Fire Still Active, Oil Tanker Burns in Mentaya River, East Kotawaringin

JAKARTA - An oil tanker that was moored on the banks of the Mentaya River in Tanah Mas Village, Baamang District, Sampit, East Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan, caught fire on Saturday afternoon.

"The fire is still active. This is a top up for fuel and the engine," said the Head of the East Kotawaringin Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Multazam, in Sampit, Saturday night.

Information was collected, the ship was docked in the docking or repair area owned by a company. The fire was reported to have occurred at around 17.30 WIB.

"Currently, we are still focusing on extinguishing. For information on victims, it is still being investigated. Earlier, Basarnas information would be close to the location," said Multazam.

Ridowan, the head of Tanah Mas, confirmed the incident that occurred in his area. However, he admitted that he was still collecting field data related to the chronology and the trigger of the fire that hit the large ship.

"Until now we still don't know the chronology of the fire, whether it was due to the negligence of workers or other factors. What is clear is that the fire hit the oil tanker owned by the company," said Ridowan when confirmed by phone.

The incident occurred in the afternoon. Dozens of firefighters assisted by volunteers immediately headed to the scene to localize the fire.

The focus of the officers is to prevent the red hero from spreading to other ship units or docking facilities around it.

Ridowan explained that the location is a technical center for the maintenance of the marine fleet. Various types of ships, ranging from barges to tugboats, are usually docked there for routine maintenance and major repairs.

The repair process in this docking area often involves technical activities that have high risks. One of the common jobs is welding on the hull of the ship that has experienced leakage or structural damage.

"That place is a ship repair location. Usually, barges or tugboats are docked for repairs, such as welding on parts of the ship that have leaks or damage," he said.

Responding to the issue regarding the presence of fuel oil loading and unloading activities at the location, Ridowan denied it. He ensured that the location was purely a repair site and not a fuel distribution point.

"I need to clarify that there is no activity to unload fuel. The place is only used for ship repairs, not for oil distribution," said Ridowan.

So far, the relevant authorities have not released official statements regarding the total material losses or the number of casualties. The team in the field is still focusing on the cooling phase to ensure that there are no hidden fire points.