JP/NANA RUKMANA

Illyas Asaad (second left), the deputy state environment minister for legal affairs, hands over to Tuhirlan Indrajaya (third left), general manager of state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina, a signed agreement between Pertamina and fishermen from Majakerta village in Balongan, Indramayu, West Java, at the Balongan district office on Thursday.

District officials and the Majakerta village head, representing the fishermen, look on.

A floating hose operated by Pertamina ruptured on Sept. 14 last year, polluting the waters off Majakerta village and causing 175 fishermen to lose their earnings.

The agreement stipulates Pertamina will pay the fishermen Rp 2.4 billion in compensation for the lost earnings since the accident occurred.

Other accidents also occurred within the Balongan oil refinery last year. Several weeks after the floating hose incident, four workers suffered burn injuries from an explosion at the refinery’s atmospheric residue hydro demetalizing (ARHDM) unit.

Pertamina vice president for communications Anang Noor said in a press statement that the accident occurred because of an accumulation of gas during routine maintenance at the site.

Last October, Pertamina shut down the Balongan oil refinery for maintenance.

The refinery produces mainly Premium gasoline, churning out 50,000 barrels per day. During the maintenance process, the company will also upgrade the refinery’s unit that produces propylene, to allow it to produce polypropylene, a common raw material used in the plastics industry. —JP/Nana Rukmana

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