Pertamina Prepares 45 Boats to Handle Oil Spill

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ) has prepared 45 ships to deal with the oil spills in Karawang waters, West Java. The oil spill was caused by a leak in PHE's offshore oil and gas platform in July. 

PHE ONWJ and a team of international experts on well control have begun drilling to stop gas bubbles around the YY platform since last Thursday.

As of Wednesday, August 7, the YYA1-RW drilling stage has reached a depth of 540 meters and preparing to drill the 17-1/2 hole section. The drilling began two days ahead of the original schedule and is targeted to reach a depth of 2,765 meters, PHE VP for relations Ifki Sukarya said in a press release here on Wednesday.

"The mobilization of the Rig Up Jack Soehanah around the relief well is carried out in conjunction with the geo-hazard and geotechnical survey, so there is no waiting time. Some preparatory work can be carried out simultaneously to speed up the two-day polling time from the original plan," Ifki said.

The emergence of gas bubbles around the YY platform began on Friday morning, July 12, 2019. In accordance with safety standards, PHE ONWJ then stopped drilling activities and activated the Incident Management Team (IMT).

PHE ONWJ workers are making maximum efforts to cope with the abnormal conditions, following operating procedures. "The first priority is the safety of workers, the community and the surrounding environment," Ifki said.

To clean up the coast from Pertamina's oil spill, around 5,000 residents in nearby areas are involved. These fishermen are paid to compensate for the inability to go to sea for fishing because of the oil spill.

ANTARA | AHMAD FIKRI (BANDUNG)