Rotterdam to Build New Indonesian Port
The Port of Rotterdam Authority has signed a partnership agreement with the Indonesian Port Corporation Pelindo I for the development of a new deep sea port at Kuala Tanjung near to Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Under the agreement the Port of Rotterdam will undertake a feasibility study for the new port. Depending on the outcome of the feasibility study the Port of Rotterdam decide whether to enter into a joint venture with Pelindo I to construct and develop the port at Kuala Tanjung.
“We want to share our knowledge in the construction, development and management of Kuala Tanjung. We are confident that the Port Authority and Pelindo I will form a strong team that will serve the country and provide for a better future,” said Allard Castelein, ceo of the Port of Rotterdam.
Kuala Tanjung, a proposed site for the new deep-sea port, is located near the city of Medan in the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping routes in the world.
The development of a deep sea port in Indonesia is consistent with the Port Authority’s foreign policy that, among other things, is focused on creating opportunities for Dutch companies abroad. Participation in port development in countries that are of interest to the port is one of the ways in which to achieve this.
This is why, in 2003, the Port Authority signed a joint venture with the Sultan of Oman – Sohar Industrial Port Company – for the development of the Port of Sohar, and also why it is focusing on developing Porto Central in Brazil.
Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo has made strengthening of the country’s maritime sector a spearhead of his policy in order to promote economic growth, and Kuala Tanjung is one of the main projects in the national maritime strategy.
