PT PAL to Produce 500 Commercial Vessels
29 May 2015 13:22 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Surabaya - Presidential chief of staff Gen. (ret.) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said state-owned shipmaker PT PAL Indonesia would receive Rp25 trillion from the government to produce around 500 commercial vessels in the next five years.
“The funds are now Rp25 trillion and there could be more as our economy grows,” Luhut told reporters in Surabaya on Thursday.
The funds are expected to be disbursed in the near future following approval from the Finance Ministry. “The processes left are through the State Secretariat and the president,” said Luhut.
According to Luhut, the funds were granted to PT Pal as the company would build Indonesia’s shipping industry. “I saw the manufacture of warships and they were being constructed by our own nationals,” said Luhut.
Luhut added that President Joko Widodo always prioritized the use of domestic products as much as possible as it could create job fields.
PT PAL Indonesia president director M. Firmansyah said his company would not be the sole producer the said commercial vessels, and that the project would involve all shipyards nationwide. “Of course it has to meet our criteria, which are design, quality control and management process standards,” he said.
MOHAMMAD SYARRAFAH