ExxonMobil suspends Arun gas production after fire

ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc (EMOI). has suspended production from its onshore Arun gas fields after a fire was discovered at gas cluster No. II Saturday, Julia Tumengkol, ExxonMobil spokeswoman, quoted by Dow Jones as saying Monday.

"A small fire was discovered and extinguished shortly after," Julia said. There were no injuries from the fire, but as a precautionary move, "certain gas production from the Arun field was temporarily suspended," she added.

The cause of the fire, believed to be sparked by a mechanical fault, is still being investigated, Julia said.

EMOI expects to resume gas production, which is temporarily halted by Saturday's fire, "within the next few days," said Julia Tumengkol.

The fire affected operations at gas cluster II and nearby cluster I, which together were producing some 400 million cubic feet of gas daily prior to the incident.

The company is currently only producing gas from cluster No. IV and offshore North Sumatra, said an industry official familiar with the latest ExxonMobil's production status.

EMOI has been preparing to resume production from cluster No. III, but is facing technical difficulties in the process, the official added.(*)