Pelabuhan Pulau Baai Bengkulu Dikunjungi Presiden SBY
President Yudhoyono Inspects Pulau Baai Seaport in Bengkulu
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
Jakarta (B2B) - Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) dan Ibu Ani Yudhoyono meninjau kawasan Pelabuhan Pulau Baai dalam kunjungan kerja ke Bengkulu, Sabtu.
Sebelum SBY berkeliling meninjau kawasan pelabuhan, Direktur PT Pelindo II RJ Lino menyampaikan paparan tentang kondisi pelabuhan dan rencana program.
"Kami masih berupaya mengeruk alur pelabuhan sehingga berfungsi optimal," kata RJ Lino.
Ia mengatakan kondisi alur masuk pelabuhan Pulau Baai pada 2007 cukup parah sehingga membuat pelabuhan itu nyaris tidak berfungsi.
PT Pelindo II mengambil alih pengerukan alur dan pada 2012 mulai menunjukkan perubahan positif dimana pasir yang menumpuk di alur sudah dapat disingkirkan.
"Saat ini kedalaman alur mencapai 13 meter dan merupakan pelabuhan terdalam di Pantai Barat Sumatera," katanya.
Ia mengatakan dengan berfungsinya alur masuk, bobot kapal yang masuk ke Pulau Baai juga semakin tinggi dan saat ini kapal kargo juga dapat dilayani.
Selain melayani batubara curah kering, di pelabuhan itu juga melayani kapal kargo yang membawa berbagai komoditas. "Termasuk kendaraan roda empat sudah dibawa lewat jalur laut, jumlahnya mencapai 1.500 unit per bulan," katanya.
Usai mendengar pemaparan dari Dirut PT Pelindo II, Presiden dan Ibu Negara menggunakan bus meninjau kompleks Pelabuhan Pulau Baai.
Selanjutnya kunjungan kerja Presiden di Bengkulu dilanjutkan dengan meninjau program Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) di RSUD M Yunus Bengkulu.
Jakarta (B2B) - President Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with First Lady Ani Yudhoyono inspected Pulau Baai seaport in Bengkulu during a working visit to the province on Saturday.
Before making a tour of the seaport, RJ Lino, Director of the port operator PT Pelindo II, briefed the president on the conditions of the port and his companys work plans.
"We also plan to continue dredging the seabed of the ports lane so that they would function optimally," RJ Lino said.
He said that conditions of the ports shipping lanes were poor in 2007 and the port was not functioning well.
PT Pelindo II then took over the dredging of the port and in 2012 conditions began improving.
"Now, the depth of the lane has reached 13 meters, and Pualu Baai port now has the deepest shipping lane in Sumatras western coast," he added.
He explained that ships of high tonnage, including cargo ships, now sail into the port.
Besides coal, cargo ships loading vehicles also use the port services. "Four wheel vehicles could now be transported through the port. The number of vehicles could reached 1,500 per month," he remarked.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono left Jakarta for Bengkulu province on Saturday morning to attend the commemoration of National Press Day on Sunday.
The President and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono left Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta for the capital of Bengkulu province at around 09.00 a.m. local time.
