Oil Spill at Balikpapan Bay: Pertamina to Perform Sweeping and Countermeasures
Balikpapan – Pertamina has conducted several countermeasure programs for the oil spill incident in Balikpapan. As the timeline submitted to the regional government and Regional Representative council (DPRD), this program is done in six points, namely Jetty Area, Semayang to Balikpapan Plaza, Kampung aras Air to Kampung Baru Ulu, Penajam, Balikpapan Bay and Kariangau.
Region Manager Communication and CSR Kalimantan Yudy Nugraha stated that as of Sunday (8/4) the countermeasures at the Jetty area is generally completed, however the patrol and oil spill remains cleaning is still conducted, as well as thin-film oil countermeasures.
As for Semayang-Balikpapan Plaza area, the oil spill around coastal and ocean areas are already cleaned and visually, the surface looks clear from the spills. The next step is the identification of rocks areas, walls, and other materials which exposed by the oil spills.
From Kampung atas air to Kampung Baru Ulu, there are still thin-film oil remaining in the water which might be derived from trapped oil as well as exposed domestic waste under the residential areas.
In Penajam, the water area has been clean since Friday (6/4) while the patrols are performed to monitor the condition of the area. Similar to Penajam, since Friday (6/4) Balikpapan area is already clean, while the patrols are performed four times a day. In Kariangau area, the cleaning effort in coastal area is still conducted, by dispatching vessel patrol for sweeping.
In visual, the coastal area of Balikpapan is clean, however the cleaning of thin-fil oil is required as well as in residential areas which needs special handling on the spill remains which adheres in plants and water below the residential area. As of today, Pertamina has dispatched 3 vessel patrols in zone 1, 2 and 3 and 12 standby vessels consist of 7 unit tugboats, 3 unit Barge, and 4 unit Aluminum Boat.
Pertamina is still awaiting the result of the investigation team related to the cause of oil spills in Balikpapan Bay. Nevertheless, various countermeasures are carried out as part of Pertamina's CSR program, including supporting the community service activities. Today, the community service was performend by 300 people in Kampung Baru Dua Ulu. Previously a similar activity was conducted in Kampung Atas Air involving 800 people.
In Damai sub-district, Pertamina also received reports on Saturday (7/4) related to the oil odor complaints around the residential area. In response to this complaint, Pertamina performed gas test with the result of Oxygen at normal level at 20,9 % while there is no gas level which potentially caused explosion/ LEL (Lower Explosive Level). The next day, the gas test was conducted once again because there are still odor complaints, and after further investigation, the source of the odor comes from the garbage in residential areas, so Pertamina dispatched team to clean up the Garbage. In addition to these efforts, Pertamina also establishes health posts.