Makassar News

A vehicle with a flashing siren and "Makassar COVID Hunter" written on the side pulls up to a ship docked at a jetty in the Indonesian port city of Makassar, and masked COVID-19 patients carrying bags board the boat.This ship, called the KM Umsini, used to ply a route ferrying up to 2,000 passengers between Indonesia's island cities. Now, it has been turned into an isolation center for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms, amid the spread of the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant.Over 800 beds have been installed and sixty medical workers take turns in shifts to help patients recover.The patients have to spend 10 days in isolation…

Dutch dredging and heavylift company Royal Boskalis Westminster has been awarded two dredging contracts in Indonesia.On the island of Sulawesi, Boskalis will expand the Makassar New Port container terminal and on the island of Java it will prepare land for a new petrochemical complex. Both projects will be executed in the second half of 2019 and carry a combined value of approximately EUR 75 million.The first project, awarded by construction company PT PP, entails the expansion of a new terminal for the Makassar New Port of port operator PT Pelindo IV by 45 hectares. The dredging scope includes the removal of soft clay followed by land…

Chevron will exit the Makassar Strait gas block in the Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) offshore natural gas project to focus on more promising areas in the venture, Indonesian officials said on Wednesday.Indonesia's energy minister had issued a decree terminating Chevron's Makassar Strait production sharing contract (PSC) after it decided not to extend its operation of the block beyond 2020, upstream oil and gas regulator SKKMigas said."Chevron was not interested in requesting an extension," SKKMigas chairman Amien Sunaryadi told reporters.

An estimated 18 people were rescued and one was confirmed dead from among about 80 passengers aboard a ferry that sank on Monday in Lake Toba in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, a disaster agency official said.The Sinar Bangun ferry sank in rough weather at around 5:30 pm (1030 GMT) about a mile from the port of Tigaras, carrying passengers from the lake's Samosir Island, Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPT) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.Nugroho added that search and rescue efforts had involved two other ferries and one wooden boat had been hampered by weather conditions in the area on Monday night.It was not immediately clear if any of the missing passengers were foreigners.Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, a vast archipelago, especially during the Islamic holiday of Eid when

Oslo based ship owner MPC Container Ships ASA said it has reached a deal to acquire SITC Makassar, a 2,496 TEU vessel built in 2006 in Germany.   The vessel, to be renamed AS Patricia, will be acquired for $9.9 million, including initial working capital.    The vessel will be taken over by the company’s 50/50 joint venture during April 2018.   “Despite observable increases in secondhand vessel prices, . . . the current price level still offers an attractive entry point for further acquisitions,” the company said in its 2017 Annual Report. “As such, the Group intends to further grow its fleet through accretive acquisitions in 2018.”

Six ships from four navies arrived at Garden Island, Sydney in early November, creating a buzz on the harbour. The visits came ahead of the Royal New Zealand International Naval Review, which will take place in Auckland later this month. Indonesian Navy ship KRI Banda Aceh, a Makassar class landing platform dock was the first to arrive in Sydney. Chilean Navy tall ship Buque Escuela Esmeralda followed a few days later. The sail training ship, which is undertaking her 61st training cruise, was welcomed to Sydney with a 3 inch gun salute from the cannon positioned near the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre. She was escorted by a fleet of vessels including local tall ships Southern Swan, South Passage and James Craig and a fire tug.

The crew of the Huon class minehunter HMAS Yarra has paid a rare port call to the Indonesian trade centre of Makassar. Yarra was the first Royal Australian Navy vessel to visit Makassar since the opening of the Australian mission in the city this March. Australia is South Sulawesi’s second largest source of imports with goods worth US$135.6 million. As the gateway to Eastern Indonesia, Makassar is one of the Indonesian region’s most important maritime trade and cultural centres. While Indonesian port visits are becoming increasingly common for Australian Navy vessels, few if any of Yarra’s crew had ever visited Makassar before. “Several of the crew have previously visited other Indonesian ports primarily Bali,” Commanding Officer HMAS Yarra, Lieutenant Commander Jason McBain said.

1801 - Commodore Richard Dale's squadron arrives at Gibraltar for the protection of American interests and to strike at the Barbary Pirates in the Mediterranean. Squadron ships were USS President, USS Philadelphia, USS Essex, and USS Enterprise. 1850 - The Naval School at Annapolis, Md., is renamed the U.S. Naval Academy and adopts a four-year course of study. Also on this date, Commander Cornelius K. Stribling becomes the first Superintendent of the Naval Academy and serves until the fall of 1853.

1898 - During the Spanish-American War, the cruiser USS Charleston captures the island of Guam without resistance from Spain, because the Spanish Navy had no sufficient ammunition for defense. 1919 - The German navy scuttles its own fleet at Scapa Flow. After the Nov. 11 Armistice, the surrendered German ships are divided by Allies. German officers then organize a mass destruction of the fleet that occurs on this day. 1942 - PBY aircraft from (VP 24) recovers a two-man torpedo bomber crew from USS Enterprise (CV 6) 360 miles north of Midway after their plane went down June 4. The aviators are the last survivors of the Battle of Midway to be recovered. 1944 - USS Newcomb (DD 586) and USS Chandler (DMS 9) sink Japanese submarine (I 185), 90 miles east-northeast of Saipan.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has been awarded a contract by KSO Ciputra Yasmin to construct the land for the Centre Point of Indonesia Project located off the coast of Makassar. The contract value is approximately EUR 80 million. Work is scheduled to commence in the coming months and will last two years. Boskalis will deploy a mega trailing suction hopper dredger for the reclamation activities. The project involves the construction of five artificial islands off the coast of Makassar. Approximately 75 hectares of land will be reclaimed using 9 million cubic meters of sand sourced from offshore borrow areas. The islands will be protected by rock revetments.

Indonesia’s government has given the go-ahead for foreign-flagged cruise ships to stop over in five of the country’s largest ports. Previously, such vessels could only dock at one port, Benoa Bali, and passengers who wished to travel to other ports had to go back to Singapore to do so. As per the Ministry of Transportation Decree 121 No.PM 2015, the five ports which have now been assessed to be able to accommodate and serve foreign cruise ships are: Tanjung Priok/Jakarta, Tanjung Perak/Surabaya, Belawan/Medan, Ujungpandan/Makassar, and Benoa/Bali. For information about operations in Indonesian ports contact PT Andhika GAC at [email protected]

Indonesia Port Corporations (IPC) or PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II, Indonesia’s state-owned port operator is to build 22 ports in the country in the next five years for an anticipated cost of around $3.5 billion. “We are targeting to build 22 ports from Belawan to Sorong within five years,” Pelindo II chief executive Richard Joost Lino said. The Indonesian port projects are to be financed by cash and loans and once completed each will have a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs. As on date, the company has cash reserves of around Rp19.5 trillion from bond issuance, bank loans and internal cash flows. This project is a continuation of Indonesia’s previous decision to seek $7 billion in funding for its ‘Maritime Highway’ initiative.

Amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) rendered assistance to distressed mariners in the waters between the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sulawesi June 19. Shipboard lookouts first spotted the distressed mariners waving a black flag approximately 3 to 5 nautical miles from the ship, their raft surrounded by fuel and debris. Once Green Bay was in proximity to the craft, the ship launched a small boat to provide immediate assistance. "To be able to render assistance to mariners in distress is a fundamental maritime skill," said Rear Adm. Hugh Wetherald, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "The Sailors and Marines of the strike group were trained and ready.

USS Rushmore (LSD 47) rendered assistance to 65 people on makeshift bamboo rafts in the waters between the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sulawesi June 10. Shipboard lookouts spotted the distressed persons waving orange and white flags. Rushmore's commanding officer, Cmdr. Thomas Stephens, ordered the launch of a small boat with two search and rescue swimmers to provide assistance. Rushmore Sailors discovered 65 people on sinking bamboo rafts tied together with no means of propulsion, food or water. Sailors and Marines brought all 65 people on board the Rushmore for medical attention and will coordinate with local officials for their well-being.

The Indonesian government is expected to start operation of a new online system at the country’s four major ports in September this year. The operation of the long awaited Inaportnet system, which will allow traders to request clearances and permits online to move cargoes will be operational by September this year, according to the Transportation Ministry's sea transportation director general, Bobby Mamahit. Tanjung Priok port has already operated the system since last year and it is expected to be integrated into the country’s three other main seaports, namely Belawan in North Sumatra, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Tanjung Perak in East Java.

President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, roadmap for Indonesia as a maritime power in the Indo-Pacific region, has been lauded by the international community, with several countries offering to cooperate with the government to realize this vision, according to a report in the Jakarta Post. Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Susilo revealed that when the President attended the APEC Summit in Beijing and the G-20 Summit in Australia leaders of top countries said they were ready to cooperate with Indonesia in the fields of fisheries and maritime resource development as well as maritime infrastructure development and capacity building. Indonesia is also prioritizing cooperation in the maritime resources and fisheries sectors, he said.

Singapore's oil and gas explorer KrisEnergy acquired a 42 percent stake in the Tanjung Aru block in the Makassar Strait from its partner Neon Energy on May 5, company spokesman Tanya Pang said. The transaction occurred after Neon Energy failed to pay a cash call worth $1 million, submitted by KrisEnergy. (Kontan) Note: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy. (Compiled by Jakarta Newsroom; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Today in U.S. Naval History - January 24 1942 - Battle of Makassar Strait, destroyer attack on Japanese convoy in first surface action in the Pacific during World War II 1991 - Helos from USS Leftwich and USS Nicholas recapture first Kuwaiti territory from Iraqis For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

PT Wintermar Offshore Marine Tbk (WINS) joins with PACC Offshore Services Holdings Ltd (POSH) for Indonesian oil and gas joint venture. The joint venture will own and operate two units of Indonesian flagged 100+ tons bollard pull AHTS, “WINPOSH Rampart” and “WINPOSH Resolve”, both of which have been awarded contracts to support drilling activities for a multinational oil and gas company for up to two and half years. This joint venture will consolidate WINS' market share as one of the leaders in the offshore support services industry in Indonesia…

From the Navy News Service: 1942 - During the World War II Battle of Makassar Strait, U.S. destroyers attack a Japanese convoy in the first naval surface action in the Pacific. 1986 - The Coral Sea (CV 43) and Saratoga (CV 60) carrier battle groups conduct freedom of navigation exercises in and near the Gulf of Sidra, demonstrating the long-standing United States' refusal to recognize Colonel Khadafi's attampt to include the gulf in Libyan territorial waters, 1991 - Helicopters from USS Leftwich (DD 984) and USS Nicholas (FFG 47) recapture the first Kuwaiti territory from Iraqi forces.

Statoil has farmed in to three offshore exploration licenses in Indonesia, significantly expanding the presence in the country. Statoil will acquire a 40% equity interest in a North Makassar Strait Production Sharing Contract (PSC) and a similar interest in two additional offshore PSCs (West Papua IV and Halmahera-Kofiau). The three production sharing contracts (PSC) will be operated by Niko Resources Ltd. Given exploration success, Statoil has the option to become the operator in the development and production phases.

1942 - Battle of Makassar Strait, destroyer attack on Japanese convoy in first surface action in the Pacific during World War II 1991 - Helos from USS Leftwich and USS Nicholas recapture first Kuwaiti territory from Iraqis (Source: Navy News Service)

Transocean Inc. was awarded of a 689-day contract by a consortium headed by Marathon International Petroleum Indonesia Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Oil Corporation, for the ultra-deepwater drillship GSF Explorer to drill a series of exploration wells in a deepwater province in Indonesia. The Makassar Strait Explorers Consortium (MSEC) comprises Marathon International Petroleum Indonesia Ltd, Anadarko Popodi Ltd, ConocoPhillips (Kuma) Ltd, ENI Bukat Ltd, Statoil Indonesia Karama AS and Talisman (Sageri) Ltd. The 689-day contract is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2009 following the completion of existing contractual commitments in Angola and mobilization to the Makassar Strait…