No casualties in RI barge fire

No casualties in RI barge fire

INDONESIA: A fire broke out on a giant oil barge in Indonesia on Friday, but was later brought under control and caused no casualties, French company Total Fina Elf, which holds 50 percent of the permit for exploring the site, said in Paris.

A spokesman for the company told AFP the fire, which broke out at 6:30 p.m. local time was caused by a violent eruption of natural gases and the light oil products used for extracting natural gas during drilling in the Mahakam delta in East Kalimantan.

There were no casualties and the impact on the environment was limited, the spokesman said. The effect on production was expected to be minor, he said.

The 104 local workers and seven expatriate workers on the barge, Maera, were immediately evacuated and operations were under way to restore safety at the site.

The barge is owned by PT Apexindo. -- AFP