Pertamina Exports First-Ever Shipment of Asphalt to East Timor
30 April 2016 09:32 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Gresik - State oil-and-gas company PT Pertamina is starting to export asphalt to East Timor for the first time in 2016, through its' East Timor-based subsidiary, Pertamina International Timor, SA (PITSA).
The first batch of shipment comprises of 645 drums - or 100 metric tonnes - from Gresik's Biutmen Plant in East Java. Prior to this business arrangement with East Timor, Pertamina's only produces asphalt for the domestic market.
"We hope that in the future, Pertamina could dominate take up at least 20 percent of the market share for asphalt trades in East Timor," said the Pertamina's Petrochemical Vice President Supriyanto Dwi Utomo. "East Timor's need for asphalt is expected to reach 1,000 to 3,000 metric tonnes per year - and we plan to meet this target by the end of 2017."
As a state-owned oil-and-gas company with subsidiaries that churns out a variety of petrochemical product, Pertamina is known as a market leader in Indonesia, all due to its' two plants - one in Cilacap, which has a production capacity of 360,000 metric tonnes per year, and the Biutman Plant in in Gresik, which has a capacity of 16,000 metric tonnes per year. "Our domination in the domestic market has also been aided by strategic partnership with terminal and retailers across the country," said Utomo.
Pertamina's General Manager for Marketing Operations in East Java' 5th Operation Region, Ageng Giriyono, said that producing and exporting asphalt is not an easy job - but it must be done because it is a key component in opening up economic access across Indonesia's peripheries. "Right now, Pertamina is dominating the market share across Central Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua, by 56 percent," said Giriyono.
Indonesia's asphalt demands ranges between 1,2 and 1,4 million tonnes per year, and Pertamina plans to meet at least 45 percent of the national demand through local production. "Although we are still a net importer, we could still export some of our products to meet the demands of other markets," said Giriyono.
ARTIKA RACHMI FARMITA