'Cilacap fire won't affect domestic supplies'<\/p>\n
NUSA DUA, Bali (JP): The president of state-owned oil company
\nPertamina, Faisal Abda'oe, said here yesterday that the damage to
\nseven oil storage tanks in Cilacap, on the southern coast of Central
\nJava and the shutdown of the Cilacap refinery following the fire
\nwould not affect domestic fuel oil supplies.<\/p>\n
"The shutdown of the Cilacap refinery will not affect fuel
\nsupplies at the moment because we have enough stocks," Abda'oe
\ntold reporters after signing an LNG sale contract with the
\nChinese Petroleum Corporation of Taiwan.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday afternoon the tanks, hit by a lightning bolt
\non Tuesday at about 5:20 p.m., were still ablaze and three of
\nthem had been totally destroyed.<\/p>\n
Thousands of residents and 400 Pertamina employees have been
\nevacuated from their homes. They are being sheltered at the Town
\nHall, the regency office and other public buildings. The local
\nadministration and Pertamina have opened public kitchens for the
\nevacuees.<\/p>\n
No casualties have been reported, while the Pertamina's
\ndirector of processing, GJ Atihuta, told reporters in Cilacap
\nthat the material losses of the tanks alone are estimated at Rp
\n28 billion (US$12.27 million).<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security
\nSoesilo Soedarman and Abda'oe inspected the damage yesterday.<\/p>\n
Asked about the time needed to repair the refinery, Abda'oe
\nsaid Pertamina had first to set up a team to evaluate the damage.<\/p>\n
"We had better wait for the evaluation," he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Atihuta said that production will start again a week
\nbefore supplies are exhausted.<\/p>\n
He said stocks for domestic needs are still enough for 32
\ndays. For Java, stocks will last seven to eight days, he said.<\/p>\n
Atihuta said the Cilacap refinery supplies 34 percent of
\ndomestic needs.<\/p>\n
Abda'oe said that the domestic fuel demand will be supplied
\nfrom Pertamina's refineries in Plaju, South Sumatra, Balikpapan,
\nEast Kalimantan, and Balongan, West Java.<\/p>\n
Atihuta said further that firefighters were only able to
\nprevent the fire from spreading. The fire will be subdued when
\nthe oil in the tanks is exhausted, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the fire was not caused by a human error.<\/p>\n
"It was purely an accident," he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Pertamina's shipping director Kartioso said that
\nthe refinery has no supply commitments to foreign buyers.<\/p>\n
The Cilacap refinery, which has two units -- one with a daily
\nrefining capacity of 100,000 barrels and the other with 200,000
\nbarrels -- is Pertamina's biggest refinery.<\/p>\n
The refining capacity of the oil company is now 985,000
\nbarrels per day.<\/p>\n
"But part of the kerosene and automotive diesel oil for
\ndomestic consumption is imported from Singapore," he said.<\/p>\n
The privately-owned RCTI TV station said yesterday that the
\nfire is the third that has occurred at the Cilacap refinery.<\/p>\n
In 1983 a fire broke out after the refinery was struck by
\nlightning, and another fire in 1986 killed six people. The 1986
\nfire was attributed to a spark from a nearby welding shop.
\n(04\/wah\/anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cilacap-fire-wont-affect-domestic-supplies-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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