Maersk Line has launched the first overseas shipping service to call at the Port of Bitung in East Indonesia, linking local shippers to the global trade routes through Malaysia's big transshipment Port of Tanjung Pelepas.
Previously, it took 12 days for exports to be shipped via local feeders that would call first at Jakarta before heading for Tanjung Pelepas. Now it takes seven days.
The biweekly service runs on a 32-day rotation covering the ports of Tanjung Pelepas, Torres Strait, Port Moresby, Port Noro, Lae, Bitung and back to Tanjung Pelepas.
"We have been operating in Indonesia for more than 50 years, and it is one of the growth markets we are focusing on in the region," said Maersk country manager Jakob Sorensen.
"While the areas around western Indonesia are more developed, we see opportunities in increasing exports out of the eastern part of Indonesia," said Mr Sorensen.
Bitung Port is expected to connect the inter-islands of East Indonesia and facilitate the trade of main commodities that have the potential of being exported to the world. This includes fish, coconuts and wood, Shipping Gazette informs.