Batam, Batamnews -  The village beach of Kampung Melayu in Batu Besar, Nongsa District, Batam City, Riau Islands, was contaminated with black oil waste on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. The B3 waste appeared to cover almost the entire coastline of Kampung Melayu. The source of the black waste is still unknown, and the local residents were surprised by its sudden appearance. "The water is no longer visible, it's all black oil, who is responsible for this?" said a resident of Kampung Melayu on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

The residents have urged the authorities to catch those responsible for disposing of the MFO (Marine Fuel Oil) black oil waste. Meanwhile, several officials from KSOP Batam, the Kepri Regional Police, and the Batam City Environmental Agency have visited the site to investigate the incident. They have decided to form a special team to handle the waste contamination in the waters of Kampung Melayu, Batu Besar, Batam, Riau Islands on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

The thick black oil waste has already settled in the coastal area, causing negative impacts on the local fishermen who face difficulties in conducting their activities. Rahmat Nasution, the head of the Gakkum Division of KSOP Khusus Batam, stated that his team and other relevant agencies had visited the site on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, and will form a team to investigate the source of the waste. However, the first action would be to handle the waste contamination.

Rahmat added that his team would identify the source of the waste after handling the contamination first. "We will handle it first, and then we will look for the source to take legal action," he said. The residents of Kampung Melayu, Batu Besar, were surprised by the sudden appearance of the black oil waste that covered the coastline. This situation has had a negative impact on the local fishermen who have difficulty conducting their activities in the coastal area.

According to Kombes Nasriadi, the head of the Special Criminal Directorate of the Kepulauan Riau Regional Police, the liquid B3 waste that contaminated the beach was allegedly from the Gabon-flagged MT PABLO vessel that caught fire in Malaysian waters on Monday, May 1, 2023. Based on the satellite print results on April 30, 2023, three oil spill locations were detected in the eastern outer port limit area, with an estimated area of 13.70 km. The allegation was further strengthened by the discovery of black oil waste in the Labuh Jangkar area of Batu Ampar and Tanjung Uncang, Batam.

Local residents have been disturbed by the oil waste covering the Kampung Melayu beach since Wednesday, May 3, 2023. According to one resident named Rafki, the waste contamination has occurred almost every year and has significantly impacted the local fishermen's activities. Therefore, the government must take serious measures to handle this waste problem to prevent further damage to the environment and disturbance to the local community.

KSOP has taken temporary measures to handle the waste by using Absorbent Pads to absorb the oil spills. A special team has been formed to investigate the source of the waste, and hopefully, this will speed up the handling and legal action against the waste's originators.