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Thu, 16 Jun 2005

JP/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.