PT PAL launches cargo vessel

SURABAYA: State-owned shipmaker PT PAL Indonesia launched a dry cargo vessel, with 18,500 dead weight tons, in its plant here on Friday.

The vessel, ordered by Italian company Cube SpA, will be handed over in February. The contract was made on June 24, 2004.

PT PAL had made three dry cargo vessels. The two previous ones were ordered by Munch Meyer Petersen of Germany.

"This shows foreign companies' confidence in PT PAL," president director Adwin Suryohadiprojo said.

The vessel, to be named Startramp has an overall length of 147.350 meters and light weight of 5,850 tons.

PT PAL also handed over a monopod wellhead platform on Friday to PT Supasi Widya Engineering, a partner of Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BP Migas) and China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), for offshore exploration in Widuri block in South Sumatra. -- JP