Local shipyard gets orders from foreign firms
Local shipyard gets orders from foreign firms
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Dok & Perkapalan Kodja Bahari
announced yesterday that it has won orders for the construction
of ships from Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Iran.
Asharsono, a director of the company, which is a merger of
four shipbuilding companies, said that in the last four years
since the merger, Germany has ordered five liquefied natural gas
tankers; Sweden, one roll-on, roll-out vessel and one tanker; the
Netherlands, four 550-cubic feet reefer vessels and Iran, one
tugboat and five split barges.
Local companies have also ordered tankers and passenger ships
from the company, he said.
"The contracts for all of them have already been signed,"
Asharsono said after attending a ceremony for the installation of
the company's new directors.
He declined, however, to mention the prices of the ships,
saying that he feared it would be harmful to the clients "who are
always competing with other shipping companies".
All the orders are expected to be completed by next year, he
said.
"There is a good market out there and I am convinced that we
can beat the competition," Asharsono said, citing Chinese
shipbuilders as the company's main foreign competitors.
He stressed that low prices were not the only determining
factor.
"All ships have a 'class certificate' which guarantees the
degree of their quality and reliability. Prices, on the other
hand, are quite negotiable," Asharsono said.
Directors
The directors of Dok & Perkapalan Kodja Bahari, who were
installed yesterday, were Akmal Wahid, who was appointed as the
company's president, and H.I.M. Pratisto, Wing Wirjawan, Muchlis
Hamid and Asharsono as directors.
Dok & Perkapalan Kodja Bahari was established in 1991 after
the government decided to merge PT Dok & Perkapalan Tanjung
Priok, PT Kodja and PT Pelita Bahari in a bid to increase the
companies' efficiency and productivity.
In 1992, PT Dok & Galangan Kapal Nusantara joined in the
consolidation.
R. Pramono, the inspector-general of the Ministry of Industry
who addressed the ceremony said that the merging of the four
companies did not cause any "extraordinary rifts".
"In fact, many things have been achieved by Dok & Perkapalan
Kodja Bahari," he said.
Orders for ships, he cited, have gradually increased the
company's capacity to improve production processes, human
resources and capital structure.
Last year, the company made Rp 171.15 billion (US$77 million)
in sales revenues and Rp 3.19 billion in before-tax profits.(pwn)