Oil Well Fire in Aceh Injures Four

PT Pertamina EP (PEP) Rantau Field reported that a fire broke out on a rig and oil well drilling platform in Bukit Tempurung Village, located in Kuala Simpang District, Aceh Tamiang, on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred during a maintenance operation intended to enhance oil production at the well.

Edwin Susanto, Acting Field Manager of PEP Rantau, stated that ongoing efforts are being made to monitor and secure the site to ensure the fire is completely extinguished and that there are no further risks.

“We are still conducting a thorough investigation into this incident, but we can confirm that the fire has been successfully resolved and location monitoring continues,” Edwin said in a statement quoted by ANTRA on Sunday, August 18.

Edwin expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the Aceh Tamiang Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) in extinguishing the fire, which helped to control the situation at one of the wells undergoing maintenance in Bukit Tempurung Village.

According to Edwin, the fire ignited around 14:10 during a series of tasks aimed at cleaning the production tubing after the removal of the ESP pump. Pertamina Rantau’s Emergency Response Team (PKD) was immediately deployed to the scene.

“he fire was successfully extinguished at 14.53 WIB. Fire trucks from the Aceh Tamiang BPBD and HSSE or occupational safety and health (K3) PEP Rantau Field also managed the fire,” he stated.

Edwin noted that the swift action of the Pertamina EP Rantau PKD team was instrumental in quickly bringing the fire under control, thus limiting the potential damage.

The incident resulted in four workers suffering burns to their hands and feet. They have been treated at Aceh Tamiang Hospital. Edwin confirmed that the injured individuals were rig workers and not local residents.

Image credit: Antara