Seria oil field explained

Seria
Location Map:Brunei
Location Map Text:Location within Brunei
Relief:Yes
Coordinates:4.6195°N 114.341°W
Country:Brunei
Region:Belait
Location:Seria
Operator:Brunei Shell Petroleum
Discovery:1929
Formations:Upper Miocene

Seria oil field also known as Seria Field is the largest oil field in northwest Borneo, discovered in 1929. The oil is accumulated in Upper Miocene sandstone, trapped in Seria Anticline that straddles the present day coastline. This field has produced more than 1 billion barrels of oil for more than 75 years. Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) is the operator of this field.[1] [2]

Background

A key turning point in Brunei's economic prosperity occurred with the discovering of oil in Seria in the late 1920s, which also indirectly contributed to Brunei's modernity. Following that, Brunei saw increasing prosperity following the discovery of gas. The finding of natural gas and oil not only improved the country's politics, finances, and culture, but it also altered the 1959 Constitution, ending the Resident System and paving the way for Brunei's independence from Britain.

History

The exploration of the field started in late 1926, when F. F. Marriot (British Malay Petroleum Company Field Superintendent) and Thomas George Frederick Cochrane (General Manager of Sarawak Oilfields Limited) smelled "oil" (H2S) in the Kuala Belait and asked Straub, a Swiss geophysicist, to do a geophysical analysis of the area.[3]

On 12 July 1928, the first oil well in Seria was commemorated with a celebration. Mrs. P.A.B. McKerron, wife of the British Resident in Brunei, officiated at the event. S-1 was the position marker for the first oil well, which was dug using the cable-tool method and is located on the coast of Seria. On 5 April 1929, oil began to flow from the S-1 well, marking a watershed point in Brunei's economic history. S-1 produced 5,320 barrels of oil throughout its operation, which lasted until 1930.[4]

A total of 36 oil wells were completed in 1935, while number of oil wells was increased to 53 in 1936.[5] During the Japanese invasion, the oil fields in Seria were already producing 17,000 barrels per day.[6] At the end of World War II, the Japanese ignited 14 of the 21 wells in the Seria field before evacuating. Australian servicemen attempted to control the fires by stopping the flow of the wells.[7]

By early 1950s, nodding donkeys were introduced to the oilfield. In 1953, a record breaking 36,496,599 barrels were produced,[8] followed by a major blowout in well Seria 328 during a drilling operation.[9] [10] The extensions of Seria oil field namely South West Ampa Field and Tali Field respectively began production in 1964 and 1978.[11] [12] In 1982, the Seria Crude Oil Refinery, also commonly known as Seria Oil Refinery, began operations.[13]

On 8 October 2004, Brunei Shell Petroleum made a new discovery in Seria North Flank which was an undrilled part of the oil field. The well was drilled 3 km offshore in 8 m of water by the Schlumberger self-propelled multi-purpose vessel.[14]

Oil fields

Wells

To date, more than 900 wells have been drilled in Seria Field, and more than 350 wells are still in production. Key wells include:

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of Oil & Gas. Brunei Shell Petroleum. 18 May 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150602125731/https://www.bsp.com.bn/main/about/history.htm. 2 June 2015.
  2. News: Seria and Nearby Fields. BSP Brunei. 14 August 2020. 19 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150919085255/https://www.bsp.com.bn/panagaclub/pnhs_old/geology/htm/oil%26gas/fields/seria/seria1_1.HTM. dead.
  3. Web site: The discovery of the Seria Field. Brunei Shell Petroleum. 18 May 2015. 24 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170224051905/https://www.bsp.com.bn/panagaclub/pnhs_old/geology/htm/oil%26gas/fields/seria/seria1_2.htm. dead.
  4. Book: Siti Aishah binti Pungut, (Dayang Hajah) . Minyak Di Brunei . . Brunei . ms.
  5. Book: Sidhu, Jatswan S. . Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam . 2009-12-22 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-7078-9 . 217 . en.
  6. Book: Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore Handbook . 1996 . Trade & Trade & Travel Publications; New York, NY . 978-0-8442-8886-4 . 563 . en.
  7. News: 14 Brunei oil wells ablaze. 1945-06-30. 2015-01-21. Dundee Evening Telegraph. Angus, Scotland.
  8. Book: Steinberg, S. . The Statesman's Year-Book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World for the Year 1955 . 2016-12-28 . Springer . 978-0-230-27084-8 . 231 . en.
  9. Book: Mineral Resources Development Series . 1963 . Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific . 1 . en.
  10. Book: Department . British Territories in Borneo Geological Survey . Annual Report of the Geological Survey Department . Department . North Borneo Geological Survey . 1962 . 217 . en.
  11. Book: Southeast Asian Affairs . 1981 . Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. . 78 . en.
  12. Book: World Petroleum . 1965 . M. Palmer . 52 . en.
  13. Book: . 4.
  14. Web site: Brunei Shell makes new oil discovery The Star. 2020-08-14. www.thestar.com.my.
  15. News: 2001-01-17 . Masa Hadapan Industri Petroleum - Promosi Kawasan Baru . 1 . Pelita Brunei . 2023-12-22.

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