Police apprehend oil thieves

In a joint operation with state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina, the police have recently nabbed seven people illegally tapping crude oil from a PT Pertamina EP Asset 2 oil pipeline in Prabumulih, South Sumatra.

Pertamina said in a statement Sunday that the thieves were tapping oil from the 6-inch Pagar Dewa-PPP pipeline. The perpetrators are currently being detained at the police.

Pertamina Vice President for Corporate Communication Wianda Pusponegoro said in the statement that the illegal tapping of oil has serious negative impact to the local community including environmental destruction and hazards such as fire and explosion.

As of June 2016, Pertamina said that there has been five cases of illegal oil tapping at the Pertamina EP pipeline in Sumatra including Jambi and Prabumulih. Other criminal cases include stealing of production facilities, destruction and sabotage of production facilities, and illegal drilling activities at around 104 wells in Musi Banyuasin.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak