SEA TOLL PROGRAM WORKS IN REDUCING PRICE DISPARITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 8,  2019 (Antara) - The sea toll program is crucial for Indonesia, which is one of the world's largest maritime countries, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of sea territory, while its land territory covers only 1.9 million square kilometers.

               Moreover, the largest archipelagic nation in the world has some 17,480 islands, and its coastline is some 92 thousand kilometers long, making it the second longest after Canada.    
         The administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), which aims to develop the country into a global maritime axis, has come up with the sea toll road concept that will improve ports and shipping in order to facilitate the transport of goods across the archipelago.

             The sea toll road service, operational since 2015, is expected to help reduce the high price disparity between eastern and western Indonesian regions, which is so far caused by expensive shipping freight costs, as almost every ship returning from remote areas is empty or carries no freight.

              The Transportation Ministry organized a national seminar on marine toll aboard MV Dorolonda at the Tanjung Perak Seaport, Usrabaya, on February 4, 2019, to discuss the implementation of sea toll services.

   
        The seminar, themed, "To Improve Connectivity, to Open Logistics Supply Routes, and to Reduce Goods Price Disparity", was held in cooperation with the organizing committee of the National Press Day 2019. 
The seminar was attended by officials of the Transportation Ministry, Trade Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), governments, academicians, and journalists.  
    The trade minister, agriculture minister, transportation minister, and maritime affairs and fisheries minister were among the speakers at the seminar.

FOR JOKOWI, CONNECTIVITY CRUCIAL TO UNITE INDONESIA AS BIG NATION by Fardah

  Jakarta, April 8, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17 thousand islands stretching over 5,000 km across the equatorial ocean.

         Therefore, inter-island connectivity is crucial to unite Indonesia as a big nation, sprawling from Sumatra to the Papua Islands, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) affirmed.

         "Two-third of Indonesian territory is water, and one-third is land. Our focus should be on water as we are an archipelago. In the past, the Majapahit and Sriwijaya kingdoms had gained eminence as they had focused on the seas," he pointed out.

         For that purpose, the head of state has instructed to start new sea toll routes to boost inter-island connectivity in the country.

SEA TOLL ROAD PROJECT EXPECTED TO EASE PRICE DISPARITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 30, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia has been developing a sea toll road project aimed at improving the country's economy and connectivity particularly between eastern and western Indonesian regions.          Sea toll roads are crucial for Indonesia, which is one of the world's largest maritime countries, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of sea territory, while its land territory covers only 1.9 million square kilometers.         Its coastline is some 92 thousand kilometers long, making it the second-longest after Canada.  The largest archipelagic nation in the world has some 17,480 islands.          The administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), which has an ambition to develop the country into a global maritime axis, has come up with the sea toll road concept that will improve ports and shipping in order to facilitate the transport of goods across the archipelago.          Several deep sea ports in Indonesia will be improved to support his sea toll road concept. They include Kuala Tanjung in North Sumatra, Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, and East Java, in addition to Makassar in South Sulawesi, and in Papua.