Indonesia State firm Says Oil Spill Due To Cracked Underwater Pipeline
JAKARTA, April 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia’s state oil company Pertamina said on Wednesday a cracked underwater pipeline was the cause of an oil spill off the coast of a port city on Borneo island that has prompted a major clean-up operation in the area.
Authorities rushed to contain the spill off Balikpapan, which started on Saturday and sparked a fire that killed four people at the weekend. TV footage has shown officials scooping up buckets of oil from the sea and dumping them in pits on shore.
“The pipe was found ... in a broken condition. There were external factors that caused that,” said Togar MP, general manager of Pertamina’s refinery in Balikpapan.
“We are still calculating the volume of the leak and losses,” he said at a news conference in Balikpapan, adding the leak was of crude oil.
It was not immediately clear if the pipeline had been repaired.
A government official in Jakarta said it was unclear what had caused the leak.
"It could be that the pipeline is rusty or an anchor hit it," said Djoko Siswanto, director general of oil and gas at the energy ministry.
The state energy firm said on Sunday initial tests showed the oil was marine oil used in boats.
Balikpapan city, a major mining and energy hub, declared a state of emergency on Monday, warning residents to stay away from the coast because the area was prone to fires.
(Reporting by Wilda Asmarini; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Ed Davies and Mark Potter)
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Weatherford CEO's Rebound Plan Relies On Getting Smaller
- Iran Says Oil Market Is Too Tight For US Zero Exports Target
- China's Squeezed 'Teapots' Eye Petchem Path To Riches
- Baker Hughes: US Drillers Add Oil Rigs For Second Week In Three
- Venezuela Hands China More Oil Presence, But No Mention Of New Funds
- Gunvor CEO Sees Russian Refining Capacity Taking Hit from Drone Strikes
- Sinopec Engineering Posts Higher Annual Petrochemicals Revenue
- Subsea7 Secures Contract to Service Woodside's Trion
- These Factors Helped Brent Oil Price Break Above $85
- Imperial Pipeline in Winnipeg Goes Offline for Three Months
- Adnoc Inks Supply Deal for Ruwais LNG Project with Germany's SEFE
- Gaz System to Acquire Gas Storage Poland
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- EIA Drops 2024 Henry Hub Gas Price Forecast
- EIA and Standard Chartered Offer Up Latest Oil Price Predictions
- Red Sea Region Sees Another Watershed Incident
- Chevron Oil Project in Kazakhstan to Cost $48.5B
- OPEC Voices Encouragement after IEA Affirms Support for Oil Security
- Biden Govt Bares Strategy for Freight Charging, Hydrogen Fueling Infra
- Rystad Looks at the Buzz Around White Hydrogen
- Ukraine Hits Third Russian Refinery In Escalating Drone Strikes
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Is Peak Oil Demand Close?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Reveal Latest Oil Price Forecasts
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Rystad Forecasts Net Production of Top Permian Producers in 2024
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension