The Sea Toll Road, a concept for maritime logistics transportation to connect major ports throughout the Indonesian archipelago, is starting to show results. Improved connectivity between these ports facilitates the smooth distribution of goods, even to remote and isolated areas.
One example of the Sea Toll Road's success is its ability to suppress the prices of basic necessities by up to 20 percent in Larantuka. Data from the Ministry of Trade in a report on the achievements of the first three years of the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration shows that after the implementation of the Sea Toll Road program, the prices of four basic commodities – rice, granulated sugar, cooking oil, and flour – in one sub-district of East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, decreased by 12-20 percent.
The Sea Toll Road and the integration of logistics transportation modes provide benefits to the community, especially in remote areas. Improved logistics connectivity between ports has helped to lower the prices of goods in other remote areas such as Fakfak, Wamena, Dobo, Sabu, Rote, and Waingapu.