INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) aims to build 39 seaports and 70 pioneer ships by 2018. The funding for the two projects comes from the state budget of 2018.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said the port development and procurement of pioneer vessels is one of the development focus in 2018.

 "[Ports and pioneer ships] To improve the smoothness of the distribution of goods and mobility of human beings as well as to support and develop sea toll programs," Budi Karya explained in a press release to the media crew recently.

In general, the Ministry of Transportation has a total budget ceiling of 2018 of Rp 48.187 trillion. According to Budi Karya, the amount is down Rp298, 507 billion compared to the indicative ceiling of Fiscal Year 2018.

The decrease is sourced from the Foreign Debt Withdrawal Plan in Bandung Urban Railway Transport Development project, Electrification Padalarang-Cicalengka Line (PLN / AFD & PLN / Natixis) and Engineering Services for Jakarta MRT East-West Line Project Phase I (PLN / JICA).

Implementing Duty of Directorate General of Sea Transportation Bay M. Hasani, said next year Kemenhub plans to open a new route that will be the escort of sea toll routes. The route will be served by 15 Kemenhub pioneer ships where the ships are currently still in construction. "The operator we can auction or assignment," he said.

In addition to combining inter-mode connectivity, Kemenhub also initiated a logistics center called Rumah Kita. Kemenhub took state-owned enterprises such as Bulog and PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia in developing the logistics center.

The development of the logistics center is expected to stimulate local economic development so that in the long term the low returns can still slowly increase.

 The three sea toll routes to date still print nil loads while the other seven routes record a charge back below 50% of the carrying capacity.