Balikpapan
Encyclopedia
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo
, Indonesia
, in the East Kalimantan
province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber
, mining
, and petroleum
export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau (a ferry harbour), and the Sepinggan International Airport
are the main transportation ports to the city. The city has a population of 469,884, making it the second-largest city in East Kalimantan, after the capital Samarinda
.
In 1897, a small refinery company began the first oil drilling. Construction of roads, wharves, warehouses, offices, barracks, and bungalows started when a Dutch oil company arrived in the area. On January 24, 1942, a Japanese invasion convoy
arrived at Balikpapan and was attacked
by four USN destroyer
s which sank three Japanese transports. The Japanese landed and after a sharp but short fight the Japanese army defeated the Dutch
garrison. The defenders had partially destroyed the oil refinery and other facilities. After this the Japanese massacred many of the Europeans they has captured. Several campaigns followed until the 1945 Battle of Balikpapan
, which concluded the Allied Forces' Borneo campaign
, after which they took control of Borneo island.
Extensive wartime damage curtailed almost all oil production in the area until major repairs were performed by the Royal Dutch Shell
company. Shell continued operating in the area until Indonesian state-owned Pertamina
took it over in 1965. Lacking technology, skilled manpower, and capital to explore the petroleum region, Pertamina sublet petroleum concession contracts to multinational companies in the 1970s.
With the only oil refinery site in the region, Balikpapan emerged as a revitalized centre of petroleum production. Pertamina opened its regional headquarters in the city, followed by branch offices established by international oil companies. Hundreds of labourers from other parts of Indonesia, along with skilled expatriates who served as managers and engineers, flocked into the city.
, Indonesia achieved unprecedented economic growth by promoting foreign investments, particularly in the exploitation of natural and mineral resources. Although the policy was heavily criticized for uncontrolled environmental damage and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, it significantly boosted urban development in resource-rich cities. In the 1970s, Balikpapan experienced 7% population growth annually, while exports of timber and petroleum increased dramatically.
(Indonesia), Total S.A.
(France), ChevronTexaco
(US), Schlumberger
(France), BakerHughes (US), Weatherford (US), Thiess Contractors Indonesia
(Australia), and Halliburton
(US) use Balikpapan as their base of operations in the region. Governmental public services also attract many people to work in this area, with presence of Bank Indonesia, Finance Department, Port of Semayang, and several others.
Balikpapan oil refinery is located on the shore of Balikpapan Bay and covers an area of 2.5 km². Established in 1922, it is the oldest refinery in the area. It was destroyed in World War II
by the Allies of World War II
and re-built in 1950. The refinery has two subunits, Balikpapan I and Balikpapan II.
Balikpapan I consists of two raw oil refinery
units that produce naphtha
, kerosene
, gasoline
, diesel fuel, and residue and one high-vacuum unit that produces 100 tonnes (approx 98 tons) of paraffin
oil distillate (POD), used as raw material for wax factories. The wax itself has various grades and is sold domestically and internationally.
Opened on November 1, 1983, Balikpapan II has a hydro-skimming and hydro-cracking
refinery and produces petrol, LPG
, naphtha
, kerosene
, and diesel fuel.
of the municipality of Balikpapan is generally hilly (85%), with only small areas of flatland (15%), particularly along the coast and surrounding the hilly areas. The hills are less than 100 meters higher than the adjacent valleys. The altitude of Balikpapan ranges from 0 to 80 meters above sea level.
Most of the soil in Balikpapan contains yellow-reddish podsolic soil and alluvial and quartz
sand, making it extremely prone to erosion.
. The city on average sees on average just under 2800 mm of rain per year. Balikpapan generally shows little variation in weather throughout the course of the year. The city does not have significantly wetter and drier periods of the year and average temperatures are nearly identical throughout the course of the year, averaging roughly 27 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
. It is also the busiest airport in Kalimantan and permits large aircraft. Airlines currently using the airport are Lion Air
, Merpati Nusantara Airlines
, Batavia Air
, Trigana Air, Kartika Airlines
, and Sriwijaya Air
(domestic routes), and Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia
, Mandala Airlines
, and Silk Air (international routes).
The airport is one of the nine principal locations in Indonesia used by Muslims on their pilgrimage to Mecca
, the "Hajj
". From 1996 to 1997, the airport served over 4,500 East Kalimantan pilgrims, and from 1997 to 1998, it served pilgrims from East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan
, Central Sulawesi
, and North Sulawesi
.
In addition to the airport, Balikpapan also has a seaport called Semayang. It serves commercial boats to many destinations in Indonesia, such as Surabaya
, Makassar
, Jakarta
, Pare Pare, and Manado
. In the 1990s
, transportation using ships was very popular. Today, due to more affordable and efficient airplane travel, more people choose to fly.
Taking the ferry is an alternative for traveling to other coastal areas in East Kalimantan, such as Penajam.
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, in the East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province, located on the Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda and Balikpapan...
province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
, mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, and petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau (a ferry harbour), and the Sepinggan International Airport
Sepinggan International Airport
Sepinggan International Airport is the principal airport serving East Kalimantan area on the island of Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is located about 4.5 km east of Balikpapan. The airport began its new operational phase in 1997, with new building and runway structure, replacing old structure on the...
are the main transportation ports to the city. The city has a population of 469,884, making it the second-largest city in East Kalimantan, after the capital Samarinda
Samarinda
Samarinda is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The city lies on the banks of the Mahakam River. It is the most populous city in East Kalimantan with a population of 726,223...
.
History
Prior to the oil boom of the early 1900s, Balikpapan was an isolated Bugis fishing village. Balikpapan's name (lit. balik is behind and papan is a plank) comes from a folk story where a local king threw his newborn daughter into the sea to protect her from his enemies. The baby was tied beneath some planks, which were discovered by a fisherman.In 1897, a small refinery company began the first oil drilling. Construction of roads, wharves, warehouses, offices, barracks, and bungalows started when a Dutch oil company arrived in the area. On January 24, 1942, a Japanese invasion convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
arrived at Balikpapan and was attacked
Battle of Balikpapan (1942)
This article concerns the naval and land battles of Balikpapan in 1942. For information on the 1945 landings by Australian forces in the same area, see Second Battle of Balikpapan....
by four USN destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s which sank three Japanese transports. The Japanese landed and after a sharp but short fight the Japanese army defeated the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
garrison. The defenders had partially destroyed the oil refinery and other facilities. After this the Japanese massacred many of the Europeans they has captured. Several campaigns followed until the 1945 Battle of Balikpapan
Battle of Balikpapan (1945)
The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of the Borneo campaign . The landings took place on 1 July 1945. The Australian 7th Division, composed of the 18th, 21st and 25th Infantry Brigades, with support troops, made an amphibious landing, codenamed Operation Oboe Two a few miles north of...
, which concluded the Allied Forces' Borneo campaign
Borneo campaign (1945)
The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. Allied naval and...
, after which they took control of Borneo island.
Extensive wartime damage curtailed almost all oil production in the area until major repairs were performed by the Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
company. Shell continued operating in the area until Indonesian state-owned Pertamina
Pertamina
Pertamina is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which extracts and refines the country's oil and gas reserves. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin and Permina...
took it over in 1965. Lacking technology, skilled manpower, and capital to explore the petroleum region, Pertamina sublet petroleum concession contracts to multinational companies in the 1970s.
With the only oil refinery site in the region, Balikpapan emerged as a revitalized centre of petroleum production. Pertamina opened its regional headquarters in the city, followed by branch offices established by international oil companies. Hundreds of labourers from other parts of Indonesia, along with skilled expatriates who served as managers and engineers, flocked into the city.
Administration
Balikpapan is bordered by the following:- Kutai Kartanegara RegencyKutai Kartanegara RegencyKutai Kartanegara Regency is a regency of East Kalimantan province, Indonesia. It has an area of 27,263.10 km² and water area of 4,097 km². The population of the regency was 626,286 at the 2010 Census...
(to the North) - Makassar StraitMakassar StraitMakassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea.The Mahakam River of Borneo empties into the strait....
(to the South and East) - North Penajam Paser Regency (to the West)
Demographics
During the Suharto administrationNew Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
, Indonesia achieved unprecedented economic growth by promoting foreign investments, particularly in the exploitation of natural and mineral resources. Although the policy was heavily criticized for uncontrolled environmental damage and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, it significantly boosted urban development in resource-rich cities. In the 1970s, Balikpapan experienced 7% population growth annually, while exports of timber and petroleum increased dramatically.
Economy
Some multinational corporations conduct business activities in East Kalimantan province. Such companies as PertaminaPertamina
Pertamina is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which extracts and refines the country's oil and gas reserves. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin and Permina...
(Indonesia), Total S.A.
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
(France), ChevronTexaco
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
(US), Schlumberger
Schlumberger
Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
(France), BakerHughes (US), Weatherford (US), Thiess Contractors Indonesia
Thiess Contractors Indonesia
PT Thiess Contractors Indonesia is a subsidiary of Thiess Pty Ltd, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leighton Holdings....
(Australia), and Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
(US) use Balikpapan as their base of operations in the region. Governmental public services also attract many people to work in this area, with presence of Bank Indonesia, Finance Department, Port of Semayang, and several others.
Balikpapan oil refinery is located on the shore of Balikpapan Bay and covers an area of 2.5 km². Established in 1922, it is the oldest refinery in the area. It was destroyed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the Allies of World War II
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
and re-built in 1950. The refinery has two subunits, Balikpapan I and Balikpapan II.
Balikpapan I consists of two raw oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
units that produce naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
, kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
, gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, diesel fuel, and residue and one high-vacuum unit that produces 100 tonnes (approx 98 tons) of paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...
oil distillate (POD), used as raw material for wax factories. The wax itself has various grades and is sold domestically and internationally.
Opened on November 1, 1983, Balikpapan II has a hydro-skimming and hydro-cracking
Cracking (chemistry)
In petroleum geology and chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules such as kerogens or heavy hydrocarbons are broken down into simpler molecules such as light hydrocarbons, by the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds in the precursors. The rate of cracking and the end products...
refinery and produces petrol, LPG
Liquified petroleum gas
Liquefied petroleum gas is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles. It is increasingly used as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant, replacing chlorofluorocarbons in an effort to reduce damage to the ozone layer...
, naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
, kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
, and diesel fuel.
Geography
The topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the municipality of Balikpapan is generally hilly (85%), with only small areas of flatland (15%), particularly along the coast and surrounding the hilly areas. The hills are less than 100 meters higher than the adjacent valleys. The altitude of Balikpapan ranges from 0 to 80 meters above sea level.
Most of the soil in Balikpapan contains yellow-reddish podsolic soil and alluvial and quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
sand, making it extremely prone to erosion.
Climate
Balikpapan features a tropical rainforest climateTropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
. The city on average sees on average just under 2800 mm of rain per year. Balikpapan generally shows little variation in weather throughout the course of the year. The city does not have significantly wetter and drier periods of the year and average temperatures are nearly identical throughout the course of the year, averaging roughly 27 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
Transportation
Balikpapan has the largest airport on the Indonesian side of Borneo, the Sepinggan International AirportSepinggan International Airport
Sepinggan International Airport is the principal airport serving East Kalimantan area on the island of Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is located about 4.5 km east of Balikpapan. The airport began its new operational phase in 1997, with new building and runway structure, replacing old structure on the...
. It is also the busiest airport in Kalimantan and permits large aircraft. Airlines currently using the airport are Lion Air
Lion Air
Not to be confused with the Sri Lankan airline Lionair.PT Lion Mentari Airlines, operating as Lion Air, is Indonesia’s largest private carrier and Asia’s first hybrid carrier which offers both economy and business-class seating, based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Lion Air also flies to Singapore,...
, Merpati Nusantara Airlines
Merpati Nusantara Airlines
Merpati Nusantara Airlines is a commuter airline based in Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is a major domestic airline operating scheduled services to more than 25 destinations in Indonesia, as well as scheduled international services to East Timor and Malaysia. Its main base is...
, Batavia Air
Batavia Air
Batavia Air is an airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It operates domestic flights to around 30 destinations and international services to Singapore, China and Malaysia. Its main base is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta...
, Trigana Air, Kartika Airlines
Kartika Airlines
Kartika Airlines is an airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It operates domestic services from Jakarta. Its main base is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. Kartika Airlines is listed in category 2 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.- History :The airline...
, and Sriwijaya Air
Sriwijaya Air
Sriwijaya Air is an airline based in Jakarta with headquarters in Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. It offers domestic flights to major cities in Indonesia and limited International destinations...
(domestic routes), and Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia
PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk , publicly known as Garuda Indonesia, is the flag carrier of Indonesia. It is named after the mystical giant bird Garuda of Hinduism and Buddhist mythology. It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia...
, Mandala Airlines
Mandala Airlines
Mandala Airlines was a low-cost airline headquartered in the Mandala Airlines Building in West Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia. Mandala operated scheduled services to 3 international and 17 domestic destinations, used a fleet of narrow body Airbuses. Its main operational base was Soekarno-Hatta...
, and Silk Air (international routes).
The airport is one of the nine principal locations in Indonesia used by Muslims on their pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, the "Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
". From 1996 to 1997, the airport served over 4,500 East Kalimantan pilgrims, and from 1997 to 1998, it served pilgrims from East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan
South Kalimantan
South Kalimantan/South Borneo is one of the thirty-three Provinces of Indonesia and one of four Indonesian provinces in the Indonesian part of Borneo. The provincial capital is Banjarmasin...
, Central Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located in the centre of Sulawesi. It was established on 13 April 1964....
, and North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west . The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which border Davao del Sur in the Philippines.The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is...
.
In addition to the airport, Balikpapan also has a seaport called Semayang. It serves commercial boats to many destinations in Indonesia, such as Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
, Makassar
Makassar
Makassar, is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably...
, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Pare Pare, and Manado
Manado
Manado is the capital of the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. Manado is located at the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area. The city has about 405,715 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar...
. In the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, transportation using ships was very popular. Today, due to more affordable and efficient airplane travel, more people choose to fly.
Taking the ferry is an alternative for traveling to other coastal areas in East Kalimantan, such as Penajam.
External links
- JoTravelGuide.com - A comprehensive up to date travel guide to Balikpapan