Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Indonesian government will develop the Ambon New Port for integrated fisheries center in Maluku province, said Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi in a press statement after attending a limited meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo at the Presidential Palace here on Monday (March 29).

"At the president's directives, we will carry out a solicited development. This means that the government will begin to acquire 200 hectares of land and prepare basic infrastructures. After that the government will set up a cooperation scheme between the government and the private sectors,” the minister said.

According to him, eastern Indonesia, including Maluku, has great potentials as a national fish zone, but so far this has not been explored optimally as the port and industrial areas have not been integrated.

Budi Karya said that the construction of the Ambon New Port is expected to be completed within two years. During this transitional period, the government will optimize the functions of the existing port.

"We want to restructure the methods of calculating fishing, so that within two years we can function two ports in Ambon, namely Yos Sudarso Port and Fishery Port," he said.

According to the minister, the construction of the Ambon New Port's basic infrastructures will use the national state budget. Meanwhile, the additional infrastructure development will use the government and the private sector scheme.

The development of Ambon New Port carries the concept of an integrated port, with international and domestic container terminals, roll-on-roll-off terminals, fishing ports (auction and fish processing sites), logistics industrial areas, as well as LNG terminals and power plants, with a total length of the pier of 1,000 meters (ultimate).

The development of the Ambon New Port is very much needed considering the location of the old Ambon Port is currently in the center of trade, settlements and other urban public facilities, making it difficult to expand.

Other conditions that urge the development of the Ambon New Port is the dense shipping access of Ambon Bay, while the capacity of the existing cargo and container port will reach its maximum level in 10-15 years, and the fishing port has reached its maximum capacity.

Reporting by Indonesia Window