Port of Townsville and IPC Become Sisters

Northern Australia’s general cargo port, the Port of Townsville, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indonesia Port Corporation (IPC) at the Indonesian-Australian Business Forum in Canberra.

“This is the first sister port agreement an Australian port has signed with an Indonesian port and we expect the partnership will facilitate knowledge exchanges that will be beneficial to both entities,” Port of Townsville Limited (POTL) Chief Executive Officer Ranee Crosby said. “Indonesia is an important trading partner for Townsville.”

Crosby added that the signing of the MOU was an important step for the Townsville port and would lead to a valuable strategic relationship with IPC that will provide both ports, and countries, with greater insights into growth opportunities.

“There are significant trade growth opportunities for our ports and the partnership we now have with IPC will help us to fully realise these.”

Sister port relationships are important to strengthen trade and development opportunities between respective countries and allow for the sharing of information and knowledge about port infrastructure improvement, port operations, environmental systems and technologies.

“The MOU signing is intended to mark the start of a more comprehensive cooperation between POTL and IPC Group, especially as IPC Group is initiating and undertaking a number of high-impact port projects all across Indonesia, including the greenfield of Sorong. Our intention is to extend the cooperation to include port partners and customers of both port companies to optimize value creation,” RJ Lino, President Director of IPC said.

IPC is a state-owned corporation responsible for the governance, maintenance and operation of 12 ports in Indonesia; currently undertaking more than USD 6 billion in projects to expand infrastructure, reduce shipping delays and boost trade.