JAKARTA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday presided over the soft launching and initial operation of the Japanese-funded Patimban deep sea port, located some 120 kilometers east of Jakarta.

Widodo said that with the completion of the first phase of Patimban International Port in Subang Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia’s exports, including autos, to the global market are expected to increase.

In November 2017, the Japanese government signed an agreement with Indonesia to finance the first phase of the port development project with a soft loan of some 119 billion yen.

The port has a current capacity for 3.75 million 20-foot-long cargo containers or their equivalent, while its car terminal can accommodate 218,000 completely built-up units, or CBUs.

Its capacities are expected to increase to 7 million containers and 600,000 CBUs upon the completion of the third phase in 2027.

Also on Sunday, Widodo, participating in the ceremony virtually, witnessed the first shipment of 140 Toyota, Daihatsu and Suzuki cars to Brunei from the new port.

Patimban, designated as a national strategic project, is expected to facilitate the country’s exports by boosting time efficiency and lowering logistics costs.

It will ease heavy congestion on roads to Tanjung Priok port, a major export base north of Jakarta.

The new port is located in the east of industrial parks in and around Bekasi Regency, where Japanese automakers and car parts manufacturers are building an industrial cluster.