REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABAYA -- East Java's vessel imports climbed to US$284.249 million in May 2015 from US$7.015 million a month earlier due to high demand.

"The surge was boosted by the high demand for goods among the port community in East Java," chief of the statistic and distribution section of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Office in East Java Satrio Wibowo said here on Tuesday.

The vessel imports accounted for nearly 20.10 percent of the total non-oil/non-gas imports in May 2015. The vessel imports were mostly dominated by lightship, fire rescue boats, and floating crane.

The import of warships was valued at US$2.027 billion and that of passenger ships at US$823.946 million.

"The vessels were imported from Singapore. The imports raised the position of Singapore as the country of origin of imported goods," he noted.

The surge in vessel imports was not caused by any annual cycle, since the import of vessels could not be predicted, he observed.

Overall, East Java recorded a deficit of US$245.13 million in its foreign trade last May, he added.

In May, East Java's exports stood at US$1.509 billion, down 5.31 percent from US$1.593 billion in April. The exports were mostly of jewelry valued at US$256.12 million.

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