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.
Marine toll has a significant function for Indonesia, as waters constitute three-quarters of its territory, according to Captain Wisnu Handoko, director of marine traffic and freight of the Transportation Ministry, while speaking at the seminar.
The Jokowi administration has developed marine tolls to ensure the smooth supply of goods in remote areas and to lower the prices of commodities and goods in the outermost regions.
Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita said at the seminar that the sea toll road program has indeed managed to reduce the price disparity of basic commodities in the eastern part of Indonesia.
"Some people express hesitation over the sea toll road program. But President Jokowi continues to implement the program," Lukita stated.
If price disparity between eastern and western Indonesia still existed, justice failed to materialize, he remarked. The minister, however, noted that there was still an ego-sectoral among agencies or institutions over the implementation of the sea toll road program.
Therefore, the coordination among institutions was necessary, particularly for loading and unloading and getting accurate information about the needs and potential of an area.
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi revealed that the prices of basic commodities in the eastern part of Indonesia had dropped 15-20 percent on average. He noted that the government would distribute 50 ships for state-owned companies and 50 ships for the private sector this year.
The sea toll road has the potential to seize the air cargo market because the price is competitive, the minister explained.
Sumadi and Lukita earlier signed a declaration of MV Dorolonda regarding a sea toll program ahead of National Press Day 2019.
The declaration, signed aboard MV Dorolonda at the Tanjung Perak Seaport, contains several measures that should be taken to improve the sea toll program introduced by Jokowi back in 2015.
Of the various measures, the first is urging various parties to get involved in this mode of transportation to support immediate digitalization of the sea transport process and system, so it can be more effective, efficient, and transparent.
Second, it is deemed necessary to disseminate information over the sea toll program to the public through more creative and innovative methods.
Third, it is important to improve the quality of port services and reduce the tariff for loading and unloading cargo at the port.
The fourth is to conduct re-mapping and continue the sea toll concept in future by involving all parties, including the private sector and regional government, through the sea toll.
The fifth is to request that the implementation of the sea toll system would consider and include existing public shipping, so that they become an integral part of the sea toll node.
The sixth is to expect consistency and continuity in the development of sea transportation in Indonesia, so as to provide business certainty in the sea transportation sector.
The Ministry of Transportation has vowed to continue to improve the effectiveness of the sea toll program to improve the national connectivity and further reduce price disparities in eastern Indonesia. (ant)
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February
Ministry of Energy Installs 1,200 Solar Street Lights in E Java
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The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has installed 1,200 solar street lights in the districts of Gresik, Lamongan, Tuban and Bojonegoro, East Java Province. Head of the Special Task Force for Upstream Oil and Gas Business Activities (SKK Migas) Dwi Sutjipto officially handed over the solar street lights in Gresik on Sunday.
"Issues on infrastructure for the public have become the government`s main concern. Hence, we install the solar street lights to improve people's welfare," Dwi said.
Lamongan District received 450 units of solar street light, while Tuban and Bojonegoro Districts got 300 units each, and 150 others were given to Gresik.
"This would become a solution for the regions that have yet to enjoy electricity from PLN (state electricity firm), or those who want to reduce electricity consumption in their regions," he noted.
The installment of solar street lights has been part of the government's policy to transform the use of energy from conventional to renewable energy.. The local governments were expected to maintain the safety of infrastructure facilities, Dwi said.
The government, under the program, has targeted to provide street lighting in 26 provinces across the country. In East Java alone, throughout 2018, the ministry had installed the solar street lights in 3,288 locations.
"We have set a budget allocation of some Rp416 billion for the installment of solar street lights in 21,864 locations," he added.
From 2015 to 2018, the ministry had installed some 33 thousand solar street lights in provinces and districts. The use of solar panel would reduce pollution and cut consumption of electricity mainly sourced from fossil fuel. It could also be installed in regions that have yet to be reached by PLN. (ant)
February
Sea Toll Program Works in Reducing Price Disparity
Written by Published in Indonesia Today
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February
Indonesia and G Britain Cooperation in Funding Disaster Research
Written by Published in Indonesia Today
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Indonesia's Research, Technology, and Higher Education Ministry is collaborating with the UK Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy through the Newton Fund-funded three studies in the field of hydrometeorology for the 2019-2021 period.
"There are three elected proposals jointly funded, with a total fund of Rp31 billion over a period of three years," Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir stated at the launching of the research cooperation here on Thursday.
The three studies were selected from 23 research proposals assessed by the Indonesian and British parties. The selection process for research is conducted in an open, transparent, and competitive manner.
Nasir remarked that under the research collaboration, Indonesian and British scientists will collaborate in high-standard research that aims to produce a breakthrough in the field of disaster intervention, especially in understanding the impacts of land- and water-related disasters.
Results of the collaboration will increase Indonesia`s resilience and readiness to deal with climate change, including through effective disaster policy and communication interventions.
Of the three selected research projects, the first is a research titled "Mitigating hydro meteorological hazard impacts through trans-boundary river management in the Ciliwung River basin."
The research is aimed at improving the management of the Ciliwung river body and public awareness of the threat of flooding. The main researcher from Indonesia is Harkunti Rahayu from the Bandung Institute of Technology, while Richard Haigh from the University of Huddersfield is the main researcher from England.
The second research, titled "Java Flood One," aims to improve medium-term flood forecasts in several cities in Java, including Jakarta, Bandung, and Surakarta. The main researcher from Indonesia is Agus Mochamad Ramdhan from the Bandung Institute of Technology and Simon Mathias from Durham University is the main researcher from England.
The third research, titled "Extreme rainfall and its effects on flood risk in Indonesia," aims to identify the main causes of flooding in Indonesia and the main strategies that can mitigate disaster risk. Suroso from Jenderal Sudirman University is Indonesia`s main researcher, while Chris Kilsby from Newcastle University is the main researcher from England.
Meanwhile, British Ambassador to Indonesia, ASEAN, and Timor Leste Moazzam Malik stated that international collaboration and funding commitments will have a significant social and economic impact.
Newton Fund, in partnership with the Ministry of Research and Technology, is committed to funding international-scale collaborative research that can contribute positively, both socially and economically.
He remarked that the United Kingdom had contributed 87 percent of the total funding of Rp31 billion to fund the three researches. (ant)
February
Indonesia and EU Discuss Trade and Investment Issues
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Indonesia and European Union (EU) held the 9th meeting of the Working Group on Trade and Investment (WGTI) in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the latest issues in the fields of trade and investment.
"At the WGTI meeting, we discussed a wide range of technical issues related to the implementation of policies that need special attention from both sides to encourage smooth business and investment," Director General of Trade Negotiations at the Trade Ministry Imam Pambagyo noted in a written statement released on Thursday.
Although not all the issues could be resolved, the two sides were at least able to exchange information to find a common solution, he affirmed.
Pambagyo, who led the Indonesian delegation to the meeting, expressed hope that the forum would support the ongoing negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (I-EU CEPA). One of the issues that Indonesia raised at the meeting was its palm oil`s access to the EU market, he remarked.
The EU parliament`s decision to stop the contribution of palm oil-based biofuel in the update of the renewable energy directive (RED Recast) has raised serious concern among and sparked strong reaction from stakeholders in Indonesia. On the occasion, the Indonesian delegation also raised the issue of sanitation and phytosanitary standards that the EU had imposed on various import commodities, such as tea and cocoa. Indonesia and the EU also discussed a proposed policy on the mechanism of selecting investment in EU member states.
Meanwhile, the EU raised several issues related to trade and investment policies in Indonesia, such as domestic regulation related to permits to import horticulture and husbandry products, the negative list of investment, and the Indonesian National Standard (SNI).
Trade between Indonesia and the EU reached US$28.9 billion. Over the past five years, Indonesia enjoyed a surplus in its trade with EU. Meanwhile, EU's investment reached $3.2 billion. (ant)