Pertamina to start operating new 30,000-ton tanker
Pertamina to start operating new 30,000-ton tanker
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State oil and gas firm Pertamina has taken delivery of MT
Fastron, the biggest tanker ever built locally with a capacity of
30,000 Long Tons Dead Weight (LTDW), which will strengthen its
domestic fuel distribution fleet.
The tanker was handed over by manufacturer PT PAL Indonesia to
Pertamina in the East Java capital of Surabaya on Wednesday. The
hand over ceremony was witnessed by President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono.
In an emailed statement, Pertamina said that MT Fastron would
carry fuel from refineries to Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang and
other major cities.
The tanker will also be used to transport fuel imported from
Singapore and Malaysia.
With a capacity of 30,000 LTDW, MT Fastron is the biggest ship
ever to be built in Indonesia.
Dead weight tonnage refers to the weight that a vessel can
safely carry when fully loaded. A long ton is approximately equal
to 1,016 kilograms.
At present, Pertamina operates a variety of differently sized
tankers, from lighter ones to Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs).
The state oil firm owns 33 vessels, a third of which have been
operating for between 11 and 25 years. Other vessels are
chartered.
Pertamina aims to increase the capacity of its own fleet from
20 percent of total required capacity to 40 percent, though it
has not specified a time frame.
Three more tankers are currently under construction, namely MT
Plaju with a capacity of 6,500 LTDW by PT Dok & Perkapalan
Surabaya, as well as MT Balongan (6,500 LTDW) and MT Mundu (3,500
LTDW) by Batam-based PT Nanindah Mutiara Shipyard.
The construction of the four tankers, including MT Fastron,
was funded by profits from the controversial sale of a VLCC
tanker last year.
Even though the VLCC sale case was declared by the Central
Jakarta District Court to have no indication of unfair
competition, as ruled earlier by the Business Competition
Supervisory Commission (KPPU), Pertamina still has to face a
probe by the newly established House of Representatives' special
committee.