Tanker explosion costs four lives

A fuel tankerl chartered by state owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina exploded and got burnt off Telapung Bay, Gasip District, Riau, killing four people, Kompas Daily reported Thursday.

 

The MT Maulana vessel having tonnage of 1,500 tons just disembarked diesel oil at the firm's Siak fuel depot in Sei Duku, Pekanbaru when the acccident happened on at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The dead crew members were identified as Agus Mufti, Benyamin Gani, Ahmad Amirudin and Mohammad Adnan.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the accident was caused by an electrical problem at the vessel, a local police said.

 

Pertamina’s Marketing Director Achmad Faisal told Petromindo that the tanker was already empty when the accident occurred.

 

Head of Pertamina’s marketing branch Marketing Branch Pekanbaru Adi Nugroho said that he had reported the case to Pertamina's headquarters, while calling the headquarters to promptly send a substitute tanker to assure the smooth distribution of fuel oil in the city.

 

MT Maulana is one of the three tankers rented by Pertamina to distribute fuel in Riau.(*)