State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) I has seen an increase in ship calls at its Kuala Tanjung seaport in Batubara regency, North Sumatra, despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on global trade.

The company’s president director Dani Rusli Utama said on Sept. 24 that the Kuala Tanjung Multipurpose Terminal (KTMT) had recorded 169 ship calls as of August, an increase of 30 percent year-to-date (ytd) from 130 calls booked throughout 2019.

KTMT had also handled around 31,900 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo as of August this year, 34 percent more than the 23,900 TEUs of cargo KTMT handled throughout 2019.

“If we look at the cargo loading traffic, it shows a positive trend,” Dani said during a press conference.

Kuala Tanjung seaport is expected to become one of Indonesia’s largest ports after the country’s main gateway, Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. It is located in Batubara regency, home to resources such as oil palm and aluminum, and is supported by the nearby Sei Mangkei special economic zone (KEK).

The seaport, which began to service exports in December 2018, has a 17-meter low water spring (LWS) draft that enables 50,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) freight ship to dock.

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