Pertamina to buy 10 ships for oil and gas transportation

State owned oil and gas company Pertamina plans to procure 10 more ships including an Aframax ship with capacity of 85,000 dead weight tons (DWT) next year to support the company?s oil and gas transportation, Kontan reported on Monday.

The company?s vice president for corporate communications, Ali Mundakir said in Jakarta last week that at present Pertamina operated as many as 187 ships, of which 53 are owned by the company.

?We hope next year we will own between 53 and 61 ships,? he said.

According to him, one of the ships being ordered included an Aframax ship with a capacity of 85,000 DWT, which is now being built by China Newtimes Shipbuilding. The ship which will be named Gamkonora will be used to transport crude oil from Pertamina?s crude oil processing terminals, he said.

?Pertamina will spend up to US$52.8 million for the ship,? he said, adding that Pertamina would need at least 26 new ships until 2015. Six of which will be operated this year. Total investment for the new ship procurement until 2015 is expected to reach $370 million.

Meanwhile the director for marketing and commerce Hanung Budaya said that Pertamina spent at least Rp 9 trillion a year for the transportation of oil and gas. (*)