A tug tows a loaded coal barge down the Mahakam River past the
city of Samarinda. Alan Haig-Brown/Cummins photo Passing the
town of Samarinda, just above the deltas and about 30 kilometers
up river from the sea, a steady parade of tugs towing barges are
moving thousands of tons of coal from several large mines
further up the river. Some of these tow barge loads of coal to
neighboring Southeast Asian nations while others take to coal
barges out of the river and alongside deep-sea vessels for
transport to more distant markets. Mr. Johnny Tanair of Surabya
has recently taken delivery of a new boat, the Tanair IX, which
will join other tugs that he already has on lease to companies
moving coal out of the river to be lightered aboard deep-sea
ships. With over 80 kilometers of navigable river above
Samarinda, a boat building industry developed in Samarinda to
meet the needs of the logging companies. Now, with a declining
forest industry, a large part of new construction is related to
the coal industry. The MV Tanai