Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday presided over the soft launching and initial operation of the Japanese-funded Patimban deep sea port in Subang, West Java.
Widodo said that with the completion of the first phase of the Patimban International Port — designated as a national strategic project— Indonesia's exports, including autos, to the global market are expected to increase.
Funded by a Japanese official development assistance loan amounting to 14.2 trillion rupiah ($968.5 million) for the first phase, the port is expected to facilitate the country's exports by boosting time efficiency and lowering logistics costs.
The port has a current capacity for 3.75 million 20-foot-long cargo containers or their equivalent, and its car terminal can accommodate 218,000 completely built-up units, or CBUs. Its capacity is expected to increase to 7 million containers and 600,000 CBUs upon the completion of the third phase in 2027.
Also on Sunday, through a virtual online ceremony, the president witnessed the first shipment of 140 Toyota, Daihatsu and Suzuki cars to Brunei from the new port.
The port is located near Karawang industrial estate, where many Japanese companies operate.