Environment Ministry halts operations of two firms over Mahakam River pollution

The Environment Ministry (KLH) has ordered the suspension of operations of two companies accused of contributing to the decline of the Mahakam Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population in the Mahakam River, East Kalimantan.

The companies are PT Graha Benua Etam (GBE) and PT Muji Lines (ML).

“We from Environmental Law Enforcement (Gakkum LH) have stopped the conveyor activities (of PT GBE and PT Muji Lines) located in the middle of the Mahakam River,” said Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement Rizal Irawan in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 11, 2026).

Rizal said both companies were found to be operating without environmental permits, prompting enforcement action.

“We are committed to continuing supervision and environmental law enforcement to ensure that any activities in river areas that serve as the natural habitat of the Mahakam dolphin comply with regulations,” he said.

Read also : Govt to restrict coal shipping in Mahakam River to protect dolphins

The ministry stated that GBE, which is engaged in coal transportation and trading, constructed a jetty without obtaining the required environmental approval. The company’s activities were also deemed to have polluted the river, which is home to the protected freshwater dolphin species.

 “The coal transportation and trading company was firmly sanctioned with the suspension of all its operational activities,” the ministry said.

KLH also took action against PT Muji Lines for failing to obtain a spatial utilization conformity approval for the placement and mooring of its Coal Transhipment Barges (CTB) I and CTB II. All of the company’s operations have likewise been halted.

Rizal called on local governments, academics, local communities, conservation organizations and the public to intensify efforts to protect the Mahakam dolphin. These include public education, population monitoring, pollution reduction campaigns and the promotion of more wildlife-friendly fishing practices.

 “For the protection and preservation of the environment, including East Kalimantan’s endemic mammal, the Mahakam dolphin,” he said.

Previously, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry designated the Mahakam waters in Kutai Kartanegara Regency as a National Aquatic Conservation Area under Ministerial Decree No. 49/2022, covering 42,667.99 hectares in the upper Mahakam region.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak