THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF INDONESIA 483 
 
about 88% of the country's total tin produc- iary of the Broken Hill Proprietary
Co., tion. It utilizes dredge and hydraulic mining Ltd., of Australia, is
concentrating its efto exploit alluvial tin deposits inland and forts on
rehabilitating a formerly Dutchdredges offshore of the islands of Bangka,
owned Kelapa-Kampit underground tin Belitung, Singkep, and at the Bangkinang
mine on Belitung Island and, in the process, area of the mainland of Sumatra.
The firm produced about 430 tons-of tin concentrates has 30 bucket-line dredges
(including the in the 1978-79 period. 
new Bangka II, but excluding 10 small P.T. Riau Tin Mining, the third joint
dismountable dredges) and about 175 hy- venture tin company formed in December
draulic mines supported by other equip- 1977, has completed under its former
name, ment and facilities. Bangka II is the firm's Billiton Exploratie Maatschappij
Indonesia, newest 22-cubic-foot dredge with 151 dredg- N.V., its exploration
work around the P. ing cups, a maximum depth capacity of 150 Tujuh islands
between Bangka and Singfeet, and capable of mining 4.86 million kep. The
firm began operation in mid-1979 cubic meters of ore annually. It was intro-
after its new Bima, a sea-going dredge duced in October 1978 and was operating
at bigger than Bangka II arrived. Bima, Air Kantung, Sungai-Liat, and Bangka.
In ordered from International Construction, April 1979, P.T. Timah signed
a contract Holland, designed by Mining and Transport with the Dutch Mining
and Transport Engi Engmeermg N V of Amsterdam and built neermg N V of Amsterdam
for construc at the Jurong shipyard in Singapore has a tion of another dredge
called Belitung I, bucket capacity of 30 cubic feet, capable of which was
to be built on Batam Island in recovermg 1 836 cubic meters per hour of Indonesia
The Belitung I will have a capac tin ore with 137 buckets at a maximum ity
of producmg 1 100 tons of tin ore annual depth of 150 feet The Bima the world
s ly and was to be completed by December largest tin dredge is reportedly
having tech1980 at an estimated capital cost of $25 nical problems and delays
and may have to million (including $2 million for the spare be returned to
the Jurong shipyard in parts). Andilliary equipment including four Singapore
for repair. 
tugboats and three barges was to be built at Indonesia s current tin production
pri a domestic yard by the U S firm PT manly relied on the aging 30-dredge
fleet of McDermot Indonesia as a subcontractor to P.T. Timah and its depleting
onshore tin the Dutch firm at a cost of $1 6 million deposits For the past
several years a van 
P T Timah also operates a tin smelter ety of modern methods of exploration
com (Peltim) at Mentok on Bangka Island The bined with a modern insight m
the geologi smelter has three old West German rotary cal features of offshore
tin deposits had furnaces and three new conventional never- helped Indonesia
to discover a great many beratory furnaces with total annual capaci- number
of rich tin deposits offshore in the ty of 33,000 tons of tin metal. P.T.
Timah Tempilang area in South Bangka and the began a $2.5 million smelter
expansion Penyusu-Kebiang area in North Bangka. project, which was to raise
its annual smelt- The more recent exploration around offer capacity to 41,000
tons by 1980. Capacity shore areas of Singkep indicates that proutilization
has been at an average of 75% spective tin deposits are at 30 to 45 meters
for the past several years. below sea level in the areas of Kundur, 
P.T. Koba Tin, a joint venture tin compa- Laut, Kobil-Laut, and Laut Timun.
The fly (75% owned by Kajuara Mining Corp. proven offshore tin reserves near
the BangPty, Ltd., of Australia and 25% owned by ka area are now estimated
at about 1 P.T. Tambang Timah) operates both off- million tons. Indonesia,
with these vast and shore and onshore. The firm has mines at rich tin reserves
offshore and new additions its Nibung property and another property of large
offshore dredges, may well become at Lubuk Besar in the Koba District of
the world's second largest tin producer by Bangka Island. Its tin production
in 1978 the early 1980's. 
had tripled over that of 1976 and was Uranium—The Indonesian Atomic
Eneraccounting for approximately 10% of In- gy Institute continued exploration
in 1978donesia's total tin production. At full capac- 79 for radioactive
minerals in a number of ity it expects to produce about 3,000 tons areas
in the central part of Kalimantan. On per year of tin concentrates. P.T.
Koba's tin April 14, 1978, two amendments to the is smelted and marketed
by P.T. Timah. initial 1969 agreement between Indonesia 
P.T. Broken Hill Proprietary Indonesia, and France for cooperation in carrying
out the second joint-venture company, a subsid- uranium exploration in Kalimantan
was