Pelita Samudera to acquire new vessel next year

By Thomas Sembiring

IDX-listed shipping company PT Pelita Samudera Shipping Tbk, which is primarily engaged in coal shipment, plans to acquire a new vessel next year to meet growing business volume amid rising coal price.

?It will be realized in the first quarter of next year,? said Alex Iriawan, President Director of Pelita on Tuesday, adding that the company has allocated US$8 million for the vessel acquisition.

He said that the new vessel will have capacity of between 30,000-50,000 tons. The company currently owns a set of 30 vessels of various types with average age of eight years.

He said that Pelita aims for a ?double digit? growth in net profit next year from the estimated Rp 50 billion for this year. Alex did not provide further details.

Pelita has recently completed an initial public offering, raising around Rp 135.8 billion in proceeds. The company currently holds contract to ship a total of 30 million tons, of which 27 million tons have been realized, and is optimistic to complete the remainder before the end of this year.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak