KPPU probes Pertamina's boss over controversial tanker sale

The commission for the supervision of business competition (KPPU) summoned Pertamina's president Ariffi Nawawi on Friday over the controversial sale of the company's two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), Bisnis Indoensia reported on Saturday.

Sutrisno Iwantono, the chairman of the commission, said that Ariffi was questioned over the divestment of the two giant tankers recently but he added that the questions had yet to touch the core problem.

"We still asked him about general information related to the sale of the tankers during the meeting which started from 9.30 in the morning until 11.45," he said, adding that Ariffi would be summoned again on Wednesday to ask for more detail information about the sale of the tankers.

The commission's member, Pande Radja Silalahi, said that the commission would further probe Pertamina's boss over possible unfair practices in the transaction of the two tankers during the upcoming meeting.

Pertamina recently sold its two VLCCs when the two giant oil tankers were under construction at one of South Korea's shipbuilding companies despite the criticism from the public. The company said that operating such large tankers would be too expensive for Pertamina due to its high operating and maintenance costs but many analysts had challenged the reason behind the sales of the tankers. (*)