Pertamina hopes to complete construction of eight tankers this year

State-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has ordered domestic shipyard companies to build eight tankers of the GP type worth a combined US$200 million, which are expected to be completed this year.

Pertamina Vice President for Corporate Communications Wianda Pusponegoro said in a statement on Sunday that the names of the eight tankers are MT Parigi and MT Pattimura to be developed by PT Angrek Hitam Shipyard; MT Panderman, MT Papandayan, and MT Putri by PT Daya Radar Utama; and MT Pasaman, MT Panjang, and MT Pangrango by PT Multi Ocean Shipyard.

She said that tankers to be developed by Daya Radar Utama will each have a capacity of 17,500 DWT, which are expected to have the same quality as tankers built by South Korea. She said that the order placed with Daya Radar was made after the shipyard company successfully built for Pertamina the 3,500 DWT MT Musi tanker in 2012.

Wianda said that the purchase of tankers from domestic shipyard companies will increase the local content level of the company?s tanker fleets from the current average of 30-35 percent.

Pertamina?s largest tanker built by a domestic shipyard firm PT PAL is the 30,000 DWT MT Fastron.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak