Java Sea's area declared danger zone

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A 500-square-kilometer area in the Java Sea has been declared a danger zone because of trouble with the subsea pipeline transporting natural gas from fields owned by Anglo-American energy firm BP PLC to East Java.

BP has called on all ships to avoid the area, citing the high risk of fire and explosion.

"In the event of pipeline failure there is a risk of loss of life due to fire and explosion, or the sinking of a vessel passing over the pipeline rupture point," BP Indonesia's vice president Satya W. Yudha said in a statement.

The East Java Gas Pipeline is owned and operated by state- owned oil and gas company Pertamina. The pipeline stretches 440 kilometers from Kangean Island near the island of Madura to East Java's mainland, passing through a 370-km offshore section.

Satya said strong currents had ripped a section of the underwater pipeline loose from the seabed, resulting in a risk of failure well beyond international standards.

The area over the pipeline considered to be a danger zone is four nautical miles (seven kilometers) wide and 40 nautical miles (72 kilometers) long, south of Raas and Kangean Island.

BP has discussed the problem and possible solutions with the directorate general of oil and gas, the downstream authority BP Migas and Pertamina.

Satya said the government decided to establish a maritime exclusion zone over the affected pipeline, which will be patrolled and enforced by the Navy. In addition, the directorate general of sea communications has sent out a notice to all vessels to avoid the exclusion zone.

"If these measures are ineffective in eliminating marine operations in the affected area, we will have to discontinue gas production operations to ensure public safety," he said.

Analysts say stopping the gas supplies will cause disruptions at power generation and industrial operations in East Java province.

BP supplies 200 million cubic feet of gas per day to state- owned electricity company PT PLN, fertilizer firm Petrokimia Gresik and state-owned gas distribution and transmission firm PT PGN. The later distributes gas to industrial operations in the province.

Pertamina said in a statement it would begin immediate repair work on the pipeline.

It also dismissed worries about possible gas shortages in the event that BP discontinues gas production.

"Even if there is a shutdown, Pertamina has already prepared oil fuel for the power plants in East Java," the statement said.