Ambon will soon have "cooling mud" factory

A company will soon open a factory in Ambon to produce barite powder, or a kind of mud that could be used as cooling materials in oil drilling activities, Investor Daily reported on Monday.

G.M. Simarmata, the head of the mining office of West Maluku Regency, said that the company was processing the license for the production of the "cooling mud". He, however, refused to unveil the name of the company.

If the project is realized, Ambon will be the first location in Indonesia, which produces the cooling mud. At present, most oil companies import the material from Vietnam for their exploration activities. (*)