United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Indonesia

		See also: Office in Indonesia

Indonesia joins the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme

Jakarta (Indonesia), 1 April 2015 - Indonesia has become the next country in ASEAN to formally join the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme through a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) Signing Ceremony at the headquarters of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGCE) in Jakarta.

"Signing of this MoU is great timing as the new President and Government has given top priority to the maritime area, connectivity and trade facilitation. Based on the results of the Container Control Programme in Latin America and elsewhere in the world UNODC is confident the Programme will become a great asset for Indonesia in Tanjung Priok Port and hopefully in other Ports of Indonesia in the near future" said Mr. Troels Vester, UNODC Country Manager.

The Global Container Control Programme is a joint initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organisation (WCO). Launched in 2004 in response to the organised crime and human security threats posed by the maritime movement of illicit goods in sea containers, the Programme operates through the establishment of specialised Port Control Units (PCUs) securing the global supply chain.

In the first 10 years of operation PCUs established by the Programme have seized over 100 metric tonnes of cocaine, 2.9 metric tonnes of heroin, 60 metric tonnes of cannabis and 1,200 metric tonnes of precursor chemicals used to manufacture both illicit drugs and explosives.

The Indonesian port of Tanjung Priok handles approximately two-thirds of all goods flowing in and out of Indonesia. The Jakarta International Container Terminal (pictured above) is the largest container terminal in Indonesia handling more that 2.2 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) of the total port throughput of 6.59 million TEUs per year. It serves 20 shipping lines with direct routes to 25 countries. The Port continues to expand with the construction of new terminals allowing it to handle up to 18 million TEU by 2023. Upon signature of the MoU the UNODC implementation team immediately undertook an Assessment of Tanjung Priok Port and will follow up with the first of several training courses in April. DGCE have already established a physical premises on the Port for the new PCU and it is hoping to be fully operational later this year.

Within 2015 the Global Container Control Programme will be operating in 52 countries of the world. The ASEAN countries of Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines benefit through the financial contribution of the Government of Canada (Global Partnership Program) and the United States of America (Export Control and Related Border Security Programme).