Indonesia blames bulk coal carrier for oil spill

Indonesia has blamed a bulk coal carrier for an oil spill off the coast of its port city of Balikpapan on the island of Borneo that killed five fishermen last weekend.

The ship reportedly dragged a Pertamina pipeline over 100m, causing it to crack.

On Monday, Indonesia declared a state of emergency following the spill, which later led to fire.

According to the environment ministry, the spilled oil spread to almost 13,000ha and polluted 60km of coastal ecosystems.

Energy Ministry’s oil and gas director general Djoko Siswanto was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We suspect the pipe was dragged by the ship that caught fire.”

Siswanto added: “At the time it was bad weather, so they had to drop anchor.” This generally was not an area where ships anchor.

The ship reportedly carried the Panama flag.

Balikpapan is a major mining and energy hub, bustling with a population of 700,000.

Previous state-owned energy firm Pertamina admitted that the oil spill was caused due to a crack in the 20-year-old underwater pipeline running from its refinery in Balikpapan.

Some initial tests indicated that the spilled oil was marine oil used in boats.

Around 70m³ of spilled oil had been contained from spreading further by a team that included government agencies, and oil companies with operations in the area.

Environment ministry ordered Pertamina to contain the oil and help the impacted community.

Following the spill, the operational capacity of the Balikpapan oil refinery has been reduced.

The vessel owners will now be questioned and are likely to be charged over the deaths of fishermen. The government also plans to conduct further investigations to decide on who is to be blamed for the spill.