Makassar. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo officially inaugurated the Makassar New Port, the largest port serving the eastern region of Indonesia, in the city of Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday.

He mentioned that the Rp 5.4 trillion ($346.5 million) port is expected to reduce logistics costs in the eastern part of Indonesia.

"Makassar New Port is the second-largest after Tanjung Priok. With a depth of 16 meters, it is also one of the deepest ports, very suitable for large container ships to dock," Jokowi said.

Jokowi recalled that a decade ago, logistics costs in Indonesia stood at 24 percent, while other countries maintained figures between 9 percent and 12 percent. He attributed this disparity to the lack of integration between ports and industrial zones, with factories situated far from the ports. However, he noted that the logistics costs have now reduced to around 14 percent.

On the same day, Jokowi also inaugurated the Centralized Domestic Wastewater Management System (SPAL-DT) in Losari, Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday. 

The SPAL-DT was constructed from 2019 to 2023, with a total cost of Rp 1.2 trillion. It has a capacity of 16,000 cubic meters per day, a pipeline network stretching 96 km, and the ability to serve 41,000 households.