Indramayu Factory Fire, Pertamina Boss: We Will Pump Sea Water To Extinguish The Fire

Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati / Pertamina Public Relations

JAKARTA - The President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Nicke Widyawati went straight to the field to ensure that the fire handling at the Balongan Refinery, Indramayu was going well.

Nicke explained that the incident occurred in the fuel storage tank area. The affected location is about 2 hectares of the total 180 hectares of the Balongan Refinery area.

"If seen earlier, we toured in the field. Other areas are safe, and as of this afternoon the fire has started to get smaller," said Nicke in an official statement, Jakarta, Monday, March 29.

Nicke added, of the 72 tanks in the refinery area with a total capacity of 1.35 million Kilo Liter (KL), there were 4 tanks affected by the incident with a capacity of 100 thousand KL or about 7% of the total storage capacity at the Balongan refinery.

"We will make extra efforts to extinguish the fire," he explained.

According to Nicke, Pertamina continues to extinguish the fire in the affected area by pumping sea water to completely extinguish the hotspots. To pump seawater, Pertamina brought in submersible pump assistance from RU IV Cilacap.

"When the fire is extinguished, we can start up to operate the refinery. Of course we have to make sure everything is safe," he added.

Responding to the news circulating in the community regarding the cause of the incident, Nicke asked all parties to wait for the results of Pertamina's investigation by involving officials who had seen directly at the location. Pertamina also collects all information, both internally and from the public, to become material for investigations.

"Currently, Pertamina is still focused on handling and the impact of the incident. And we ensure that the community is safe," he said.