Pelni unlikely to launch 'Palindo' vessel soon
Pelni unlikely to launch 'Palindo' vessel soon
JAKARTA (JP): The state-owned oceanliner PT Pelayaran
Indonesia (Pelni) is not likely to operate its passenger vessel
Palindo Jaya I during the upcoming Idul Fitri holiday due to
unsettled negotiations with the vessel's assembler, PT PAL.
Pelni president Roesman Anwar said at the House of
Representatives yesterday that his company and the Surabaya-based
PAL had not yet reached an agreement on the procurement of the
500-passenger Palindo.
"We are actually ready to operate the vessel tomorrow. Just
ask PAL why the negotiations have not been accomplished yet," he
said, adding that one of the major points of contention was
pricing.
Roesman, however, refused to give any further details.
Yesterday's hearing with the House commission V for
telecommunications, tourism, transportation and public works,
also discussed the lake and river crossing transportation firm PT
ASDP.
Together with Pelni and ASDP executives, the commission
members visited the Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta and Merak
port in West Java to see how the firms were preparing for the
Idul Fitri holiday.
Informed sources said yesterday that if the negotiations had
been finished early this year, Pelni would have operated the
Palindo vessel, which will be renamed Pangrango, on the Jakarta-
Semarang route.
Option
Pelni has an option to procure ten Palindos, whose prototype
was inaugurated last July by President Soeharto. The President
and Vice President Try Sutrisno have also tested the comfort and
safety of the prototype.
The sources said that PAL, which is offering the Palindo for
about US$32 million, and Pelni were still arguing about the
payment plan, which will require the shipping company to pay in
cash.
Pelni usually orders vessels from the German Jos L. Meyer GmbH
& Co., using Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau as a traditional
credit facilitator. A 1,500-passenger ship and a 2,000-passenger
ship manufactured by Jos L. Meyer are usually worth $57 million
and $100 million respectively.
Roesman said yesterday that due to the tardy negotiations with
PAL, his company now operates only 17 passenger vessels, just one
less than 18 vessels originally targeted.
"We expect to transport 5,422,000 passengers this year if
Pelni can operate the Palindo," he said.
Last year, Pelni transported 5,394,244 passengers, about 2.63
percent less than originally targeted.
Roesman said that in addition to the 17 passenger vessels,
Pelni also operated 20 cargo ships in 1995. Three of them will be
scrapped this year.
Pelni also operates 20 small vessels to serve "pioneer" routes
in the country's remote areas. This year, however, the company
will operate only 12 vessels on the routes.
Meanwhile, ASDP's president, Subarkah, said that most of his
company's vessels were aging and that no state budget had been
allocated for refurbishment.
He said that in the 1994/1995 fiscal year, ASDP suffered
losses of Rp 1.19 billion ($821,000) from the operation of its 30
ferries in 37 crossings.
The losses are projected to increase to Rp 3.82 billion this
fiscal year -- ending in March -- and to Rp 4.92 billion next
fiscal year, he added.
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto told the
commission in a hearing last month that ASDP's losses reached Rp
964 million in 1995.
According to Subarkah, his company plans to set up several
joint operation projects, including water treatment development
in Merak, West Java, with private firms.
He said that ASDP and PT Berkala Internasional signed a
contract last month for the feasibility study of the project.
Other projects to be developed with private firms include
ferry port management with PT Spektrum Kencana Mukti and ferry
operations linking Merak and Bakauheni in Lampung with PT Jemla
Ferry, he added. (icn)