REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo has said he would ban import of ships because shipbuilding industry in the country is already capable of producing them.

"Orders abroad will no longer be allowed. Why should we order abroad while we are already able to build them," he said during a dialog with shipbuilding industrialists at PT Anggrek Hitam shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands, during a working visit to the region on Sunday.

He said after visiting shipbuilding industries in Batam, he now knew that domestic industries were really able to build ships.

"Later I will ask for the list of ships needed by state-owned companies, ministries and institutions," he said.

The President said PT Anggrek Hitam has been able to build all kinds of ships from passenger ship, roll-on roll-off ferry ship, cargo ship, tanker and others.

"We can build them by ourselves," Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi stated.

He said shipbuilding industry in the country must be given serious attention as the country has set a target of building a maritime axis through sea toll road development to improve connectivity.

"In Batam there are 104 shipbuilding industries. After returning from here I will gather officials from state-owned companies, the ministry of defense, the ministry of transportation, the ministry of fisheries and marine resources, state-owned oil company PT Pertamina, gas company PN Gas and (order them) to no longer order ships from abroad," he said.

He said local contents in the domestic product perhaps were still around 40 percent but he believed in stages they would increase.

"When I visited Korea I was stunned. Here I was stunned more after knowing because ships can also be built here. Industries here can also build a 17,500 DWT tanker. So, I have no more doubt," he added.

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