Arpeni to operate coal floating storage off S. Kalimantan Feb 2009

IDX-listed shipping firm PT.Arpeni Pratama Ocean Line (APOL) will operate a floating storage and self unloader barge in the waters of South Kalimantan to service small to medium scale coal miners in the area, company?s top official said.

CEO Oentoro Surya told Petromidno.Com on Tuesday that the barge will have capacity to stockpile 60,000 tonnes of coal and 5,000 tonnes per hour unloading capacity.

The barge will also function as coal blending center, he said.

The barge will have dimension of 250x50 meters, will start operations in February next year. Currently, the barge, which is worth around US$50 million, is being constructed in a Japan shipyard.

Oentoro said the barge would be one of the five barges it planned to operate in Kalimantan and Sumatra within the next five years. ?We hope to get addition of one similar barge per year from 2009,? he said. (alex)