Land transportation remains the dominant mode of transport in Indonesia, yet sea transportation continues to experience promising growth year after year.
The maritime transport sector has been undergoing rapid development recently. Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) shows that the five main ports in Indonesia—Belawan, Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Perak, Balikpapan, and Makassar—handled 86.8 million tons of goods in 2023.
This figure has increased from 72.4 million tons in 2017, with an average annual growth rate of 3 percent.
Professor Danang Parikesit, senior researcher at the UGM Central for Transportation and Logistics Studies (Pustral UGM) and lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM), that sea transport’s growing importance requires adequate infrastructure and facilities.
One crucial element is ports, which serve as key nodes in Indonesia’s logistics chain.
Ports play a vital role in building interregional connectivity. Nationally, they link various islands and regions across Indonesia, supporting economic equity through trade and logistics distribution.
Globally, Indonesian ports have the potential to become hubs connecting many countries, including the Middle East, Europe, and China.
“This potential must be optimized for Indonesia to compete with developed nations in the port sector as a global maritime axis,” he remarked at UGM on Saturday (Nov. 2), responding to the launch of the Kapita Selekta Book Series on Port Development in Indonesia on Oct. 12 at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
According to Professor Parikesit, various strategies must be implemented to improve port performance. One of these involves enhancing human resources by expanding knowledge of port management.
One key resource for human resource development is relevant literature addressing Indonesia’s specific challenges.
“The publication of books on port development is a concrete step to support this strategy. We are grateful that Pelindo, in collaboration with Pustral UGM, initiated the publication of the Kapita Selekta Book Series on Port Development in Indonesia,” he explained.
The Kapita Selekta Pengembangan Pelabuhan di Indonesia book series consists of three volumes, namely Buku 1: Perspektif Kebijakan Pengembangan Pelabuhan di Indonesia (Indonesia Port Development Policy Perspectives), Buku 2: Pengelolaan Pelabuhan Berkelanjutan (Sustainable Port Management), and Buku 3: Aspek Teknis dalam Pengembangan Pelabuhan (Technical Aspects of Port Development).
The Kapita Selekta series comprises 25 chapters involving 58 authors from 23 institutions, including domestic and international universities, government agencies, private sectors, and state-owned enterprises.
The books have undergone a rigorous review process and are accountable through peer review by leading academics, practitioners, regulators, and reviewers from Pelindo, who have deep expertise in port operations.
The entire process lasted approximately six months, involving three workshops with authors, editors, and reviewers and consignment processes for final editorial adjustments.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afif