The construction of Prauwenhaven in result of Semarang Harbor's expansion.

1920

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Caption Bahasa Indonesia

Situation of Kali Baru Canal or Nieuwe Haven Kanaal, which connected Semarang Harbour to the city center (Europeesche Buurt)

Source: KITLV, ca.1900

In the 1870s, Semarang's harbor underwent development to become a functioning port. The port in Semarang underwent additional optimization to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the loading and unloading process. In order to allow boats to travel farther into the inland area, small canals were built as part of the Prauwenhaven (boat harbour) construction plan in 1910. Construction was finally finished in 1920.

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Early in the 19th century, Europeans exerted considerable control over the development of several port cities, including Semarang. Some old ports underwent revitalization during the last decades of the 19th century by adding ship berths and larger loading and unloading areas. Dredging and reclamation increased Semarang Harbour, which was formerly an estuary port of the Semarang River, by about three times. To keep the harbour canals in Semarang shallow and navigable for merchant ships, silt was regularly and heavily dug out of the downstream river near the harbor, especially in the 1900s.

The Dutch East Indies Government also continued to revitalize and develop the port area as a supporting facility. The construction of Prauwenhaven, or the boat harbor (small ship), was one of the efforts made. Lamminga, a Chief Engineer in charge of the development of Semarang Harbour, started the development plan in 1910. It took a while, but the project was finally finished in 1920. The function of the boat harbour was to make it easier for small boats to access the New Harbour Canal (Nieuwe Haven Kanaal) that had been built earlier. Furthermore, until 1922, mud dredging, damming, and reclamation projects were still ongoing.

The Semarang Harbour area had undergone extensive Dutch East Indies government work, but the issue of siltation and material carried by the Semarang River remained challenging. Due to the enormous amount of silt that entered the canals and the Semarang Harbour region, land dredging was frequently required. The dredging process is expensive, particularly when running the dredging machinery. When the Semarang Harbour area's development plan was created in the 1900s, the scale of silt dredging projects increased. The Semarang Harbour Commission (Semarang Zeehaven Commisie) published a report on the dredging of silt in the canals every year in its Verslag van De Semarang Zeehaven Commisie.