Coal miners raise concerns over Tanjung Carat transshipment tariffs

By Tri Subhki R

Indonesia's coal miners have raised concerns over proposed ship-to-ship (STS) and transshipment tariffs at the planned Tanjung Carat Deep-Sea Port in South Sumatra, warning that higher logistics costs could undermine the competitiveness of the province's coal exports.

The Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI-ICMA) said it had sent an official letter to PT Benua Laut Lepas (BLL), the operator of the Tanjung Carat STS facility, objecting to the tariff structure announced by the company.

"Until now, APBI's concerns regarding Tanjung Carat STS service tariffs have not been accommodated and the tariffs remain unchanged as stated by BLL," APBI-ICMA Executive Director Gita Mahrayani told Petromindo.com on Wednesday.

Tanjung Carat Deep-Sea Port, located in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, officially entered the development stage in April and is expected to begin operations in 2028 or 2029.

In late May, BLL issued a circular setting initial tariffs for ship-to-ship and transshipment services at Tanjung Carat, effective May 29. The company also required service users to register through its integrated operating system as part of the implementation process.

Under the tariff schedule, loading and unloading charges are set at Rp21,700 per tonne for geared mother vessels and Rp35,600 per tonne for gearless mother vessels. Additional charges include Rp7.4 million per day for fender rentals, Rp1.1 million per gallon for oil spill response services and Rp1.1 million per tonne for ship waste handling.

APBI-ICMA said it had sought clarification on several issues, including whether the tariff structure had received the necessary recommendations or approvals from the Transportation Ministry and whether adequate consultations had been conducted with industry stakeholders.

The association also questioned the basis used to calculate the tariffs and argued that socialization meetings held by the operator should not be interpreted as industry approval of the charges.

According to Gita, the additional logistics costs could weigh on coal producers operating in South Sumatra, one of Indonesia's major coal-producing regions.

"The additional logistics cost component of STS services affects the overall cost structure and competitiveness of South Sumatra coal in the export market," she said.

Coal logistics provider PT RMK Energy Tbk, which currently transports coal to nearby Tanjung Kampeh Port for transshipment, also expressed concerns over the proposed fees.

"The locations are relatively close, but the tariffs at Tanjung Carat are almost double," RMK Energy President Director Vincent Saputra told Petromindo.com.

BLL could not immediately be reached for comment.

Indonesia is the world's largest thermal coal exporter, and efficient logistics infrastructure is considered critical to maintaining the competitiveness of coal shipments from producing regions such as South Sumatra.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak