The Ministry of Industry Deploys a Supervisory Team to Handle the Explosion of a Chemical Factory in Cilegon

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) spoke out about the incident of the steam reactor pipe explosion at the production facility of PT Merak Chemical Indonesia (PT MCCI) on Monday, May 25. The company produces purified terephthalic acid (PTA) in Cilegon, Banten.

Ministry of Industry spokesman Febri Hendri Antoni Arief said, Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has instructed his staff to go directly to the field. This is to ensure that the post-incident handling runs quickly, properly and according to industrial safety procedures.

Febri said the Directorate General of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Textile Industries (IKFT) and the Directorate General of National Defense, Regionalization and International Industry Access (KPAII) had deployed a surveillance and control team (Wasdal) to the location.

"The Minister of State this morning instructed the Directorate General of IKFT and KPAII to immediately send a team, especially the Wasdal team to the crime scene (TKP) and currently the Wasdal team is already at the location," said Febri in the IKI May 2026 Release at the Ministry of Industry, Jakarta, Tuesday, May 26.

The Wasdal team from the Ministry of Industry was deployed to coordinate with the company's management, related authorities, and local governments in conducting an initial identification of the cause of the incident while ensuring that mitigation measures were carried out in accordance with chemical industry safety and security standards.

He emphasized that the aspects of occupational safety and operational security of the industry are the main priorities in the development of the national manufacturing sector, especially in the chemical industry which has high operational risks.

In addition to supervising the handling of the incident, the Ministry of Industry also asked companies to conduct a thorough evaluation of the production process safety system, the feasibility of industrial equipment, and the implementation of safety and security standards more strictly.

"This incident is an important reminder for all industry players to continue to improve operational discipline, the implementation of operational security and safety of production, and preventive maintenance of production facilities to minimize the potential for industrial disruptions and accidents," he said.

The Ministry of Industry ensures that it will continue to monitor the development of the incident until the operational conditions are declared safe and stable. On the other hand, cross-ministry/agency coordination with law enforcement and local governments is also being carried out to support the investigation process and the gradual recovery of industry operations.