Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State oil and gas company Pertamina said it will not raise fuel oil imports after a fire raged at three tanks in its refinery compound in Cilacap, Central Java, a few days ago.

The Cilacap refinery had been operating at normal level, Pertamina spokesman M Harun said on Monday.

"Several processing units at the Cilacap refinery which earlier were shut down or had production cut at a minimum rate resumed operations in stages on Thursday at 02.00 p.m.. Since Sunday (April 10) at 10.00 a.m. they have been operating at full capacity processing 348,000 barrels per day," he said.

Therefore, only 100,000 barrels of the planned 400,000 barrels of gasoline supplies were diverted from Balongan refinery in West Java to Lomanis depot in Cilacap, he said.

"As such, additional gasoline imports are unnecessary," he said.

The Cilacap refinery supplies diesel oil, kerosene and gasoline to a number of areas in West Java, including Padalarang, Ujung Berung and Tasikmalaya and a number of areas in Central Java, including Maos, Teras and Rewulu.

The Cilacap refinery has a capacity of processing 340,000 barrels of fuel oils per day, making it the biggest in the country.

The refinery consists of two complexes with a capacity of processing 118,000 barrels and 230,000 barrels per day respectively.

Pertamina temporarily shut down the refinery according to security procedure following a fire at three storage tanks in the refinery compound.

Earlier, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Darwin Saleh said the refinery`s production fell short of 3 percent of its normal capacity of 384,000 barrels per day following the fire.

The fire gutted the three tanks on Saturday (April 2) and Sunday (April 3). The tanks contained about 10,000 kiloliters of high octane mogas component and naphthalene, additives used in fuel production.

On Wednesday (April 6) at 05.00 p.m. the fire was totally put out after 108 hours of raging at the tanks.
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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