Our South Sulawesi desk covers Makassar, Pare-Pare, Garongkong, and the traditional shipbuilding coast at Bulukumba and Tana Beru. The work divides between commercial condition and valuation of LCTs, tugs and wooden cargo vessels, and heritage survey of phinisi hulls at the yards where they are built.
South Sulawesi is unlike any other survey market in Indonesia. It has a conventional commercial port at Makassar, a large fleet of LCTs and wooden motor cargo vessels working the eastern islands, and the world’s most significant concentration of traditional large wooden shipbuilding along the Bulukumba coast. A surveyor working here has to be competent in steel and in timber.
Makassar: commercial condition and valuation
| Vessel type | Why the survey is instructed | What matters most |
|---|---|---|
| LCT / landing craft | Bank financing, charter entry, purchase | Ramp structure and hydraulics, bow door sealing, deck loading evidence, beaching damage history, thickness in way of the ramp and bow |
| Wooden motor cargo vessel (KLM) | Insurance, purchase, valuation | Fastening condition, seams, frame heads, engine bed integration, freeboard and load line marks |
| Tug and barge | Charter, insurance, purchase | Towing gear, machinery condition, void space soundings, deck plating |
| Fishing vessel | Purchase, insurance, financing | Hull condition, refrigeration and hold insulation, machinery hours, safety equipment |
| Ferry and passenger craft | Insurance, compliance | LSA against certified capacity, escape routes, fire detection and zones, watertight subdivision |
Valuation on this fleet is rarely a comparable-sales exercise — there is no liquid market for a twenty-year-old wooden KLM. Depreciated replacement cost usually leads, and the valuation method is stated in the report because a credit committee will ask.
Bulukumba and Tana Beru: surveying at the source
The building beaches at Tana Beru, Ara and Bira turn out large wooden hulls without drawings, using methods passed down through families. Quality ranges from outstanding to poor, and it is established by inspection rather than by reputation. Three engagements matter here:
- New-build stage inspection. Attendance at keel and frame stage, at planking, and before the interior encloses the structure. Timber work is buried as construction proceeds, so a single survey at delivery inspects paint.
- Pre-purchase survey of a completed hull. Full physical testing — pick test, fastening withdrawal, seam probing — on the slipway. See phinisi and wooden-boat surveys.
- Post-repair verification. After re-fastening, re-caulking or plank replacement, confirming the work matches the specification and the repair is fair to the original structure.
Where a survey turns up structural work that needs a yard, the repair side of the coast is well served — Bulukumba shipyard repair after survey — and we keep the survey and the repair in separate hands, which is the point of an independent desk.
Frequently asked questions
Do you survey phinisi at the Bulukumba and Tana Beru yards?
Yes — new-build stage inspection during construction, pre-purchase survey on the slipway, and post-repair verification. Physical testing is agreed in writing with the owner beforehand.
Can you value a wooden cargo vessel for a bank?
Yes, normally on a depreciated replacement cost basis, with the method and its limitations stated so the valuation can be defended.
Do you survey LCTs?
Yes. Ramp structure and hydraulics, bow door sealing, deck loading, beaching damage and thickness measurement in way of the bow and ramp are the focus.
How much notice do you need for a slipway survey?
Two weeks where possible. Beach slipway availability at Tana Beru and Bira is tide- and yard-dependent and cannot be conjured at short notice.
Do you cover Pare-Pare and Garongkong?
Yes, by road from Makassar — bulk cargo attendance, draft survey and condition work.
Can you inspect a vessel under construction that I am buying from a yard?
Yes, and stage inspection is strongly recommended over a single delivery survey. We can also review the build specification against what is actually being built.
Instruct the South Sulawesi desk
Send the vessel details, the port where she lies and your target date. We reply with surveyor availability, a written scope and a fee band before anyone boards.
WhatsApp +628113823875 sales@komodoluxury.com
Yacht & leisure desk · fees quoted in USD · report issued in English