ABSTRACT
Several harbours in North Jakarta have been polluted by spills of oil and their derivates. We suggest that diversespecies of crude oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria inhabit these harbours. An experimentwas undertaken in 2007 to isolate crude oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading bacteria fromoil-polluted harbours, such as Muara Baru, Sunda Kelapa and Tanjung Priok. Sea water and sediment sampleswere collected twice, in March and April. Crude oil and PAH-degrading bacteria were isolated from enrichmentculture of samples in an enrichment medium (SWP), using ONR7a medium with the addition of 5 types of PAHgases or Arabian Light Crude Oil 210 (ALCO 210) onto medium. This study reported that fluoranthene and crudeoil-degrading bacteria were the major bacteria isolated from the three polluted harbours. In total, 109 isolates havebeen collected which can degrade crude oil (29% of total isolates), fluoranthene (33%), fluorene (20%), pyrene (7%),dibenzothiopene (6%), and phenantrene (5 %). Cultivable bacteria have been isolated mostly from the Sunda Kelapasamples, with fewer in those from Muara Baru and Tanjung Priok, respectively. Among these isolates, 5 isolateshave the capability to degrade 5 types of PAH and ALCO 210. They were Alcanivorax sp. B-1084, Pseudomonassp. D5-38b, Alcanivorax sp. TE-9, Bacillus sp. L41, Alcanivorax dieselolei strain B-5 clone 1.