Pertamina gets new Aframax tanker

State-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has expanded its tanker fleet after it officially received a new Aframax crude tanker named Gamsunoro from Japan?s Sumitomo Heavy Industries.

Pertamina said in a press statement that a ceremony for the delivery and naming of the tanker was held today (Tuesday) at Sumitomo?s shipyard in Yokosuka, Japan. The tanker was received by Pertamina?s Director of Marketing and Trading, Hanung Budya. Contract for the construction of Gamsunoro was signed on March 6, 2013.

Gamsunoro will be the 62nd tanker owned by Pertamina of the total 191 vessels operated by the company, and is the company?s first tanker equipped with ballast water treatment facility.

?This is part of Pertamina?s long term strategy, especially in realizing a profitable downstream among others through investment in tankers. The move is expected to increase cost efficiency of transporting crude to be processed by the company. Total transportation cost becomes one of the keys for the company to compete in global oil and gas business,? explained Hanung Budya in the statement.

The statement said that following the naming/delivery ceremony, the tanker will take its maiden voyage from Japan to Indonesia.

The statement added that the Gamsunoro tanker is claimed to be more fuel efficient and compact than other similar Aframax tankers because it is only 228 meters long compared to the length standard 105,000-DWT Aframax tankers of about 240 meters.

Elsewhere, the statement said that Pertamina is expected to also soon receive the delivery of 17,500 LTDW tankers (Mt Pagerungan and Mt Pangkalan Brandan) from domestic shipyard PT PAL Indonesia.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak