Spire talks about investment opportunities in Indonesia

Spire was honored to participate in the 6th Southeast Asia Port Expansion Summit, Malaysia, 2019. The event was held on 10th – 11th July in Kuala Lumpur. Ashiva Humaira, Assistant Manager, Spire Research and Consulting, Indonesia and Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Spire Research and Consulting Group, shared insights on investment opportunities in private ports for non-containerized cargo in Indonesia.

Bahar discussed that by 2024, non-containerized cargo volume is predicted to grow by 11 per cent, 80 per cent of which would be through privately owned ports. This growth will be supported by factors such as the positive economic environment, no restrictions on high volumes of export cargo and rising demand for coal and Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Indonesia’s main resources and the two leading trading commodities.

Based on volume, 57 per cent of the non-containerized cargo is handled by state owned ports. Kaltim, Adaro and Marunda Center Terminal are the top three private companies with the largest volume. Coal, oil and gas are the major commodities distributed from these special purpose terminals.

Policy consistency and greater predictability in port business licensing is needed to address the concerns of the private sector. Bahar also discussed how port businesses require adequate access to capital, business licenses and plans to manage unforeseen operational investments.

Ashiva joined a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities in major port building and expansion projects in Southeast Asia.

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