting with representatives of PT ASDP.
Antara reported that during the visit, Jokowi also reviewed the preparations for the Trans-Sumatra toll road development project, stating his hope that the toll road project could boost integration and connectivity on the island.
'We will start the Trans-Sumatra toll road and railway development project next year,' he told the media in Lampung.
In February 2012, the government, through the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, designed plans to develop a 2.7 thousand kilometer-long Trans-Sumatra toll road connecting the provinces of Aceh and Lampung, with an investment of almost Rp 300 trillion (US$24 billion).
Meanwhile, the Lampung provincial administration acknowledged it was expecting a lot to result from Jokowi's visit. The visit is expected to facilitate certain national projects in the province and tackle problems in the agricultural sector that have affected the province's economic growth.
'Jokowi's visit to Lampung during his early presidential term is a sign that the central government considers Lampung very important for maritime and agricultural development,' said Lampung provincial administration secretary Arinal Junaidi.
Arinal revealed that Lampung harvested 3.2 million tons of unhusked rice annually, the seventh largest amount in the country.
