By Bambang Sabekti | Port & Logistics Practitioner, Indonesia
There is a question rarely asked aloud but always present in the minds of shipping executives deciding where to berth at Tanjung Priok: Which terminal can turn a vessel around the fastest?
It is a simple question, yet the answer helps determine the competitive structure of Indonesia’s largest port.
Tanjung Priok handled 5.23 million TEUs of international containers in 2024, up 7.21% from the previous year. Including domestic cargo, throughput exceeded 7.6 million TEUs, the highest level in the port’s history. Beneath those headline figures, however, lies a more nuanced reality. The port’s five container terminals operate according to different business models, ownership structures and strategic roles.
What is emerging is not a contest among terminals alone, but a broader ecosystem in which each terminal occupies a distinct position.
They Define Competitive Structure
JICT, NPCT1, Koja, MAL and Terminal 3 play distinct roles within Tanjung Priok’s container ecosystem, reflecting a shift from terminal rivalry toward system-wide competitiveness.
Three of them – JICT, NPCT1 and TPK Koja- stand at the centre of Tanjung Priok’s international container business Their appeal to global shipping lines rests on a common factor – productivity.
For shipping companies, time is money. Faster vessel turnaround means lower costs, better asset utilisation and more reliable schedules. The terminals that consistently deliver these outcomes become preferred ports of call.
JICT remains the dominant player. The terminal handled 2.24 million TEUs in 2024, accounting for 42.74% of Tanjung Priok’s international container traffic.
The joint venture between Pelindo and Hutchison Ports Holdings has spent more than two decades setting operational benchmarks for Indonesia’s container sector. Many major shipping lines continue to regard JICT as a primary gateway because of its track record in maintaining schedule reliability and operational consistency.
What distinguishes JICT today is its commitment to reinvestment. The JICT 2 revitalisation project, scheduled for completion in 2026 with operations beginning in 2027, is expected to add around 500,000 TEUs of annual capacity. More than a capacity upgrade, the project signals confidence in long-term growth despite an increasingly competitive market.
NPCT1 represents a different model. The terminal recorded the fastest growth among Priok’s operators in 2024, handling 1.32 million TEUs, a 25.27% increase from the previous year. Since opening in 2016, it has processed more than 10 million TEUs.
Its strength lies in its ownership structure. NPCT1 is backed by Pelindo, PSA International, Mitsui & Co. and Ocean Network Express (ONE). The combination links terminal operations directly with global port management expertise and shipping network decision-making.
As a result, NPCT1 functions not merely as a facility serving international trade but as part of the trade network itself. Equipped with super post-Panamax infrastructure capable of accommodating the latest generation of container vessels, the terminal now serves 16 weekly shipping services involving major carriers including Maersk, MSC, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd and Evergreen.
TPK Koja occupies a quieter position but has delivered equally notable results. The terminal handled 1.03 million TEUs in 2024, up 7.1%, surpassing the one-million-TEU mark for the first time in its history.
Like JICT, Koja benefits from Hutchison’s involvement through its operational cooperation arrangement with Pelindo. Long-standing relationships with carriers, particularly COSCO and several Asian shipping lines, provide a stable cargo base.
Koja’s achievement is not simply growth. Positioned between the scale of JICT and the rapid expansion of NPCT1, it has maintained relevance through operational consistency and customer trust. In a market where shipping lines can shift services quickly, reliability remains a competitive advantage.
Terminal MAL occupies a different space within the port ecosystem. Handling nearly 300,000 TEUs in 2024, equivalent to a 5.74% market share, MAL operates without the backing of a global terminal operator or international consortium.
Its independence limits scale but offers flexibility. In an industry increasingly characterised by consolidation and strategic alliances, MAL fills specialised market needs that larger operators may not prioritise. Its value lies less in volume than in its ability to serve niche requirements within a diverse port environment.
Terminal 3 presents perhaps the most distinctive operating model at Tanjung Priok. The facility is shared by two operators: TSJ, a partnership between Pelindo and Samudera Indonesia, and OJA, a partnership between Pelindo and Meratus Line.
Together, they handled 338,898 TEUs in 2024, representing 6.48% of total market share. Through the third quarter of 2025, throughput growth reached 21%, highlighting sustained demand from the market segments they serve.
The arrangement illustrates an important characteristic of Priok’s evolution. Even within a single terminal, multiple business models can coexist successfully when focused on different customer segments.
A Port Becoming a System
Viewed collectively, the five terminals reveal a broader transformation. JICT functions as the stability node, providing scale and operational certainty. NPCT1 serves as the growth node, leveraging integration with global shipping networks. Koja represents resilience, built on consistent performance. MAL fills specialised gaps as an independent operator. Terminal 3 serves distinct market segments through a dual-operator model.
The movement of major shipping services among terminals—including those of ONE, Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO and OOCL—suggests that carriers increasingly assess Tanjung Priok as a single integrated system rather than a collection of separate facilities.
That shift matters.
By the third quarter of 2025, Tanjung Priok handled 4.08 million TEUs, up 5.7% from the same period a year earlier. Growth remains healthy, but challenges are mounting. Excess vessel capacity, freight-rate volatility and geopolitical uncertainty continue to pressure global shipping markets.
In such an environment, success depends less on size than on strategic clarity. The terminals most likely to thrive are those with clearly defined roles within the broader system.
From Terminal Competition to System Competition
The global container industry is undergoing a structural shift. Increasingly, competition takes place not between individual terminals but between integrated port ecosystems.
The ports that succeed will not necessarily be those with the single largest terminal. They will be those with the most coherent network of terminals, where each component performs a distinct function and contributes to overall competitiveness.
Tanjung Priok appears to be moving in that direction. Five terminals. Five different roles. One increasingly interconnected system.
The question is no longer which terminal is the biggest. The more important question is whether the system as a whole is strong enough to compete in an era where connectivity, efficiency and network integration matter more than ever.
For now, the numbers suggest it is. But only if every node continues to sharpen its role.