National Maritime Institute: What Indonesia needs to do to become stronger in shipping

Siswanto Rusdi is the founding director of the National Maritime Institute, a nine-year-old independent think-tank with firm ideas on how this giant archipelago can up its game shipping wise. Among the original founders of the institute are a journalist (Rusdi), a naval architect and a retired Indonesia Navy officer.

Arguably, the institute’s primacy has never been more relevant than now. President Joko Widodo came to power two years ago promising a dramatic build-up in the archipelago’s maritime infrastructure, and the creation of a sea highway.

The institute is providing its take on where this infrastructure spending should go.

“As such, there are no voices calling for the improvement of domestic port business, local shipping and other aspects in the media in the form of articles and media interviews,” Rusdi says.

Rusdi is lobbying the government to cut interest rates for shipping as well as simplifying the tax system for the sector.

A proper coast guard also needs to be established, Rusdi argues, to stop crimes at sea.