HHC Vessel carrying asphalt sinks

MT HHC vessels chartered by state oil and gas firm Pertamina to carry 1,000 tons of liquefied asphalt from its Cilacap oil refinery to Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi, sank off Cilacap port in Central Java.

The vessel, with 11 crews, sank east of the notorious Nusakambangan island, around seven miles away from Cilacap shores, and only several dozen meters away from Pertamina's floating port in Cilacap.

According to the Cilacap port's administrator, Sahud Sihombing, the cause of the accident was the leakage in the vessel's engine room. Ship captain Hendrik Takumansang was surprised knowing that water had filled the engine room and ordered his crew to save themselves, as the vessel was not anymore stable.

Meanwhile, the head of PT Tongkang Cilacap that operates MT HCC vessel, HP Hasibuan, said that the sinking vessel was a small vessel, and therefore, it would not disrupt traffic in the area.

He said the liquefied asphalt, unlike crude oil, would not cause pollution in the sea.

This is the second accident in the Cilacap sea involving vessels carrying liquefied asphalt during the past three months.

Last April, MT King Fisher vessel carrying crude oil also sank nearby after hitting corral rocks, resulting in the leakage of around 160,000 liters of crude oil that polluted the area of around 35 kilometers away.

In 1993, MT Niaga 39 vessel carrying 1,000 drum of asphalt from Cilacap also sank nearby the area. Up until now, the wreckage of the Niaga 39 vessel was still lying on the seabed. (*)