Military police deployed to guard Pertamina?s oil pipeline

By Godang Sitompul

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has sent a group of military police officers to help state owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina crack down on oil thieves in South Sumatra.

?They have arrived in Jambi and are now on standby there. I don?t know if they have made movement or are still waiting for another group to come,? Agus Amperianto, Public Relation Manager of PT Pertamina EP, the upstream subsidiary of Pertamina, told Petromindo.com.

Earlier, the firm voiced concerns over the rampant illegal tappings on its oil pipeline that stretches from Tampino in Jambi to Plaju in South Sumatra. It said the illegal tappings have increased at alarming rate, causing the firm to lose around 100,000 barrels of oil this year, including 35,000 barrels in May and 59,000 barrels in June.

Agus was quoted by Kompas on June 29 that Pertamina would temporarily stop the transmission of crude through the pipeline. On Friday, Agus said Pertamina had dropped such a plan on the grounds that such a measure would bring unfavorable impacts on Pertamina?s refinery operation in Plaju and the oil production activities of the production sharing contractors (PSC) that supply crude to the pipeline.

?Pumping activities will continue along with intensive guarding activities by the military police officers,? he said.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon