The maiden voyage was launched by the director general of sea transportation, represented by the director of sea transportation traffic at the Transportation Ministry, Capt. Hendri Ginting, and attended by representatives from state-owned shipping company PT Pelni, the Trade Ministry, the Office of the Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister and other relevant stakeholders.

“We hope that with the dispatch of the first Maritime Highway ship at the beginning of this year, it will motivate us to drive the success of the Maritime Highway program and meet the logistical needs of basic and important goods in frontier, remote and disadvantaged areas [T3P] in accordance with the Presidential Decree No. 27/2021,” said Hendri at Tanjung Perak Port, Surabaya.

He further hoped that the service would accommodate the delivery of staple goods to areas such as West Nusa Tenggara.

“I thank every party who supported the Maritime Highway in 2022, especially stakeholders who have utilized the Maritime Highway ships. We hope that the implementation of the Maritime Highway [in 2023] will improve,” Hendri added.

Special staff of the transportation minister for inter-agency relations, Buyung Lalana, added that the Maritime Highway was part of a government effort to reduce price disparities in T3P areas. “The Maritime Highway has made a considerable impact, for example in Papua,” he added.

The Maritime Highway also aims to deliver shipments by central and regional governments as well as businesses, utilizing return cargo to market regional commodities to create an even logistics distribution network throughout the archipelago.

The ship will carry a cargo of 57 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), delivering 21 TEUs to Larantuka, 33 TEUs to Lewoleba and three TEUs to Kalabahi. At the ceremony on Thursday morning, the 35 TEU-load of KM Kendhaga Nusantara 7 included oil, rice, sugar and wheat flour to Larantuka, Lembata (Lewoleba) and Kalabahi.

The loading ceremony of Kendhaga Nusantara 7 was also attended by a number of stakeholders such as the expert staff of the Transportation Minister in sea transportation and maritime services, Andre Mulyana; and PT Pelni director of cargo transportation and Maritime Highway, Yossianis Marciano.

For the 2023 fiscal year, the Implementation of Public Service Obligations for Maritime Highway Transportation will encompass 20 routes with 11 routes for PT PELNI, five routes for PT ASDP, four routes for PT Djakarta Lloyd and 19 routes for private operators that will be selected through public tender.

Meanwhile, the Maritime Highway’s yield in 2022 from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 reached 14,508 TEUs or 115.86 percent above the target of 12,521 TEUs.

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