The five ports included Malahayati port in the regency of Aceh Besar, Belawan port of Medan in North Sumatra, Kuala Tanjung in the regency of Batubara, North Sumatra, Dumai port in Dumai in Riau.
They are part of 24 ports to be built and expanded all over the country until 2019 under the Sea Toll Road development program, the state port operator for western part of the country said.
"The five port project is included in our strategic program this year," Pelindo I chief spokesman Eriansyah said here on Sunday.
PT Pelindo I also have a number of other ports including Bagansiapiapi in the regency of Rokan Hilir, Riau and Gunung Sitoli on the island of Nias in the Indian ocean , North Sumatra.
"The two ports, however, are not included in the expansion and modernization program this year," Eriansyah said.
By the end of 2014, the transport ministry handed over expansion of 15 commercial ports this year to state port operators including Pelindo I, Pelindo II, Pelindo III and Pelindo IV.
The transport ministry is focused more to expansion of non commercial ports in isolated area to facilitate transport.
"The policy is to improve accessibility and to accelerate infrastructure development to end isolation of outer islands and backward ares," Hadi M Djuraid, a special staff at the transport ministry said.
Further development of the small ports would be handed over to the four state port operators, Hadi said
He said the transport ministry has set aside Rp492.571 billion in the 2015 state budget for the development and modernization of the 15 ports this year to be carried out by the four state port operators. .
Currently the country has 1,241 seaports and 112 of them are under the four state port operators and the rest are under the transport ministry through its Technical Executive Units (UPT).
(AS/H-YH)
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
