On October 15, 2007, SBF Shipbuilders in Freemont, Australia, handed over the “Tenggara Explorer”, a custom-built, Caterpillar-powered, multi-purpose surveillance vessel to Asia Tenggara Marine Pte Ltd. Tenggara Explorer is now on charter to PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, part of the international mining company Newmont Mining Corporation, providing environmental support for their copper-gold mining operations on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia.

The vessel is powered by twin Cat C18 marine engines, each of which have heavy-duty rating of 448 kW. Top speed is 15 knots, although Tenggara Explorer will generally operate at lower speeds. Two bow thrusters help maintain station when the vessel holds position. On-board power is supplied by a Cat C2.2 generating set, providing 30.5 kVA at 50 Hz. A pair of Cat C4.4 gen sets, rated at 86 kVA each, provides additional power to operate a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

The Tenggara Explorer will be used mainly for environmental purposes, including ROV underwater inspection of the pipeline running from the Sumbawa mine out to sea. A stern A-frame plus winch enables seabed sampling. There is a lab adjacent to this area for environmental testing and assessment. The main deck will carry pre-fabricated reef balls for deployment by the deck crane to create artificial reefs for the local fishing community. In addition, and since the vessel will be constantly operating around the island, Tenggara Explorer will provide local port surveillance for the mine.

Asia Tenggara Marine also operates an SBF-designed and built high-speed passenger ferry, powered by twin Cat 3412E engines and delivered back in 2002. In another on-going link with Caterpillar, the finance for the Tenggara Explorer was provided by Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte Ltd in Singapore. Caterpillar dealer Energy Power Systems Australia (EPSA) is delighted at having contributed to this interesting application for Cat marine engines.