Oil Spill in Borneo

The increased transhipment of oil across the world, as our industries and populations grow, has luckily coincided with the awareness of the danger of oil mixing with our ecosystems. The fact that a media frenzy tends to descend upon areas suffering from major oil spills puts them in a harsh spotlight, and pressures governments and agencies to act to protect livelihoods and wildlife.

But the media narrative, and the strength of local spill response training, has lately been put to the test in neighbouring Indonesia. As with many countries around the world, the major domestic oil firm here – Pertamina – is tied closely to local and state government. They are, in our terms, a crown corporation.

Unfortunately, wielding this much power is a danger for a free press. When details began to emerge about a stretch of coastline in Borneo that was thickly coated in oil, and an ensuring fire and missing fishermen caught amongst it, there was no party coming forward to point the finger, even though Pertamina is the only firm operating here. The Indonesian government also stayed mum.

Only ten days after the spill occurred did anyone begin to remark on the issue, with fingers pointed to a foreign-flagged vessel that had supposedly punctured an aging pipeline in Balikpapan Bay. No charges have been laid, however, and as spill response training teams finally began to appear in the area, the oil continued to spread down the coast, into mangrove forests and areas occupied by the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin.

As tragic as this case is, it underlines the importance of properly trained responders, and a free and open press, to report on these problems when they occur – and in time to give cleanup a chance. Australia’s own Ecospill offers the chance to learn more about how to contain oil spills before they pose a threat to the local environment.