Townsville Port, IPC Sign MoU
Northern Australia’s largest general cargo port, the Port of Townsville, will today sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Persero) or the Indonesia Port Corporation (IPC).
The agreement will be signed at the Indonesian-Australian Business Forum in Canberra, witnessed by the Australian Government’s Hon Andrew Robb AO MP, Minister for Trade and Investment, H.E. Ms Susi Pudjiastuti, Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Republic of Indonesia, and H.E. Mr Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia for Australia.
IPC is a state-owned corporation responsible for the governance, maintenance and operation of 12 ports in Indonesia; currently undertaking more than USD 6 billion in projects to expand infrastructure, reduce shipping delays and boost trade.
Sister port relationships are important to strengthen trade and development opportunities between respective countries and allow for the sharing of information and knowledge about port infrastructure
improvement, port operations, environmental systems and technologies.
Port of Townsville Limited (POTL) Chief Executive Officer Ranee Crosby said that the signing of the MOU was an important step for the Townsville port and would lead to a valuable strategic relationship
with IPC that will provide both ports, and countries, with greater insights into growth opportunities.
“This is the first sister port agreement an Australian port has signed with an Indonesian port and we expect the partnership will facilitate knowledge exchanges that will be beneficial to both entities,” she
said.
“Indonesia is an important trading partner for Townsville; key exports to our Asian neighbour include sugar, livestock (cattle), general cargo and refined metals, and imports of general cargo and urea fertiliser.”
“Indonesia has a population about ten times the size of Australia and the relationship that has been officially recognised today will have long term benefits for North Queensland.”
“There are significant trade growth opportunities for our ports and the partnership we now have with IPC will help us to fully realise these.”
Since trade began in the 1990s, more than 800,000 live cattle have been shipped to Indonesia from the Port of Townsville; last financial year Indonesia imported more than 177,000 head.
Mr RJ Lino, President Director of IPC said that today’s signing would be the start of a comprehensive operation between the two entities.
“The MOU signing is intended to mark the start of a more comprehensive cooperation between POTL and IPC Group, especially as IPC Group is initiating and undertaking a number of high-impact port projects all across Indonesia, including the greenfield of Sorong. Our intention is to extend the cooperation to include port partners and customers of both port companies to optimize value creation,” he said.
