Government Allows Imports Through Cikarang and Bitung Ports

Government Allows Imports Through Cikarang and Bitung Ports

The government has opened Cikarang Dry Port in Karawang, West Java, as a new import entry gateway for a number of products to ease the burden on Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, the country’s biggest port by volume.

Food and beverages, traditional medicine and health supplements, cosmetics and home medical supplies, apparel, footwear, electronics and toys are slated to enter the domestic market through the dry port, according to a Trade Ministry regulation on importation that was issued recently.

“With a new entry point for imports of certain products, we hope the load at Tanjung Priok Port will be eased so that the dwelling time there declines,” The Trade Ministry’s import director, Thamrin Latuconsina, said in a statement distributed recently.

The opening of the dry port is in line with the government’s effort to cut the dwelling time at Tanjung Priok Port to four days by year-end, from 5.98 days at present, to make international trading activities more efficient.

The time to load and unload containers at the country’s major port now ranks among the longest in Asia. In terms of dwelling time, Indonesia particularly lags behind its Southeast Asian peers, such as Singapore (one-and-a-half days), Malaysia (three days), and Thailand (four to five days).

In addition to Cikarang Dry Port, the government has also allowed Bitung Port to host the entry of food and beverages, apparel and electronics.

It has also tightened its grip on imports by requiring importers to attach notification letters or distribution permits to be verified by surveyors at the departure ports, according to the regulation.

The launch of Cikarang Dry Port and Bitung Port as new import entry points adds to nine existing import ports — Belawan Port in Medan (North Sumatra), Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang (Central Java), Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya (East Java), Soekarno-Hatta Port in Makassar (South Sulawesi), Dumai Port in Riau and Jayapura Port in Jayapura and five international airports — Kualanamu Airport in Deli Serdang, Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Ahmad Yani Airport in Semarang, Juanda Airport in Surabaya and Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar.

Indonesian Exporters Association (GPEI) secretary-general Toto Dirgantoro expected exporters to also benefit from the opening of the new ports, particularly Cikarang Dry Port. An ease at Tanjung Priok Port would in turn accelerate the handling of goods shipments overseas. However, Toto said that the utilization of the port could be maximized by moving Cikarang Port’s customs and excise office.

“If the customs office of Cikarang Dry Port is moved to Priok, goods from Priok can be piled there so importers can reduce their costs,” he said.

(JP/Linda Yulisman)