Explosive Fire Devastates Pertamina's Dumai Refinery in Indonesia

Indonesia: The 170,000 b/d Dumai refinery owned and operated by Pertamina, which is under state control, was hit by an explosion and fire on April 1st. The hydrocracker complex of the Dumai site was attacked, claims Indonesia's national police. The neighboring refinery region was shaken by the explosion, but thankfully the fire was quickly extinguished and brought under control.

According to preliminary inquiry findings, the explosion and accompanying fire, which were quickly put out, were caused by a hydrogen gas leak along a 6-inch-long pipeline in compressor area 212-C-2 of the refinery, the operator stated in a series of releases.

Taufik Aditiyawarman, president and director of PT KPI, announced following the event that the Dumai refinery would continue to run in order to preserve the gasoline supply for the northern Sumatra region for the upcoming Ramadhan and Idul Fitri holidays.

Although the demand for gasoline is currently at an all-time high, it is unclear whether the hydrocracker issue would affect gasoline output. However, preparations are already being made to stockpile enough vehicles to meet the spike in demand that will occur during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which runs from 22 March to 21 April.

Pertamina has had two fires so far this year. On March 3, a fire broke out at the integrated gasoline terminal owned by Pertamina in Plumpang, Jakarta. The crude distillation unit, the high vacuum unit, the platformer, the hydrocracker, the naphtha and gasoil treater, and the delayed coker unit are all parts of the Dumai refinery.