JAKARTA, March 12 — Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina is seeking alternative crude oil import sources to safeguard national energy supplies amid uncertainty over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
ANTARA news agency reported its president director Simon Aloysius Mantiri as saying that the company is preparing contingency measures, including sourcing crude from other regions, to ensure the resilience of national energy stocks.
“We have anticipated this. We are looking for other sources so that stock resilience can remain good and strong,” he said today..
The move comes as the government previously estimated that around 20 to 25 per cent of Indonesia’s crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping route connecting the Gulf with global energy markets.
Rising tensions in West Asia have heightened concerns over potential disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints.
Simon added that Pertamina is therefore diversifying its crude import sources to reduce dependence on shipments routed through the Middle East.
“For precaution, we are also diversifying our sources. Our supplies are not only from West Asia, but also from Africa, the United States, and various other places,” he said.
The plan to seek alternative crude imports also comes as two tankers belonging to Pertamina International Shipping remain in the Gulf region and have yet to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessels are the very large crude carrier Pertamina Pride, managed by NYK, and the Gamsunoro, which is operated by Synergy Ship Management.
