Tarakan Launches Direct Seafood Exports to Hong Kong

RRI.CO.ID, Tarakan - North Kalimantan has successfully bypassed traditional transit hubs to initiate direct seafood exports to Hong Kong via a newly established cargo flight path from Juwata International Airport in Tarakan.

The structural shift was highlighted on Thursday, May 21, 2026, when local businesses successfully dispatched an initial shipment of 935 live crabs directly to the East Asian financial hub. The inaugural shipment, valued at IDR 49,722,112 (USD 3,050), represents a critical turning point for the province, which has historically been forced to funnel its premium marine commodities through domestic transit cities like Jakarta and Surabaya, or across the border via Tawau, Malaysia.

Local business leaders have enthusiastically welcomed the new direct logistics corridor. North Kalimantan Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO) Chairman Peter Setiawan pointed out that eliminating intermediate transit points drastically optimizes supply chain mechanics for local enterprises.

According to Peter, direct air cargo ensures maximum operational efficiency, lowers overall shipping costs, reduces transit time, and preserves the premium freshness and quality of live seafood. To maintain this logistics pipeline, Peter urged regional businesses to consistently utilize the direct cargo capacity, noting that a reliable volume of local exports could prompt airlines to open up direct routes to other lucrative international destinations, such as mainland China.

The direct export push is heavily backed by federal border authorities to guarantee compliance with rigorous international food safety standards. Prior to takeoff from Juwata International Airport, officials from the North Kalimantan Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Agency (BKHIT) subjected the entire crab shipment to strict quarantine protocols, including physical inspections and health certificate verifications.

BKHIT Kaltara Head Ichi Langlang Buana Machmud emphasized that these regulatory measures are vital to safeguarding Indonesia's reputation in competitive global markets.

"This direct crab export is a crucial step in developing the export market for crab commodities from North Kalimantan. With direct exports to destination countries, opportunities to increase added value and the competitiveness of regional commodities are expected to increase. This inaugural crab export is good news for the fishery commodity trade in North Kalimantan," Ichi said on Saturday, May 23, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Ichi further stressed that breaking into the international market successfully demonstrates that North Kalimantan's premium commodities possess the quality needed to compete on a global scale. However, he reiterated that the long-term viability of the trade depends entirely on sustained regulatory discipline.

"This export is not just about shipping commodities, but also about building international market confidence in the quality of our fishery products. We remain committed to providing fast, accurate, and professional quarantine services to increase business confidence in expanding their export markets," Ichi concluded. ***