Belgium's DEME keen on West Java port project

“DEME is one of many other companies from Belgium wanting to invest in the new port development,” Tillekaerts was quoted on the sidelines of a visit by Princess Astrid of Belgium to Bandung to witness the signing of a letter of intent between Wallonia, a region in Belgium, and the West Java provincial administration.

DEME has experience in developing major ports, such as building infrastructure in Dubai and land reclamation in Singapore, Tillekaerts said.

There already is a small port in Patimban, and it has the potential to be expanded up to 200 hectares or more, with Subang government administrators reviewing the city's plans to see how to accommodate a new terminal expected to have a capacity of between 6.6-7m teu a year, according to Transportation Ministry data.  

Patimban also has an 8km access road from the port to the Munduraya section of the north coast main road. Patimban Port is to be a replacement port in the region for the ill-fated Cilamaya Port in Karawang, West Java, which was scrapped because of concerns it would affect the expansion of state-run oil and gas firm Pertamina’s nearby offshore operations. The government has moved the project further east.

However West Java Deputy Governor Deddy Mizwar was coy on actual project details, declining to reveal the exact location where the new port will be developed and only saying that the location would be between Subang and Indramayu. “Those are the possible places to build a new port,” he said.