An Indian investment company Bothra Group has surveyed a location for building a passenger port in Paumako, Timika, in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua.
Valkyn Clive D’mello, the president director of Jaldhi Marine Services of the Bothra Group, said Jaldhi has surveyed the Paumauko harbor.
The company hopes for support from the district administration to build the seaport in Paumako, D’mello told ANTARA News in Timika.
“We are interested in cooperating with the Mimika district administration to build an international class port in Paumako. We believe if Timika has a good port, the district economy would grow rapidly,” he said.
Jaldhi Marine Services has a four-year old representative office in Jakarta and its expertise is in building fertilizer, coal, oil and container ports and warehouses in India as well as in Africa and America.
Kakinada port in on the east coast of India is one of its landmark projects. Currently, it is building a seaport in Indonesia at Jambi, Sumatra.
“The condition in Kakinanda is almost the same as in Timika. Previously Kakinanda was a small town without port. But after the port has been in operation the city grew fast in economy. Timika is highly potential, therefore, we are interested in building an international port there,” D’mello said.
The passenger port would cost between Rp500 billion and Rp1 trillion.
Welcoming the Indian investor’s interest in the port project, Mimika Regent Eltinus Omaleng said “We have already provided the location. They only need to invest in Timika.”
Paumako harbor is one of the busiest ports in Papua. But it needs to be developed into an international port. It is presently the main source of imports for the people in the interior districts.
Mimika shares borders with 15 other regencies including Asmat, Yahukimo, Nduga, Intan Jaya, Puncak, Puncak Jaya, Paniai, Deiyai and Dogiyai and all essential goods needed by the districts are supplied via Timika.
The Paumako port is being upgraded to a special cargo port while the Indian investor has proposed a passenger port which could be readied by 2017 at the earliest.
fii-news.com
