Gas eruption hits Mahakam field

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A gas blowout hit the Meara well in the Tunu field in the Mahakam delta of East Kalimantan on Friday afternoon, forcing TotalFinaElf E&P Indonesia, a subsidiary of French oil and gas giant TotalFinaElf, to evacuate all its workers.

"No one was injured during the incident and all personnel on the Maera drilling barge were immediately evacuated to safety," A. Sidick Nitikusuma, spokesman for state oil and gas company Pertamina's production sharing directorate, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said the incident occurred at 3.30 p.m. local time, and was preceded for unknown reasons by mounting pressure at the wellhead and an increased flow of gas and mud.

The crew immediately put the pollution prevention plan into effect.

"At around 6 p.m. (local time), a fire started and spread on the rig," Sidick explained.

Operations are currently underway to secure the site and an investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident, he added.

TotalFinaElf, which is one of the gas suppliers to the Bontang liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in the province, currently produces 1.6 billion cubic feet of gas per day (BCFD) from the Tunu field.

Gas supplies from the field to the LNG plant remained unaffected, Sidick said, noting that the Maera well was still under development, meaning it had been explored but had yet to come on stream.

Sidick also discounted worries that the incident might have an impact the lives of local people, saying the well was located in a remote area.

A similar incident in Cepu, Blora regency, Central Java, on Monday disrupted the daily activities of local people, forcing thousands to flee and destroying crops.

300 local residents have reportedly received medical treatment for respiratory difficulties.

The Tunu field, which forms part of the Mahakam block, is operated by TotalFinaElf, which jointly owns it in partnership with Japanese firm Inpex.