Java Sea's area declared danger zone
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.