CPO contaminated in Deli Tama tanks<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Palm oil producers and traders in North Sumatra
\nhave urged the government to act firmly and quickly to stem
\nfallout from the rejection of 19,000 metric tons of Indonesian
\ncrude palm oil (CPO) at Rotterdam Port last month due to diesel
\noil contamination.<\/p>\n
"The contaminated CPO originated from PT Deli Tama Indonesia's
\nstorage tanks at the North Sumatra port of Belawan and any
\nsolution to the problem should start there," a major CPO producer
\nin Medan told The Jakarta Post here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Another trader in Medan claimed that contamination was limited
\nto CPO originating from Deli Tama Indonesia's tanks, but the
\nincident tarnished the image of exporters from the province and
\nthroughout the country.<\/p>\n
None of Deli Tama Indonesia's executives in Medan was
\navailable for comment.<\/p>\n
However, an official of state-owned PT Sucofindo in Jakarta,
\nwhich is in charge of inspecting CPO for acidity and purity,
\nconfirmed that Deli Tama Indonesia tanks were the source of the
\ncontaminated CPO.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association said on
\nWednesday that CPO exports to the Netherlands were suspended over
\nthe shipment of three cargoes of contaminated CPO.<\/p>\n
The association added that two scheduled shipments to the
\nNetherlands from Belawan Port were canceled after the discovery
\nof a second contaminated cargo in Rotterdam two weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The CPO trader from Medan urged the industry and trade
\nministry to investigate Deli Tama Indonesia, a subsidiary of
\nstate-owned PTPN III plantation company, to determine how the
\ncontamination occurred.<\/p>\n
"MV Paulina, which carried part of the contaminated CPO from
\nBelawan, also carried CPO from other storage tanks at the port
\nowned by private companies. But only the cargo pumped from Deli
\nTama Indonesia's tanks was contaminated," said the trader who
\nasked for anonymity.<\/p>\n
He said a thorough and immediate investigation into Deli Tama
\nIndonesia was imperative because all state-owned plantation
\ncompanies store their CPO for export or inter-island shipment in
\nDeli Tama's tanks.<\/p>\n
"We are greatly concerned about this incident because
\nRotterdam is the center of European palm oil trading and the
\ngateway to the European common market," he added.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, which is projected to produce a total of 5.5
\nmillion tons of CPO this year, usually exports between 2.5
\nmillion to 3 million tons annually, including about 300,000 tons
\nto the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
According to the Dutch Palm Oil Industry Association, the
\n19,000 tons of contaminated CPO were found in the cargo of three
\nships from Belawan.<\/p>\n
The trader said the Indonesian government should ensure
\nthorough disposal of the contaminated CPO.<\/p>\n
"If the contaminated CPO was reshipped to Indonesia, the CPO
\nmarket in the country would be contaminated as well. Domestic
\ncooking oil companies or importers from other countries would
\nbecome apprehensive that any CPO they might buy in the next few
\nmonths might be the refined product of the contaminated CPO," the
\ntrader added. (vin)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cpo-contaminated-in-deli-tama-tanks-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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