Pertamina petrol station in Bekasi remains closed after fuel suspected to be water-contaminated

Bekasi, Indonesia — A Pertamina petrol station, SPBU 34.17146 Juanda on Jalan Insinyur H. Juanda in Margahayu, Bekasi Timur, Bekasi City, remained closed as of Wednesday, 4 March 2026. The shutdown followed complaints from several motorists who reported their vehicles stalled shortly after refuelling at the station. Draining the tanks revealed a white liquid suspected of being mixed with water.

‘The petrol station cannot operate as we await a decision from Pertamina’s Bekasi area,’ said Ragil Pambudi, the station supervisor, to Kompas.com on Wednesday. ‘Thank God everything has been handled well. The issue has affected 25 motorcycles and six cars.’

The SPBU said it was endeavouring to resolve all customer complaints. Regarding the suspected water contamination, Ragil suggested it could be related to nearby construction activity. ‘The provisional explanation is that the water could be from a tap or water from around the site. As adjacent there is a building at a higher elevation, this is only a hypothesis and cannot yet be confirmed,’ he said.

He stressed that the exact cause of the water in the fuel remained under investigation by authorities. ‘We cannot confirm the technical cause yet. Pertamina officials will provide an explanation in due course,’ he added.

Susanto August Satria, Area Manager Communications, Relations & CSR for PT Pertamina Patra Niaga Regional West Java, said the halt was imposed as soon as the reports were received from customers. ‘We immediately instructed a temporary halt to the distribution of Pertalite at SPBU 34.171.46 after receiving reports from customers. Our main focus is to ensure comprehensive handling for affected vehicles, with the station establishing a Complaint Post,’ he said.

Earlier, concerns had circulated on social media after Threads user @pujiestia posted footage showing a motorcycle’s fuel tank being drained and a white liquid emerging. The video’s caption claimed the motorcycle had been recently filled with petrol and soon stalled after leaving the petrol station. Other customers are also reported to have experienced similar incidents and returned to the station seeking answers.