Oil Spill Expands

The sea current and waves are believed to have led to the expansion of an oil spill in East Kalimantan’s Balikpapan Bay from 12,987 hectares to 20,000-ha. Cleanup is expected to be completed on April 9.

KOMPAS/LUKAS ADI PRASETYA

A Scylla crab is found dead covered in oil on Thursday (5/4/2018). An oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, contaminated the mangrove area, killing Scylla crabs being farmed by local Sumber Bahagia farmers in Salok Osing village, Kariangau, Balikpapan.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – An oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan, has expanded from 12,987 hectares to 20,000-ha. This might have been triggered by the sea current and waves. Concerns remain that there has been unknown undersea pipe leakage in the area.

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s sea and coastal data laboratory head, Widodo Pranowo, said in Jakarta on Friday (6/4/2018) that Cosmo Skymed and Sentinel satellite images had shown on April 1 that the oil spill in Balikpapan Bay was 120 square kilometers or 12,000-hectares wide. On April 5, the oil spill had expanded to 200-sq km or 20,000-ha.