Pertamina Tongkang signs shipbuilding contracts

Pertamina Tongkang, the shipping unit of state oil and gas firm Pertamina, Friday signed contracts with three procurement companies to buy from local shipbuilders four crude and fuel carriers with capacity of between 3,500 dead weight tons (DWT) and 30,000 DWT.

Immediately after signing their contracts with Pertamina Tongkang, the three firms namely Peteka Indah Bahari SA, Peteka Global Marine SA and Peteka International Shipping SA signed agreements with three local ship makers to build the four tankers.

The shipbuilders were PT Nan Indah Mutiara Shipyard Batam, PT DPS Surabaya and PT PAL Surabaya.

Nan Indah will build for Pertamina Tongkang two tankers with capacity of 3,500 DWT and 6,500 DWT each, and DPS Surabaya will make a 6,500-DWT carrier. Meanwhile, PAL Surabaya will build one carrier of 30,000 DWT.

Construction of the four tankers must be completed by the third quarter of 2005.

Pertamina currently operates 130 crude and fuel tankers with Pertamina Tongkang owning 32 of them. (godang)