Pertamina loses $11 million due to floods
Wednesday, February 7 2007 - 10:20 AM WIB
Pertamina?s director of marketing and distribution Hanung Budya said on Wednesday that the flooding, which is showing signs of abating but is feared to strike back in the coming days, had caused fuel demand to significantly decrease as people stopped using their cars for travel.
He said the amount of fuel distributed by the firm to Jakarta and its surrounding areas dropped by 15 percent for Premium gasoline and 42 percent for diesel oil since the flood hit the areas starting Friday.
?The drop was not because a decrease in the national fuel stock but due to a decrease in demand,? Hanung said.
He noted that the fuel stock held at the firm?s depots remained at a safe level, enough for between 22-23 days of national consumption.
Water inundated the firm?s fuel depot in Plumpang, North Jakarta during the peak of the flooding. Although the flood water is still knee-high at the depot, Pertamina is now able to distribute fuel from the facilities, according to Hanung.
Hanung said if the flood struck back in the coming days and paralyzed the operation of the depot, Pertamina would take fuel from depots outside Jakarta to meet the needs of the people living in the capital. Close to Jakarta, the firm has depots in Cikampek, Padalarang, Balongan and Tanjung Gerem that supply the daily needs of local people but are also able to supply 40 percent of Jakarta?s demand.
Hanung added that 11 fuel stations owned by the firm in Jakarta and surrounding areas were forced to stop operation during the flood.
In view of the impact of the current flood, Hanung said, Pertamina will apply a flood-management system at the Plumpang depot to ensure that the depot will not be affected by any floods in the future. (Godang)