Pertamina receives new tanker from local shipbuilder

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina has received one of three small-scale oil tankers, with a capacity of 3,500 dead weight capacity (DWT) each, from the Lampung-based shipbuilding company PT Daya Radar Utama, Investor Daily reported on Monday.

Pertamina?s vice president for shipping, Suhartoko, said in Jakarta last week that the new tanker named MT Musi would be operated to distribute fuel in South Sumatra. ?Such a small tanker will be operated to serve a small-scale fuel storage like in Banjarmasin, Pontianak, and Kupang, not like for Jakarta and Surabaya,? he added.

MT Musi is Pertamina?s 47th vessel with a capacity of 3,500 DWT. At present, Pertamina operates 175 tanker and ships of all types.

Suhartoko said that MT Musi wouuld be operated in South Sumatera. ?The tanker?s operation area will include loading ports in Padang, Plaju, and discharging ports in Pangkal Balam and Bengkulu,? he added.

The ship is one of three tankers Pertamina orders from PT Daya Radar Utama . Pertamina spends about US$12 million to build each of the tankers.

Pertamina expects to operate 61 new vessels by the end of 2013. Of the 61 vessels, 29 units, or 47 percent, have been or are still being built by local shipbuilding companies, with 21 having already been delivered and currently operated and eight still being built at PAL, DPS, Dumas and DRU.(*)