First quarter oil production down 4%

The country?s crude production in the first quarter of this year ending March declined by 4 percent to 795,500 bpd compared to the same period of last year due to operational disturbances, Investor Daily reported on Tuesday.

?Average oil production during the first quarter declined. But gas production rose by 1 percent to 8,339 mmscfd,? Deputy for Operational Control at upstream authority SKK Migas, Muliawan said.

Muliawan said that the weaker oil production was due to a number of operational disturbances during the period particularly hose leak at the West Madura Offshore block operated by PT Pertamina Hulu Energi, a cut off in the pipeline of floating storage and off loading facility of JOB Pertamina Petrochina in East Java, and haze problem in Riau affecting production activities at PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia, PT Bumi Siak Pusako, PT Petro Selat, and Kondur Petroleum.

He said that the production shortfall in the first quarter may affect the full-year production target, although there are signs now that production has started to improve. (*)