BATAM, Riau Islands – The management agency of the Batam Free Trade Zone and Free Port (BP Batam), Riau Islands, and Malaysia’s Johor Bahru government have strengthened bilateral ties to enhance economic cooperation between the two regions.
A bilateral meeting was held at the BP Batam Office here on Saturday. BP Batam head Muhammad Rudi said that the two parties discussed increasing connectivity between the two regions at the meeting.
According to him, the development of a Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) ship route between Batam and Johor is expected to increase connectivity, thereby supporting Batam city’s economy.
“The opening of the (Batam-Johor) Ro-Ro route is our priority. Because the sooner we realize it, the faster the economies of the two regions will grow. Earlier, the Chief Minister of Johor (Onn Hafiz Ghazi) had said that further discussions will be held,” he informed.
The two will further discuss the preparation of Ro-Ro infrastructure, while at the same time, Batam is improving its port supporting facilities, he added.
During the meeting, Rudi also discussed the plan to build a new terminal at the Batam Center Point International Ferry Terminal for the convenience of foreign tourists traveling between Batam and Johor.
“The development of Batam Center Port is dedicated to boosting the tourism sector. In addition, the number of Indonesian workers in Johor is quite large, so I think this development will be beneficial for them,” he said.
He expressed the hope that the meeting results can be forwarded to the relevant agencies in Malaysia to encourage the acceleration of infrastructure development in Batam and Johor.
After the meeting with BP Batam, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that his administration will follow up on the preparations to open the Batam-Johor Ro-Ro ship route, both in terms of infrastructure, preparedness, and agreement at the leadership level.
