Dave MacIntyre analyses how Pt Terminal Petikemas Surabaya (TPS) has to be a mix of commercial operator, diplomat and pressure group to achieve its strategic ambitions.

When the delicacies of Asian politics influence port decisionmaking, the ability of the port to fashion a long-term strategy for growth is always open to question. But five years after corporatisation, Surabaya’s international container terminal should have reason to feel pleased with itself. For the first time, in 2004, the joint venture between the Indonesian state-owned enterprise Pt Pelabuhan Indonesia (commonly referred to as Pelindo) and P&O Ports exceeded 1m TEUs in a calendar year.