?Oil spill not from Hess pipeline?

By Godang Sitompul

A laboratory test on oil spill that has been found near an oil exploration field owned by Hess Indonesia Pongkah off Gresik coastal area in North Java shows that the oil did not come from Hess?s operation, according to a source familiar with the case.

?The lab test result shows that it was not originated from Hess pipeline. Evaluations are underway to determine where the oil spill actually comes from,? said the source, who asked to remain anonymous, to petromindo.com.

Hadi Prasetyo, Head of PR, Security and Formality Division at the upstream authority BPMIGAS, confirmed the lab test result.

?The test was conducted by Intertek laboratory in Jakarta, with the result showing that the oil spill did not come from a leak in Hess pipeline,? Hadi told petromindo.com, without elaborating further.

Previously, Hess has reported that a special team from the company and dozens of local fishermen had worked together to ensure that the oil spill would not spread to a wider area.

Editing by Dadan Wijaksana