HUMI Disburses US$6 Million To Buy Tanker For Basic Materials B35 Transport

JAKARTA - PT Humpuss Maritime International Tbk (HUMI) purchased an Oil & Chemical Tanker ship worth US$6 million. The transaction is to meet market needs for the basic ingredients of Biodiesel B35, namely methanol.

The ship with 8,821 DWT was handed over in Batam on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. With the purchase of the unit, the energy transportation company and maritime services realized the purchase of one of the three units targeted at CAPEX 2023.

"The purchase of the Oil & Chemical Tanker ship is a form of the Company's expansion strategy in meeting the increasing demand for methanol," said HUMI President Director Tirta Hidayat quoting Antara.

According to Tirta, the increase in demand for methanol is the impact of the treatment of Government Regulation Number 33 of 2023 regarding energy conservation, where the government will increase the percentage of mixing of vegetable fuels in diesel fuels (BBM) from 30 percent (B30) to 35 percent (B35).

With the increasing demand for biofuel, the need for methanol as the basic ingredient also increased.

In addition, the development of the nickel industry, which increases demand for caustic soda and sulfate acid needs, has also boosted the need for methanol.

"Caustic soda and sulfate acid are urgently needed by smelters and battery factories in Indonesia," he explained.

Tirta added that the domestic petrochemical transport business sector, particularly methanol transport, has recorded a positive performance over the past three years due to a significant surge in FAME payloads related to government policies towards the use of Biosolar (B30).

In the future, the Oil & Chemical business segment is estimated to double in the next five years.

Therefore, with the addition of the ship, it is hoped that it can become a positive catalyst for the company's growth, namely printing an increase in net profit of 20 percent to 13.1 million US dollars in 2023.