PT PAL takes orders worth US$1.1 billion
PT PAL takes orders worth US$1.1 billion
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned shipbuilding firm PT PAL has booked orders worth US$1.1 billion for dozens of vessels, including seven commercial ships for customers in Europe and nine ships for the Indonesian Armed Forces.
The company's senior executive vice president, Suleman Wiriadidjaja, said here yesterday that such a glut of orders, especially from Europeans, show that his company is now getting international recognition.
"We are becoming popular in Europe," Suleman said at a signing ceremony for the construction of a 17,500 dead weight ton (DWT) container for PT Pan Maritime W.P.
Pan Maritime's president, Mugijanto, said that the ordered container will be used to transport crude oil exports from state- owned oil firm Pertamina.
Mugijanto said the 17,500-DWT container costs US$24 million, 70 percent of which will be financed by the Export-Import Bank of Japan and the remaining 30 percent by Sumitomo Trust Banking Group of Japan. The financing facility is arranged by AVL Maritime, a Japanese firm incorporated in Panama.
Suleman said that the foreign orders had come from consumers in Germany, Britain and the Netherlands.
He explained that Reederei F. Laeisz of Germany had ordered two open-hatch ships of 45,000 DWT, with options for two vessels of the same type.
"That is our maximum capacity at the moment," Suleman said, referring to PAL's docking facilities in Surabaya, East Java, which can only produce three units of 45,000 DWT vessels a year.
He explained further that Seatrade Gron. B.V. of the Netherlands had ordered four reefer vessels of 500,000 cubic feet, with options for four more vessels of the same type, and Stephenson Clarke of Britain has ordered one bulk carrier of 18,500 DWT.
Three vessels ordered by Reederei F. Laeisz and Stephenson Clarke are currently under construction at PAL's Surabaya shipbuilding facilities.
PAL, overseen by the Supervisory Board for Strategic Industries, which is also chaired by State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, produces a wide range of vessels, from fishing boats to naval craft.
The company specializes on building large vessels of over 10,000 DWT. The construction of smaller vessels has been taken over by smaller shipyards.
Suleman explained that local orders had come from Pan Maritime, PT Dirgatama, state-owned shipping firm PT Pelni, the Directorate General of Sea Transportation, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the Armed Forces. Dirgatama had ordered two containers of 17,500 DWT, Pelni two units of PAL's newest passenger ships -- named Palindo Jaya -- with a capacity of 500 passengers each, the sea transportation directorate general two Palindo Jaya vessels, LIPI one oceanographic research vessel and the Armed Forces nine fast patrol ships. (rid)