Sinar Mas Forms $350 Million Maritime and Palm Oil Partnership with France’s Pacemar and CIRAD
Key Takeaways
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Sinar Mas has signed a $350 million partnership with French firm Pacemar to invest in maritime logistics and agribusiness infrastructure across Indonesia over the next five years, aiming to strengthen the archipelago’s supply chain and global maritime role.
The agreement was formalized during the Indonesia-France Business Forum on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, and attended by government and business leaders including Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and France’s Minister for Economy and Finance Eric Lombard.
Managing Director Sinar Mas Ferry Salman said the partnership will help bridge inter-island connectivity and position Indonesia as a critical player in the global maritime economy.
“This partnership is expected to enhance Indonesia’s industrial supply chain by improving inter-island connectivity, and ultimately make us a key contributor to the global maritime economy,” said Ferry during the signing ceremony between PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Tbk (PT SMART Tbk) CEO The Biao Leng and Pacemar representative Matthieu Lavoine.
The investment will be channeled into the acquisition of vessels for transporting Indonesia’s mineral and agricultural commodities, the development of private port infrastructure, and the establishment of land-based logistics facilities supporting the agricultural and forestry sectors on various islands.
This latest deal builds on a previous $300 million collaboration between Sinar Mas and Pacemar in 2014.
Expanding Research Partnership with CIRAD
Also at the forum, PT SMART Tbk signed a separate memorandum of understanding with France’s Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) to extend their joint research into sustainable palm oil cultivation.
The collaboration, which builds on more than 25 years of joint research, aims to support both large-scale plantations and independent smallholders in boosting productivity, adapting to climate change, and preserving biodiversity.
“This partnership demonstrates our commitment to building a research-based, globally integrated sustainable palm oil industry,” Ferry said. “We realize this by opening ourselves to partners who share our vision and possess world-class experience and track records.”
