PTBA to increase coal shipment from Kertapati
Thursday, December 13 2001 - 05:44 AM WIB
State coal mining firm PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (PTBA) said on Wednesday it had planned to increase the volumes of coal to be transported from Kertapati coal port in South Sumatra from 1.5 million tons of coal this year to 2.5 million tons in 2002.
?The increase in the volumes will commence in July 2002, but it will be fully operational only in September or so,? said PTBA head Dadan Riswandana as quoted as saying by Palembang-based Sriwijaya Post daily.
Dadan said the company would start upgrading the port facilities on River Musi in early 2002 in order to support its plan.
He said the main problem presently encountered by PTBA is the fact that River Musi is not deep enough for barges carrying 10,000 tons of coal. Only barges carrying 8,000 tons of coal can go through the river, Dadan added.
PTBA which produces approximately 10 million tons of coal per annum transport most of its coal via railway to Tarahan coalport in Lampung.(*)