Completed in 1933, the road was named after the Dutch shipping firm Koninklijke Java-China Paketvaart Lijnen (; known outside the Netherlands as Royal Interocean Lines, RIL) — itself named for the island of Java in Indonesia (then Netherlands East Indies) — which had its operational headquarters there for much of the 20th century. The company provided sea routes between Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Makassar and elsewhere.
Completed in 1933, the road was named after the Dutch shipping firm Koninklijke Java-China Paketvaart Lijnen (known as Royal Interocean Lines, RIL), which had its headquarters in Indonesia (then Netherlands East Indies). The company operated sea routes between Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Makassar and other locations.