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SOEs ministry to upgrade Benoa into cruise port
The government has announced a plan to transform Benoa Harbor into a hub port for cruise liners.
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An aircraft is silhouetted against a blazing orange sky as the sun sets off Benoa Harbor in Bali. (Shutterstock/File)
The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry plans to develop Benoa Harbor, through state-owned port operator PT Pelindo III, into the archipelago's hub port for cruise liners to attract more tourists.
The government is intent on developing the harbor as a tourism gateway for cruises as well as new destinations in Bali and other maritime destinations in the country, SOEs Minister Erick Thohir said in a written statement on Friday, following a coordination meeting in Bali on the Benoa Maritime Tourism Hub development project.
“By holding a coordination meeting and visiting the port, related stakeholders will realize the obstacles Pelindo III will face [in developing the harborside], and what kind of support should be provided for the project,” said Erick.
Read also: Pelindo III to welcome 153 cruise ship arrivals in 2019
He added that developers would also be building supporting facilities, such as an exhibition hall for micro, small and medium enterprises, a cultural venue, a yacht pier and an urban forest.
To support the harborfront development project, Pelindo III plans to move the 70-hectare container and cargo terminal at Benoa Port to another location.
“This is an example of good governance, in which all stakeholders are involved in a transparent process from the outset. I want every SOEs [ministry] project to be done this way,” said the minister.
In addition to developing Benoa Harbor for tourism, Pelindo III is constructing a designated venue for the Melasti ritual, a Hindu-Balinese purification ritual for cleansing and recharging the spiritual energy of sacred temple objects.
