Belawan 5.85

Belawan is a harbor in Medan, Indonesia. Located on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Belawan is Indonesia's busiest seaport outside of Java.There are a weekly passenger ship operated by Pelni from Medan to Tanjung Balai Karimun, Batam, Riau Islands and Tanjung Priok, JakartaA regular ferry service connects Belawan to across the Strait of Malacca to Penang, Malaysia; at times there was a ferry that also run from Belawan to Phuket, Thailand and to Langkawi, Malaysia.HistoryThe port was initially built in 1890, to provide a location where tobacco could be transferred directly between rail lines from the interior and deep-draft ships. The harbor expanded in 1907 with the construction of a new section intended for Chinese and indigenous traders, reserving the existing port for European shipping. In the early twentieth century the port's business expanded, with the growth of major rubber and palm oil plantations in northern Sumatra. In the 1920s several major berthing facilities were built.