Pelni Prioritizes Replacement Of 2 Old Ships

The photo archive - Pelni Tilongkabila ship departed from Benoa Harbor, Denpasar, Bali, Tuesday (9/4/2024). ANTARA/Dewa Ketut Sudiarta Wiguna

BADUNG - BUMN, PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) prioritizes the replacement of two 39-year-old ships to improve services, security and efficiency.

"The Umsini and Kelimutu ships are the priority for us to change," said Pelni Communications Manager Ditto Julillanda in Kuta, Badung Regency, Bali, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, June 17.

His party plans to replace the ship's unit, which has been operating since 1985, using a new ship, waiting for the realization of State Equity Participation (PMN) from the Ministry of Finance.

If PMN can be realized in 2024, the ship can be produced by a shipbuilding company and is estimated to be operational in 2026-2027.

He added, considering that there are no domestic ship manufacturers with a capacity of more than 1,000 people, his party has conducted shipyard surveys in Europe, including Germany, Greece, and Italy.

In addition, a three-nation shipyard survey in Asia is also planned to be carried out as an alternative passenger ship manufacturer, namely China, Japan, and South Korea.

Assuming the price for one unit of the ship only reached around Rp. 1.5 trillion, per year his party seeks to get PMN of Rp. 3 trillion to replace the minimum of two old ships into new ships.

Currently, his party has a total of 26 ships, most of which are over 30 years old and not many young ships, one of which is the Dempo ship which was produced in 2008.

"The ship's economic age is 30 years old and it depends on maintenance. The older (ship) the heavier the maintenance", he added.

The obstacles faced for old ships are that they are not efficient in terms of fuel to spare parts that cannot be done immediately if they are in urgent circumstances, especially since the spare parts of old ships are no longer produced.

Ideally, he said, Indonesia has a minimum of 90 ships because the strategic role of SOEs serves disadvantaged, frontier and outermost (3T) areas for pioneer transportation, livestock transportation, sea toll roads to rede ships orfeeders.

In addition to the Umsini and Kelimutu ships, several other older ships, including the Lawit ship, which has been operating since 1986 or has been 38 years old and the Tidar ship since 1988 or 36 years old.

The Umsini ship is currently unable to serve passenger transportation due to a fire at Makassar Soekarno-Hatta Port on Sunday (9/6).

On the other hand, the four ships serving from Denpasar, Bali, namely Tilongkabila, Awu, Leuser and Binaiya, also have the potential to be replaced into new ships because they are over 30 years old.

The Awu ship, for example, is 33 years old, the Leuser ship is 31 years old and Tilongkabila is 30 years old

If it is realized, he said, the replaced ship will retire and potentially be donated to other agencies in the country, one of which has been given to the Indonesian Navy.