REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PONTIANAK -- President Joko Widodo inspected the Pontianak container port on Kapuas river in West Kalimantan during his visit to the region to inaugurate the Equator Carnival event on Saturday.

"This is unlike our five other big ports where most cargo is domestic and loading and unloading can be done in just two days or faster," he said.

He was accompanied by First Lady Iriana and a number of officials, including the Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, Oesman Sapta, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Rizal Ramli, Minister of National Development Planning/Head of National Development Planning Board, Sofyan Djalil, Education Minister, Anies Baswedan and West Kalimantan Governor Cornelis.

The President hoped that the flow of goods and services from and to West Kalimantan through the port could be further improved.

He said if the dwelling time was hindering business as in many other ports, it could be shortened by improving the management of the Pontianak port, which could help it become a strategic port in Kalimantan.

Widodo added that going forward the Pontianak port would become a river port, while Kijing would remain the sea port, whose development is expected to be finished in two and a half years.

"We will develop a new port in Kijing spread over an area of 5,000 hectares," he said.

He added that an international seaport facing the high seas would also be built on the coast of Kijing.

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