Day: September 4, 2021

State-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya (Persero) is pursuing the completion of the joint operation project of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the development of the open access of Refinery Unit VII Kasim.

The refinery unit located in Seget sub-district, Sorong district, West Papua, belongs to state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina (Persero), with a contract value of Rp684 billion, an official informed.

“The open access development is a national strategic project which aims to maintain the supply and stock stability of crude oil, thus the fuel supply from the Refinery Unit VII Kasim to the Eastern regions of Indonesia — Maluku, Papua, and West Papua – can be sustained,” director of operations II at PT Hutama Karya (Persero), Ferry Febrianto, said in a written statement received here on Friday.

The scope of the company’s work in the project comprises all EPC phases of four oil tanks, with a capacity of 110 mega barrel each, a jetty with a capacity of 50 thousand dead weight tons along with supporting facilities, as well as a piping network, he informed.

However, there are several challenges the company is facing in finishing the project, Febrianto said.

“The main challenge is the remoteness of the construction site, which makes it difficult to get materials, tools, as well as 500 manpower needed for the project. However, by using the existing jetty closest to the site, the supply of the materials and tools has been facilitated,” he said.

The company is not only focusing on project development, but also on its corporate social responsibility towards the local community by improving the roads used by residents, PT Pertamina, as well as construction material transport providers, he informed. The project has also created job opportunities and absorbed the local workforce, and the company has launched a human capital program to optimize the potential of Papuan youth, he added.

PT Hutama Karya (Persero) is also “grateful” and always open for support from various parties to complete the project successfully, Febrianto said.

Meanwhile, in carrying out the work, the company is consistently implementing the zero-working accident and COVID-19 prevention protocols, he added. The company is ensuring that all employees involved in the project have been vaccinated against COVID-19, he informed.

The open access development project is being carried out with the use of floating roof technology in storage tanks to minimize evaporation output to maintain emission, in accordance with regulatory compliance, Febrianto said.

The company is optimistic that the development begun on January 22, 2021 can be completed on time and in accordance with the specifications and planned targets by the end of 2022, he added.

The project is expected to provide benefits and improve the economy of the people in the eastern regions of Indonesia, he said.

Source: Antara News

Chief Strategic Communication Officer of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association, Happy Harinto, affirmed that sports events in an area can drive development of the surrounding tourist areas, including the Mandalika Circuit, West Nusa Tenggara.

The circuit will host the World Superbike series on November 12-14, 2021, and MotoGP on February 11-13, 2022.

Harinto highlighted that his side was working incessantly to make preparations for the circuit to welcome the prestigious motorcycle racing event. Facilities and infrastructure are still being prepared to support the event, including the construction of a five-star hotel.

“Later, along with the MotoGP, it will definitely help to develop (tourism around Mandalika),” he emphasized.

Sporting events will have a positive impact on tourism development in the area around Mandalika, including Bali.

“This has tremendous impacts on the tourism industry,” Harinto stated.

Harinto cited as an example the Buriram Circuit, Thailand, located 400 kilometers from Bangkok, which can attract motorcycle enthusiasts as tourists to visit the region. Harinto is optimistic that the Mandalika Circuit would also attract more tourists. Although the construction of accommodations, especially hotels, in Mandalika is far from complete, he is upbeat that this motorcycle racing event would continue to attract enthusiasts.

“They could travel to Mandalika. Lodging is not a big issue. They can camp or choose a homestay to live in, while the rest are watching the race or exploring the Mandalika area,” Harinto informed.

The Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) expects the government to immediately issue regulations on the permit for spectators to attend the World Superbike and MotoGP events at the Mandalika Circuit, West Nusa Tenggara.

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing forms of tourism. In Indonesia, this form of tourism grows six percent annually, with a value of US$600 billion, or contributes 25 percent of the total revenue of the national travel and tourism industry, based on data from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has encouraged Indonesian youth to develop sports tourism activities based on local wisdom, so that not only the destination but also the local culture will help to drive the economy and create more job opportunities.

Last July, Uno remarked that sports tourism is a new tourism trend that has a fairly large market. In Indonesia, growth could reach nearly Rp18.790 trillion until 2024.

The COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in altering tourism trends wherein tourists are more keen on undertaking small-scale tours for conducting outdoor activities, driven by increased tourist awareness of health, cleanliness, safety, and environmental sustainability. (

Source: Antara News

The presence of Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) should not harm the businesses of local residents, according to Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar.

“I always emphasize that the business units developed by BUMDes should not interfere with or harm the businesses run by local residents,” Iskandar stated during his visit to one of the Pertashop gas stations owned by BUMDes Sukses Makmur in Jemirahan Village, Sidoarjo District, on Friday.

BUMDes are currently being encouraged to become the agents of state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina (Persero) in various villages.

However, their presence may not disrupt the existing businesses of residents but rather boost the welfare of the community. “Furthermore, I urged all regional heads to not easily offer business permits to modern supermarkets in villages, as it will directly impact community-owned grocery stores,” the minister stated.

Meanwhile, Iskandar supports the policy implemented by the Sidoarjo district government, as it had been selective in granting business permits to supermarkets that were looking to gain a foothold in villages.

“The government of Sidoarjo District has done well, as modern markets are not allowed to open in villages and only at the city level,” he noted.

Furthermore, Iskandar informed that the Pertashop in Jemirahan Village had been running for three months with two workers. Its daily gross income reached Rp1.8 million, while its daily net income was recorded at Rp170 thousand.

The visit was a follow-up to the attempts to expedite the nation’s economic recovery at the village level conducted by the ministry along with the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry.

Source: Antara News

Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti, has asserted the importance of village development for realizing equitable development, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As the regional representative, DPD is committed to supporting various programs related to the development and the empowerment of villages,” LaNyala said while attending the MoU signing and the unveiling of the Golden Village Program in MS Town Beach, Pesawaran district, Lampung on Saturday..

This is in order to make village residents prosper, especially amid COVID-19, when unity is needed, starting from the village as Indonesia’s most fundamental and smallest government unit, he added.

He opined that the birth of the Law No. 6 of 2014 regarding villages has provided a new perspective and concept of village development.

The village is no longer an object whose life is dependent on stimulus from the central government, rather, it is now the subject of development, he explained.

“Our villages are now government units that could move the people’s socio-economic lives. This role is known as develop village and village develop,” LaNyala elaborated.

He added that Indonesia has a vast territory and large population, much like China.

However, China is better than Indonesia in every sector, which is why Indonesia has to learn from that country, he remarked.

“Indonesia needs new strategies and approaches in order to make the people prosper much like what China has done,” he asserted.

LaNyala i pointed out that one strategy that could be used is massive job generation by developing villages through farming.

“Because the farming sector does not need a high skill requirement for its human resources,” he added.

Source: Antara News

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has declared Untung Jawa Island Tourist Village, South Kepulauan Seribu district, Jakarta, as the nation’s 50th best tourist village during the Indonesia Tourist Villages Awards (ADWI) 2021.

In a written statement released here on Saturday, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno stated that he hopes that the tourist destination in the island can promptly recover the people’s economy.

“This day fills me with emotion and pride since I used to mentor Untung Jawa Island, and for that I say congratulations. This is something that we have to prepare immediately, because job opening depends on tourism and the creative economy,” Uno remarked.

With this, Untung Jawa Island can compete with other world-class tourist villages such as Penglipuran Tourist Village, Bali, which is known to be the cleanest tourist village in the world, he said. There are also the Jatiluwih Tourist Village in Tabanan, Bali, Nglanggeran Tourist Village in Gunung Kidul district and Pentingsari Tourist Village in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, he added.

“These villages are world class, but as it turns out, tourist villages in the capital city, namely Setu Babakan and Untung Jawa Island, bear an extraordinary potential,” Uno said.

He expressed the hope that Untung Jawa, as well as the other island, can live up to Kepulauan Seribu’s tagline, which is ‘Thousand Island, Thousand Beauty’.

“I pray that the tourism and creative economy can immediately recover and revive, create jobs, and make the people prosper,” he said.

While visiting Untung Jawa Island, he had said that the reopening of the tourism sector is dependent on the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccinations.

It also hinges on the implementation of strict health protocols by citizens, tourism destination managers, and tourists, he added.

Source: Antara News