West Kalimantan River Dredging, BPH Migas Ensure Safe Fuel Distribution

JAKARTA - Member of the Committee of the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) Fathul Nugroho stated that the distribution of Fuel Oil (BBM) in West Kalimantan was still running safely and under control.

However, he admitted that there were operational adjustments at the Sanggau Fuel Terminal (FT) and Sintang FT so that acceleration steps had been prepared so that public supplies would be maintained and conditions would soon return to optimal.

"Regarding the distribution of fuel for West Kalimantan, there is a slight disruption due to the siltation of the Kapuas River channel and the decrease in water discharge, so that the fuel tanker is stranded, especially at the Sanggau and Sintang Fuel Terminals. Hopefully, from the results of discussions and exposure from Pertamina Patra Niaga, a _alternative_ scheme has been prepared and the emergency suplainya can run well," he said in a statement to the media, Wednesday, February 18.

Fathul explained that a number of technical schemes had been discussed to strengthen the smooth distribution, including the use of floating barges (floating barges) as temporary jetties, so that the unloading scheme from tankers directly to tank cars.

PT Pertamina Patra Niaga (PPN) is also asked to set a measurable deadline so that the transition period is short and sustainable solutions can be realized immediately.

"Of course, this needs to be prepared for a more permanent solution. Pertamina Patra Niaga needs to make an alternative timeline for this temporary supply for how long, and when the permanent solution will be implemented," he said.

This step is also part of the arrangement of downstream oil and gas infrastructure to be more adaptive to demographic, regional, and natural changes to continue to supply the energy needs of the community continuously. A number of facilities that have been operating for decades are being prepared to be revitalized to strengthen energy resilience and maintain sustainable stock availability.

"Indeed, some of our FTs were built around 1970-1980, which means they are quite old. Some have been revitalized, especially those belonging to Pertamina, in the future Pertamina, especially PPN can prepare a road map for revitalization and new construction," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Director General of Oil and Gas of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Laode Sulaeman, conveyed that his party had strengthened cross-sectoral coordination to overcome the challenges of fuel distribution. Synergy with the Ministry of Transportation and Regional Governments is considered important, especially when handling river channels requires special maintenance across sectors.

"So, we will immediately investigate this, and we will follow up on cross-sector coordination. So, in the future, this will also be a solution to problems like this," he explained.

Deputy President Director of PPN Taufik Aditiyawarman said the provision and distribution of fuel was a task that must not be stopped under any circumstances, especially ahead of the formation of the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr Task Force.

"We continue to monitor the availability (of BBM), from national stocks, then distribution to the regions at the end," said Taufik.