Strategic Collaboration: Sinar Mas and Pacemar Sign Memorandum of Understanding

Sinar Mas and Pacemar, the holding of the Louis-Dreyfus family, entered yesterday into a strategic memorandum of understanding, encompassing an investment of USD 350 million over the next five years in the Indonesian maritime and logistics sectors.

Ibu The Biao Leng, President Director of PT SMART TBK, and Matthieu Lavoine, Chief Executive Officer of Sinar Mas LDA Maritime (SLM), signed in front of Eric Lombard, French Minister of Economics and Finance, Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Anindya Bakrie, Chairman of Kadin, Shinta Kamdani, Chairman of Apindo, Pandu Sjahrir, CIO of Danantara, Ferry Salman, Managing Director of Sinar Mas, and Sebastien Gautier, Chairman of IFCCI.

This MOU strengthens the bond between Sinar Mas and the Louis-Dreyfus family. Since 2014 and the incorporation of their joint venture SLM, they have invested more than USD 300 million in Indonesia. SLM has grown 10 times since the beginning of the partnership and now employs 2300 people, owns 116 vessels, 250 trucks, warehouses, and is one of the leading player in the Indonesian maritime and logistics sectors.

In the meantime, Pak Franky O. Widjaja, owner of Sinar Mas, was invited by President Emmanuel Macron to a business lunch. Pak Franky took the opportunity to remind to President Macron his long lasting friendship with Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, who could unfortunately not join the President delegation.

Article from Kompas and others:

Sinar Mas and French company Pacemar have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a resilient maritime economy, both nationally and globally

The signing was carried out by President Director of PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Tbk (PT Smart Tbk), The Biao Leng, and Pacemar representative Matthieu Lavoine during the Indonesia-France Business Forum meeting organized by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (Kemenko Perekonomian) on Wednesday (May 28, 2025).

Managing Director of Sinar Mas, Ferry Salman, expressed hope that the partnership would strengthen Indonesia’s industrial supply chain by enhancing inter-regional connectivity across the archipelago.

“Hopefully, Indonesia can become an important contributor to the global maritime economy,” said Ferry in a press release received by Kompas.com on Thursday (May 29, 2025).

For information, this collaboration includes an investment of USD 350 million, which will be realized within the next five years.

Specifically, the investment covers the acquisition of vessels to transport mineral and agricultural commodities from Indonesia, the construction and operation of private ports, and the development of land logistics facilities to support the handling of agricultural and forestry commodities across several islands in Indonesia.

The agreement strengthens the partnership between the two parties, who have previously collaborated since 2014 with an investment value of USD 300 million.

On the sidelines of the same forum, PT Smart Tbk also signed an MoU with the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD). This agreement aims to further develop research collaboration in the field of sustainable agriculture.

Both parties agreed to strengthen research that supports farmers—both those affiliated with large plantations and independent smallholders—in increasing productivity, addressing the impacts of climate change, and supporting biodiversity conservation.

The collaboration also continues a partnership that has lasted more than 25 years in the field of palm oil cultivation research and development.

Ferry emphasized that the partnership reflects Sinar Mas’s commitment to building a sustainable palm oil industry based on research.

“The way to achieve this is by openly collaborating with partners who have aligned visions, experience, and a proven track record,” said Ferry.

For context, the Indonesia-France Business Forum meeting was also attended by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, French Minister for Economy, Finance, Industrial and Numeric Sovereignty Eric Lombard, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Anindya Bakrie, and Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Shinta Kamdani.

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