The Indonesian government is developing Makassar Port as a new import-export centre to reduce logistics costs to and from eastern Indonesia. Secretary General of the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub), Antoni Arif Priadi, has stated that shipments from the eastern region currently require passage through Jakarta or Surabaya prior to international trade, and vice versa. As a consequence, this has a significant impact on shipping and logistics costs and times. Makassar Port is now handling two million tonnes per year. This means goods can be sent directly to destinations like China, cutting transit times and logistics costs. At present, the project is in process, but the government has not yet released the details of the plan.
Infrastructure and Regional Development Coordinator AHY added that the government is overseeing the strengthening of sea transport and national connectivity to ensure fair capacity at regional docks, especially in the eastern region. The hub-and-spoke concept is one approach to unifying Indonesian regions that have been dependent on land transport, whilst many 3T (Frontier, Outermost, Deepest/Terdepan, Terluar, Terdalam) areas, as well as border regions, have not been optimally reached. Alongside economic and equity factors, environmental sustainability must also be considered in the development of the maritime transport sector. Key to addressing the challenges of climate change are decarbonisation and innovation in low-emission technology. Consequently, the government is encouraging ships and port infrastructure to become more environmentally friendly and digital.
