ASIATODAY.ID, DENPASAR – Indonesia is hosting the 47th ASEAN Ports Association (APA) Meeting, an annual agenda that brings together port authorities and operators from 9 countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Indonesian participation is represented by Pelindo, which is also the organizer of the activity which will be held at The Stones Hotel Legian Bali during 14-16 November 2023.
APA was formed in 1974 as a manifestation of the collective desire of ports in ASEAN to foster friendship, expand support and cooperation to advance port interests.
The APA Meeting is an important forum in this association, as a place for relevant port officials to meet and share experiences in port development, operation and management, as well as promotion/facilitation of cooperation between ASEAN ports.
On this occasion, also present were the Director General of Sea Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of Indonesia, Antoni Arif Priadi, Director of Human Resources & General Affairs of Pelindo Ihsanuddin Usman, Chairman of the ASEAN Ports Association Bui Van Quy, as well as 55 delegates from 9 member countries of port associations in the Asian region Southeast.
Antoni said that Indonesia is actively working with ASEAN partners to improve port connectivity and efficiency.
“Collaboration between members of the ASEAN Ports Association has the potential to offer many benefits for the country and region as a whole, especially to improve connectivity, logistics efficiency, safety and security, knowledge transfer, environmental sustainability and innovation,” said Antoni, quoted in a Pelindo press release.
On the same occasion, Bui Van Quy said that the Southeast Asian region had managed to recover more quickly from the impact of the pandemic compared to global trends, although the recovery was not uniform across the region or in every country.
“To face current and future maritime challenges, ASEAN is focusing on digital innovation, decarbonization, and environmentally friendly and sustainable infrastructure to accelerate growth patterns and become a leading regional center in global trade,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ihsanuddin Usman conveyed the importance of concentrating discussions on several main areas for collaboration, namely increasing connectivity, reducing logistics costs and stimulating economic growth.
“The ASEAN region is in a strategic position, full of challenges and opportunities. Connectivity, reducing logistics costs and achieving sustainable economic growth are important aspects that unite us all. The port industry plays a critical role in that effort, and I am confident that by working together, we can make great progress in achieving our shared goals. This is also in line with the message conveyed by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo at the ASEAN Summit last September, namely, don’t make the ASEAN region an arena for rivalry, but make it a space for growth, cooperation to create prosperity, create stability, which is beneficial not only for the region. but also for the world,” added Ihsanuddin.
This activity was filled with a number of discussion sessions and presentations on topics such as port performance, port security, digitalization and sustainability, and port innovation. Apart from sharing best practices, this meeting also provided an opportunity to strengthen relationships between the delegates.
Apart from that, the delegates will be invited to visit the Bali Maritime Tourism Hub (BMTH) which is prepared to be an anchor in building tourism connectivity in Indonesia, then visit Penglipuran Village, a village supported by Pelindo which last October received a sustainable tourism award and was selected as one of the The world’s best tourist village according to the United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). (AT Network)