Bahtera Adiguna bids to carry coal for Tanjung Jati B

State owned shipping company PT Bahtera Adiguna will use two Norwegian bulk carriers to carry coal supplies for the Tanjung Jati B power plant in Central Java operated by state electricity firm PT PLN should the firm win the tender to deliver the coal supplies.

Company president Joko Tahono was quoted by Suara Karya daily as saying on Friday that the firm was among the seven shipping companies that had met the requirements set by PLN for participation in the bidding for the coal shipping contract.

The 15-year contract is valued at Rp 3 trillion (about US$300 million).

Each of the 70,000 DWT Norwegian carriers is able to carry between 4 and 4.8 million tons of coal per year, according to Joko.

According to Joko, Bahtera would purchase the carriers, should it win the contract to supply coal for the Tanjung Jati B power plant.

?Once PLN announces that we win the contract, we shall immediately purchase the carriers using funds from PT Pengembangan Armada Niaga Nasional,? he said.

According to the paper, the two bulk carriers belong two Norwegian companies. One of them is Western Bulk Carrier.

Bahtera currently operates five carriers each with the capacity of 50,000 DWT.

The 2x660 MW Tanjung Jati B plant is owned by PT Central Java Power (CJP), which is controlled by Japanese trading house Sumitomo. CJP has entered into a 20-year lease contract with PLN, under which PLN is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the power plant during the lease period. The plant is expected to commence operation in 2006.

PLN is seeking between 0.5-1 million tons of low calorific coal supplies per year for the power plant. (*)