The Indonesian Government has officially launched the first of several live export ships, which will be used to transport cattle from the country's outer islands to the main island of Java.

The government announced back in 2013 that it was willing to spend millions on livestock ships to improve logistics and the flow of cattle between islands in the archipelago, which it believed would help reduce the price of beef across Java and the nation's capital, Jakarta.

Last week, while standing on board the livestock vessel Camara Nusantara, President Joko Widodo told local media the ship had the capacity to transport 500 cattle and he hoped the government's investment in ships would improve the competitiveness of local cattle.

"I hope the inauguration of these modified ships will ease both the shipping of livestock and transportation for people," he said.

"In the end, prices will decrease because the shipment costs are cheaper.

"We always lose on the high logistics costs between the provinces in Indonesia. This is what we target to solve, one at a time."

The Jakarta Globe reports that cattle are generally transported to Java from Nusa Tenggara through a combination of ferries and trucks.

"The rough trips often see cattle arrive in Jakarta and other cities in a distressed condition and having lost weight due to anxiety," it wrote.

The ships launched last week, Camara Nusantara, Sabuk Nusantara and Sabuk Nusantara, will initially travel from Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara to Bima in West Nusa Tenggara, through to ports across Java.

According to the Jakarta Post, another five livestock vessels will be ready by 2017 at a cost of Rp180 billion ($A18.4 million).

New livestock ships could possibly fit into another government initiative to establish quarantine islands for imported cattle.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Post reports the first segment of rail track has been laid in a multi-million dollar project to build an extensive rail network through South Sulawesi to link key cities.

"The railway network will help to lower logistics costs and expand distribution channels for our goods. The shipment [of goods] to ports will be much faster and cheaper," said South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul.