Pertamina defends the tender for the procurement of new tankers
Wednesday, November 27 2002 - 03:09 AM WIB
"The tender was conducted through transparent procedures and was able to net winners from credible companies, with relatively cheap prices," Pertamina?s director for downstream operation, Muchsin Bahar said.
According to him, besides being joined by world-class companies, the tender was also participated in by several local companies. "But most Indonesian shipyard companies failed in the tender because their bidding prices were still higher than those offered by their foreign competitors," he said.
Pertamina recently launched a tender to procure 12 new tankers in order to increase its fleet. Two of the tankers have 260,000 DWT, three others with 30,000 DWT, two with 17,000 DWT, three with 6,500 DWT and the other two with 3,500 DWT.
The tender for the procurement of two tankers which have capacity of 260,000 DWT was won by companies from South Korea (Hyundai) and China, while the tender for the procurement of two tankers with capacity of 3,500 DWT was won by PT PAL. The appointment of the builders for the other eight tankers is, however, still debated by the Cabinet.
Minister of Industry and Trade Rini MS Soewandi wanted the procurement of the other eight tankers be awarded to local shipbuilding companies. But Pertamina insisted that the procurement of the eight tankers should be put in an international bidding to allow the oil and gas company to obtain more competitive prices.
"But if the government insists that the procurement of the eight tankers should be awarded to local companies, it should issue a presidential decree as the bases of their appointment," he said.
According to its working plan, Pertamina will need 38 new tankers until 2007 to increase its tanker fleet. At present Pertamina owns 37 tankers and leases another 109 tankers. In early 1980s the number of Pertamina?s own tankers reached 77 units. (*)