Pertamina to repair E. Java pipeline

State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina said Wednesday that structural problems threaten a crucial pipeline linking BP PLC's offshore Pagerungan gas field with the Indonesian province of East Java.

The 360-kilometer undersea pipeline which links BP's offshore Pagerungan gas fields with East Java has become detached from the seabed due to strong currents, Pertamina said.

Pertamina said it would start maintenance on the pipeline next month.

The company played down the severity of the situation, saying it has no plans to shut down the pipeline for now.

But Pertamina didn't rule out a shutdown of the pipeline, saying that in the event of a closure it would try to substitute East Java's gas needs with oil.

"Even if there's a shutdown, Pertamina has already prepared oil fuel for the power plants in East Java," Eteng Salam, deputy director upstream said.

The 28-inches pipeline transports gas from BP?s Pagerungan gas field offshore East Java to Petrokimia Gresik, Gresik combined cycle Power plant and to state gas distribution company PGN. (alex/godang)