DPR reviews South Sumatra ports as Boom Baru utilisation sits near 30 percent
A House commission working visit found Pelindo's regional control room tracking vessels and yard density in real time, while consolidation of container and conventional cargo into Tanjung Carat awaits headquarters' direction.
House of Representatives Commission VII member Bambang Haryo Soekartono reviewed three logistics nodes in South Sumatra over two days in early November. At Boom Baru port in Palembang, the reported load factor stands at roughly 30 percent, leaving room for capacity, and the legislator asked that the port be maximized so it does not compete destructively with the planned Tanjung Carat hub. Pelindo Regional 2 officials said the initial plan is to concentrate container, conventional and non-containerized cargo at Tanjung Carat under Pelindo's management, but the decision awaits direction from headquarters.
The visit also surfaced two operational facts: the Musi river's sedimentation requires regular dredging, and Tanjung Api-Api's navigation channel has shoaled badly, with the House pressing the transport ministry to dredge before the year-end holiday surge. Pelindo's regional office showcased its Integrated Planning and Control Room, a digital command center monitoring vessel movements, cargo handling and yard density in real time. The consolidation scenario, if approved, would shift documentation and coordination flows for South Sumatra shippers toward a single port zone integrated with industrial estates and a freight rail line.