The islands, which translate roughly as “Thousand Islands” and are located 100km north of Jakarta, have been hit by at least five spills last year. Local villagers have been, according to the paper, been using buckets and their own hands to remove the oil from the water’s surface.
According to the Kepulauan Seribu Regent Abdul Kadir, speaking to Jakarta Post, “The spill may have been caused by leaking oil pipes operated nearby by China National Offshore Oil Corp or by a mishap loading oil onto tankers.”
Similar accusations have been made against the Chinese company in connection with earlier spills but CNOOC has yet to make a statement to the market. The spill, however, has been rated as the worst ever.
“The current oil spill is the first incident in the past eight months, and the worst with a larger ecosystem and greater area effected. Rangers at the region’s Kepulauan Seribu National Marine Park have reported extensive damage,” said Kosasih Wirahadikusumah, the director of the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency.
