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)