Coal activities at Cirebon Port to resume soon

The Ministry of Transportation has issued a letter instructing state-owned port operator PT Pelindo II to resume coal loading and unloading activities at the Cirebon Port, in West Java, radarcirebon.com reported on Monday.

The news portal quoted General Manager of Pelindo II Solikhin as saying that the coal loading and unloading activities at Cirebon Port will be resumed on September 27.

Meanwhile, the portal also quoted Cirebon Mayor Nasrudin said that he pushed for a permanent stop of the coal activities at the port if it caused environmental to the city residents. He appealed to coal miners to also provide corporate social responsibility (CSR) for residents living near the port.

The coal activities at the port were suspended in March following complaints of environmental pollution. The move was protested by industries in West Java which rely on coal supply for source of energy.

The Cirebon port handled about 3 million tons of coal per year before it was suspended, a surge from 300,000 tons per annum in 2002, to serve the coal demand from industries in West Java. (*)