Jakarta, July 3, 2023 – For the first time, on the same day, IPC Terminal Petikemas/IPC TPK served two new services by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The vessels MV MSC Elizabeth III and MV MSC Ida II berthed at Terminal 3 of Tanjung Priok Port, marking the presence of the Direct Services to two countries, China and Vietnam. These two new services are named Sea Horse Service and Lang Co Service.
“This service is launched to drive the growth of Indonesia’s export-import activities with its largest trading partner, China, as well as with an ASEAN country, Vietnam,” said Guna Mulyana, CEO of IPC TPK.
During January-March 2023, exports to China reached US$ 16.58 billion, a 26.7% increase, while imports were recorded at US$ 15.34 billion, a decrease of 3.6%. Indonesia still maintained a surplus of US$ 1.24 billion in trade with China for the first quarter of 2023. However, this surplus in Indonesia’s trade balance with China is expected to decrease in April 2023. On the other hand, the total trade between Indonesia and Vietnam has shown an upward trend in the past 5 years. The introduction of the Direct Service from Indonesia to Vietnam is expected to help the government reach the trade target of US$ 15 billion or Rp 221 trillion by 2028.
MV MSC Ida II and MV Elizabeth III successfully berthed at Terminal 3 on Wednesday (June 28) at 13:00 WIB. Both services have different destinations. The Lang Co Service serves the route from Jakarta to Batangas-Manila North Harbour-Nansha-Shekou-Qui Nhon with MV MSC Ida II, while the Sea Horse Service serves the route from Jakarta to Singapore-Tanjung Pelepas-Qinzhou-Hong Kong-Shanghai with MV MSC Elizabeth III. These services become the 3rd and 4th services in the year 2023.
MV MSC Ida II, with a Length Overall (LOA) of 195 meters, unloaded and loaded 836 TEUs of containers. MV MSC Elizabeth III, with an LOA of 210 meters, unloaded and loaded 1,504 TEUs of containers. Both services were conducted simultaneously without any waiting time (Berthing on Arrival).
“The declining Chinese economy has had a negative impact on Indonesia, as China is a major trading partner. The introduction of these new services is expected to facilitate the government in boosting the export figures of both countries and create business opportunities for entrepreneurs to expand their market share directly to China and Vietnam without the need for transit through neighboring countries. This step is our main focus in reducing Port Stay and Cargo Stay time at the port,” concluded Guna.