Kideco gets 3 self-propelled barge units in 2013
Thursday, October 4 2012 - 12:19 AM WIB
IDX-listed coal miner Kideco Jaya Agung will receive three units of self-propelled barges next year, Orchard Maritime Services, port and logistic designer and operator confirmed.
As part of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Companies, OMS has been working with Kideco for more than 10 years to transport coal between Kideco and coal-fired power plant (PLTU) Paiton, recently being re conducted for another 5 years with an additional 1 million tons of transport volume contract for Paiton Unit III, which has the capacity of 1X815 Megawatt (MW) in Probolinggo regency of East Java province, making a total of 2 million tons transport volume per annum.
"Each of the self-propelled barge unit is of 13,000 dead weight tons, which is a huge capacity, with shallow draft of 5.2 meters," OMS General Manager Patrick Jourdain said to Petromindo.com.
He said it normally requires between six and eight units of traditional tug and barge to transport such amount of coal per annum between Kideco and Paiton, but such distance can be covered using only three units of self-propelled barge.
"It's the more innovative solution, more efficient to operate, faster, fuel economic, and highly reliable in bad weather conditions, especially going through the rough Java Sea," Jourdain said, adding that Kideco will be able to cut 10 to 15 percent off barging costs.
The capital expenditure spent for the three units is estimated at US$ 40 million. Each of the units will be delivered in April, June and August 2013 from a shipyard in Korea.
Editing by David Mustakim