Local shipbuilders build Pertamina?s six tankers

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina has appointed five local shipyard companies to build its six oil tankers which will have dead weight capacity of between 3,500 and 30,000 tons, Koran Tempo reported on Thursday.

They included 2 carriers with capacity of 3,500 dead weight tons (DWT) each, two 6,000-DWT tankers, one 17,500-DWT tanker and one 30,000-DWT tanker.

The appointed shipyard companies include PT Dok & Perkapalan Kodja Bahari, PT Nanindah Mutiara Shipyard, PT Jasa Marina Indah, PT Dok & Perkapalan Surabaya and PT PAL Indonesia.

Pertamina?s vice president for shipping Ibrahim Hasyim said in Jakarta on Wednesday that the construction of the oil tankers would cost the company about US$8.5 million for a tanker with a capacity of 3,500 tons, US$10.5 million for a tanker of 6,500 tons and US$25.2 million for a tanker of 30,000 tons.

He acknowledged that the construction of the six oil tankers by the local shipbuilding companies would be about US$5.2 million higher than if the construction was carried out by foreign shipbuilders. "But we build them at home in a bid to support the local shipbuilding companies so that they could employ more people," Ibrahim said.

The six tankers are part of the 12 tankers that have been ordered by Pertamina for the 2002/2003 fiscal year. The other six tankers which have a dead weight capacity of between 6,500 tons, 17,500 tons, 30,000 tons and 260,000 tons, respectively will be built by foreign shipbuilding companies.

The tender for the construction of the two tankers which have a capacity of 260,000 tons each has been won by Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea. The construction of the two giant tankers which cost Pertamina about US$65.4 million would be completed next year. The two tankers will be delivered to Pertamina in September and December next year. (*)