JAKARTA, INDONESIA: State-owned oil company Pertamina has officially set up a unit called Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) in charge of organising crude and fuel oils procurement, including through imports.

Quoting a press statement issued by Pertamina President Director Ari Soemarno on Thursday (9 Oct), Indonesian news agency, Antara, said the ISC would combine the responsibility in the crude procurement and that in the fuel oil purchase which were usually done separately.

"Through the work unit, we believe that procurement of crude and fuel oils (BBM) will be organised more efficiently and transparently," Soemarno said.

Previously, fuel oil (BBM) procurement was carried out by the directorate of marketing and commercial affairs of Pertamina and crude procurement by the directorate of processing affairs of the state-owned oil firm.

According to the Pertamina president director, the decision to establish the ISC unit, which was approved by the Board of Commissioners of Pertamina on 17 Sept 2008, was taken after a one-year study on various experiences by other oil and gas industries.

The study to set up the unit was conducted in an effort to increase Pertamina's efficiency and transparency, he said.

Soemarno said Pertamina corporate secretary Sudirman Said had been appointed to head the ISC. (Bernama)