Jakarta finally cans Cilamaya Port project

Vice President Jusuf Kalla was quoted in local media as saying that the government needed to build a new port but it would not be in Cilamaya, adding that it is looking for a better location in the eastern part of West Java in Subang or Indramayu.

“The government has decided to conduct a fast port construction, but its location will move from Cilamaya to the eastern area in Subang or Indramayu,” he said.

Kalla said the main reason to move the new port’s location to another regency was because waters in the area were already crowded by offshore drilling rigs and oil tankers transporting crude oil to Jakarta and other cities.“Pushing ahead with the [Cilamaya] project may prove to be dangerous,” Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters in Karawang district after an aerial tour of the proposed location.

“There’s a high likelihood that ships can hit rigs — it’s just far too risky. As in oil and gas facilities, safety must be the primary concern when building a port.”

IDR34.5trn ($2.6bn) has already been allocated to construct a new port, as the main Tanjung Priok Port has been suffering from congestion for years now.