Investment Minister/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Bahlil Lahadalia has released the Ajkwa feeder ship transporting PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) copper concentrate from Timika to the smelter facility in Gresik , East Java. The Ajkwa feeder ship departed from the Amamapare Port Area (portsite), Timika, Papua, Monday (15/8/2022) carrying 8,600 tons of copper concentrate to be transferred to the Naziha ship which is in the deep sea, about 19 km from the pier. The Naziha ship, will then accommodate 26,500 tons of copper concentrate to be brought to PT Smelting (PTS) in Gresik , East Java and is the 32nd concentrate delivery to PTS which has been carried out since January 2022.

"I officially let go of the departure of the Akjwa feeder ship. Hopefully the journey of the main ship Naziha to Gresik and all subsequent shipments of concentrate this year can run smoothly," Bahlil said in a written statement in Jakarta, Tuesday (16/8/2022).

Bahlil hopes that this transportation activity can also create multiplier effects that will benefit the community, especially those around PT Freeport Indonesia's operational areas in Papua. Meanwhile, PTFI President Director Tony Wenas said that PTFI is currently completing the construction of a second copper smelter located at the Java Integrated Port & Industrial Estate (JIIPE) in Gresik Regency, East Java.

The smelter at JIIPE is targeted for completion by the end of 2023 and operating in May 2024. "We are committed to realizing a sustainable supply chain and safe production. When our new smelter is operational, 100% of PTFI's copper concentrate products will be processed domestically. We hope to be able to provide meaningful multiplier effects for the nation and state," said Tony . PTFI targets the completion of the smelter construction, which has reached 36.2 percent for the period until the end of July 2022, to be completed by the end of 2023, which will then be followed by pre-commissioning and commissioning , then start operating in May 2024.

To date, 40 percent of PTFI's copper concentrate is delivered to PTS in Gresik, where PTS is the first copper smelter in Indonesia built by PTFI in 1996. Bahlil's working visit was carried out as a follow-up to the business forum with Freeport-McMoRan on the sidelines of President Joko Widodo's visit to attend the ASEAN-US Summit in Washington DC in May 2022.

Source: https://surabaya.bisnis.com/read/20220816/532/1567340/bahlil-melepas-kapal-konsentrat-tembaga-freeport-ke-smelter-gresik