A blaze that occurred when the oil spill caught on fire had killed five residents who were in the bay, in addition to causing respiratory problems in the city.

[3] Initially, Pertamina denied responsibility for the spill for four days, claiming that tests showed the oil originated from marine shipments and that divers sent had not discovered any leakage on their pipelines.

[6] According to Pertamina in an April 4 statement, a distribution pipeline carrying crude oil from a terminal in Lawe-Lawe, Penajam North Paser to Balikpapan which was installed in 1998 burst, having been displaced by 120 meters from its original position.

[9] Environmental organizations and campaigners criticized the Indonesian government for its slow response, with Greenpeace claiming it had not received any information from the authorities on the fifth day of the spill.

[8] Head of the People's Representative Council Bambang Soesatyo demanded an explanation from the Embassy of China in Jakarta, regarding a theory that the fire on the Ever Judger resulted in the blaze and hence fatalities.

[22] Indonesian vice-minister of energy and mineral resources Arcandra Tahar stated that the pipeline damage may cause up to 200,000 barrels per day in lost production.

[25] Due to the spill, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries received reports of oil pollution across the country, such as in the Bay of Jakarta and in Bintan.