Anticipating Oil Spills, Babel Port Authority Installs "Oil Boom"

PT Pelabuhan Tanjung Priok (PTP) Nonpetikemas Cabang Pangkalbalam, in Bangka Belitung Province, has installed an oil boom device to anticipate environmental pollution from oil spills at the port. “This is our commitment to protecting the river and sea environments around this port,” said Branch Manager of PTP Nonpetikemas Cabang Pangkalbalam, Alamsyah, in Pangkalpinang on Sunday. He stated that this year, PTP Nonpetikemas Cabang Pangkalbalam is focusing more on loading and unloading services for crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives to drive economic growth and community welfare in the region. He explained that there are currently four segments of oil boom, with each segment covering 20 metres, resulting in a total capacity of the device to block oil spills reaching 80 metres. “We can block 80 metres if there is a CPO spill from a ship in the water,” he said. According to him, the oil boom is a floating device specifically designed to disperse and separate oil from water, making it highly effective in addressing oil spills before further cleaning processes. He added that the installation of this oil boom coincides with the loading and unloading at Pangkalbalam Port projected to reach 1.6 million tonnes in 2025, dominated by bulk liquids in the form of CPO at 33.24 per cent. Meanwhile, PTP Nonpetikemas Cabang Pangkalbalam in the first quarter of 2026 has handled 391,624 tonnes of CPO, with the bulk liquids portion reaching 35.18 per cent. “This oil boom is important so that the high CPO loading and unloading activities do not cause environmental pollution at this port,” said Alamsyah.