With its paint-chipped walls and generally neglected air, there seems to be nothing strategic about Batu Ampar seaport. But government authorities are vying for the management of the port as well as five other seaports and Hang Nadim Airport in Batam.

The Batam Authority has been in charge of the ports since Batam was first developed in 1970. Now that the ports have, according to authority data, served 531 companies with total investment v