The NCICD project aims to prevent coastal flooding and land subsidence as some parts of the capital city, especially near the northern coast, are sinking up to 12 centimeters a year. The project requires Rp 600 trillion (US$40.22 billion) of investment, according to the Committee for Acceleration of Priority Infrastructure Delivery’s (KPPIP) data.

“The project will reduce the potential for natural disasters, pollution and environmental damage. Furthermore, it will push Jakarta to become a safe metropolitan area,” the ministry’s assistant deputy for infrastructure, urban and water resources, Rahman Hidayat, said in a statement on Monday.

Massive infrastructure development has been one of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo’s main priorities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has halted several infrastructure projects as the government reallocates its budget to fund its fight against the disease while the outbreak disrupts construction activity.

In addition to the NCICD project, the ministry also vowed to continue the coastal barrier development in the northern part of West Java, Jakarta, Central Java and East Java provinces, which stretches for 59.1 kilometers in total and costs around Rp 641.5 billion, as well as the 27-km-long Semarang-Demak toll road in Central Java.

The ministry’s transportation infrastructure deputy Rusli Rahim said in the statement that various port development projects, including the Patimban seaport project in Subang regency in West Java, were showing progress.

According to the ministry’s data, the Patimban seaport terminal and reclamation project had reached 81.9 percent completion as of Sept. 13, while the access bridge construction progress had reached 11.9 percent completion as of Sept. 16.

“Industries located in East Bekasi and Karawang in West Java can use Patimban seaport in the future, while industries in West Bekasi and Tangerang will continue to use Tanjung Priok seaport. Therefore, the seaport will support logistics connectivity,” he said.

He added that the Japan-backed Patimban seaport project was scheduled for partial operation in December, a month later than previously estimated by Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.

Patimban seaport is one of the government’s national strategic projects, funded by an official development assistance (ODA) loan from the Japanese government amounting to Rp 14.2 trillion for the first development phase.

The port is expected to be Indonesia’s primary export port and to ease the burden on Tanjung Priok port and traffic congestion in Jakarta from the transport of cargo. It is also projected to support the future Rebana Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Cirebon, Patimban and Kertajati in West Java, along with Kertajati International Airport.

In the first development phase, Patimban seaport is planned to serve 3.75 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and accommodate 600,000 complete built-up (CBU) vehicles. Meanwhile, in the second phase, Patimban's capacity will increase to 5.5 million TEUs and it is expected to reach its final capacity of 7.5 million TEUs in phase 3.

Besides Patimban seaport, Wae Kelambu Multipurpose Seaport in Labuan Baju, East Nusa Tenggara has also shown significant progress as 29.8 percent of its water infrastructure construction and 26.8 percent of its land infrastructure were completed, Rusli said.

The government is developing Wae Kelambu seaport to boost tourist visits to Labuan Bajo, which is one of the government’s super-priority tourist destinations. The seaport will be designated for logistics and container handling, while the Labuan Bajo seaport will handle inbound tourists and passengers.