PGN Tests Conversion Of Gasku BBG On 100 Semarang Fishing Boat Engines

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - PT Perusahaan Gas Negara Tbk (PGN) through its subsidiary PT Gagas Energi Indonesia is trying to convert fishing boats to be able to use Gas Fuel (BBG) based on the Compresed Natural Gas (CNG) under the name of Gasku products.

The trial was carried out by involving 100 fishermen in the Tambak Lorok and Tambak Rejo areas, Semarang, Central Java. Gagas conducted socialization as well as trials of using gas fuel on fishing boat engines together with the Semarang City Fisheries Service and the Semarang City Fish Fishing Center (BBPI) on 8-9 December 2023.

President Director of Gagas, Muhammad Hardiansyah said that this trial was one of Gagas' steps to help people get various alternative energy options that were more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Especially for people who in their daily lives have a large enough dependence on fuel oil such as fishermen.

"We are trying to take various initiatives for the use of larger gas in various sectors, especially the transportation sector. In addition to helping the Government reduce the burden of energy subsidies for transportation, the relatively more efficient use of BBG is also expected to improve fishermen's welfare," Hardiansyah explained in a statement to the media, Thursday, December 14.

He continued, if land transportation such as cars, buses or trucks refill directly by visiting the nearest refueling station (SPBG), then the gas refueling system for fishing boats will use a tube exchange system such as on Gaslink Cylinder. Each converted fishing boat will be equipped with 1 steel tube unit with a high safety standard and a capacity of around 17 (Liter Water Capacity) LWC or equivalent to 4.2 Liter Setara Premium (LSP).

One tube unit is calculated to support a cruising range of up to 50 km or the equivalent of 1 day of sailing. In this trial process, Gagas will send about 100 tubes that have been loaded to a nearby location accessible to fishermen to exchange empty tubes.

The implementation of this trial will be carried out for 1 month to see how the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of BBG on fishing boat engines.

In addition to the conversion test on fishing boat engines, in early 2023 Subholding Gas has also tested the use of BBG on logistics transport trucks using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and showed quite satisfactory results.

In the trial, LNG trucks with a fuel tank capacity of 1,000 liters of LNG managed to cover the Jakarta route in Surabaya with a total distance of about 840 km and only spent about 542 liters of LNG.