Posted on April 8, 2019
Indonesia’s state port operator Pelindo I has invested S$115m into the Port of Batu Ampar to raise its competitiveness in a move which may pit it against PSA Singapore.
The investment plan aims to enhance cargo handling facilities at the port, reported The Strait Times. The port, located on the northern tip of Batam, facing the Singapore Strait and opposite the Port of Singapore, is due to take delivery of three new mobile harbour cranes and 12 terminal tractors, paid for by part of the investment from Pelindo I, said Pelindo I president director Bambang Eka Cahyana.
Over the medium-term, Pelindo I will procure container cranes capable of loading and unloading goods for larger ships and Mr Bambang is optimistic that the additional equipment will increase productivity at the port as well as reduce operating costs.
“We are following shipping standards that demand efficiency at Batu Ampar port. This begins this April,” he added.
The move by Pelindo I follows Malaysia’s plan to develop a multimillion-dollar project at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas to enable ships to transfer their cargo to other vessels without having to dock at the berths.
The new collaboration between Malaysia’s maritime services company KA Petra and Hong Kong-based port operator Hutchison Ports Holdings is aimed at enhancing shipping flexibility and cutting costs for shippers.
Estimated to cost up to US$180m, the project will cover an area of 1,200ha, and will be built in the Strait of Johor near Tuas.
Last month, following a territorial dispute over the extension of the Johor Bahru Port limits, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to mutually suspend overlapping port limits and for vessels of both countries to operate in accordance with international law.
A PSA corporate spokesperson said the company had “no comment” on the plan.
Source: portstrategy.com
