Indonesia floats port expansion to boost economy

Jakarta

CONTAINER ships dot the horizon off the coast of Jakarta, as cranes and labourers work on an ambitious, economy-boosting project to expand the port network in the world's largest archipelago nation.

New Priok will be Indonesia's biggest port once completed, and is one of 24 ports planned to overhaul maritime connections in South-east Asia's top economy, which comprises more than 17,000 islands.

President Joko Widodo is leading efforts to improve dilapidated maritime infrastructure in a country where ships face lengthy delays before berthing and goods can get stuck for days as they run a gauntlet of government agency checks.

"This is no longer a wish, but a necessity," Mr Joko recently said of improving ports after Indonesian growth hit a six-year low of 4.7 per cent in the first quarter, a bl…