Fortune restarts E. Java oil production

Canadian oil company Fortune Oil & Gas Inc. on Monday announced the re-commencement of production in its oilfield in Indonesia, the Camar Field, which is located offshore East Java

After a period of shutdown, a replacement storage tanker, the M/T Fortuna Ayu was being purchased and modified for use in its intended capacity. Test production began on May 22nd pending final inspections and subsequent approvals by various Indonesian regulatory officials, said the company.

The company said five of eight oil wells capable of significant production are on-line, while remedial work on the remaining three oil wells is slated to begin prior to the end of July and is expected to result in production seven to ten days later.

Prior to its temporary closure in 2001, Camar field produced some 3,000 BOPD.

Fortune bought 100 percent participation of the Bawean production-sharing block where Camar filed was located from Carmanah Resources Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2000. (alex)