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Interministerial blame game follows vessel buildup fiasco
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Goods are unloaded from a foreign-flagged cargo vessel on March 24, 2024, at the Jakarta International Container Terminal of Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
T
he Industry Ministry has rejected any blame for the buildup of vessels and containers at key seaports across the country after the Trade Ministry pointed to the delayed issuance of technical approvals (Pertek) as the main cause.
The Trade Ministry said on Sunday that vessels were unable to leave the ports because of the delayed issuance of Pertek, a requirement for imports imposed by the Industry Ministry based on Trade Ministry Regulation No. 36/2023 on imports, which has since been revised by Trade Ministry Regulation No. 8/2024.
Industry Ministry spokesman Febri Hendri Antoni explained that Pertek issuance was carried out online through the National Industrial Information System (SIINas).
“In response to the Trade Ministry’s statement pointing to the technical approval requirement as the main cause behind the container buildup, we confirm that the Industry Ministry is not directly related to the buildup of containers at several ports,” Febri told reporters in Jakarta on Monday, as reported by Kumparan.
Read also: Businesses welcome latest trade rule to ease import curbs
Trade Ministry Foreign Trade Director General Budi Santoso explained to reporters on Sunday that the Industry Ministry itself had proposed the Pertek requirement, which had then been included in Trade Ministry Regulation No. 36/2023.
The regulation, which came into effect on March 10, has been blamed for a buildup of vessels at several ports, including Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, East Java and Tanjung Emas in Semarang, Central Java.
