BONTANG, EAST KALIMANTAN (ISL News, May 26, 2026) – PT Pelindo Marine Service (Pelindo Marine) also oversaw the success of the first export of urea fertilizer to Australia under the Government-to-Government (G2G) scheme initiated by PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) through PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT). The company provided a towage service to ensure the safety and smoothness of the berthing and unberthing process of ships at the BSL Pupuk Kaltim Pier, Bontang, East Kalimantan.3
Ship towing services are a vital element of port operations. They assist vessels in the movement of ships entering shipping lanes, docking at docks, changing positions, and undocking for the open sea, particularly for large vessels with limited maneuvering space.
Referring to the official website of PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman stated that the commencement of fertilizer exports to Australia is a historic step in the transformation of the national fertilizer industry. He explained that the first exports released today reached 47,250 tons. This export is the initial stage of a cooperation commitment of 250,000 tons and will continue to be increased to 500,000 tons with a total value of approximately IDR 7 trillion. "This makes history, because (we) will export fertilizer to several countries, including Australia. Our plan to export to Australia is in accordance with the discussions between the Australian Prime Minister and the President, namely 250,000 tons, but will be increased to 500,000 tons, a value of approximately IDR 7 trillion," he explained.
Meanwhile, Elvin Syah Putra, Director of Commercial, Operations, and Engineering at PT Pelindo Marine Service, emphasized that shipping safety is the company's top priority in every operational service it provides. "Our priority is ship safety during every towing process. For this first export, we operated three tugboats: TB. Semar Dua Puluh, TB. Semar Dua Puluh Tujuh, and TB. Semar Sembilan Belas to ensure the entire towing process runs safely and smoothly," said Elvin.
He added that support for national export activities is part of Pelindo Marine's commitment to strengthening Indonesia's maritime logistics chain while supporting the smooth distribution of national strategic commodities to international markets.
The success of the first urea fertilizer export to Australia represents a significant boost to the national fertilizer industry's competitiveness in the global market. Furthermore, synergy between state-owned enterprises and maritime industry players is considered a key factor in ensuring the smooth distribution of Indonesian export logistics.
(ISL News Editorial Team/Corcom PMS).
