Geomarin III vessel conducts sea trial in Sunda Strait
Monday, August 7 2017 - 01:30 AM WIB
The Geomarin III research vessel started on Sunday a sea trial program at the Sunda Strait ahead of planned sedimentary basin survey in the Arafura Sea, Papua Province, to help the government in determining oil and gas working areas, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) in the Lebata waters, East Nusa Tenggara Province.
The eight-year old Geomarin III, is a multi-function vessel owned by the Marine Geology Research and Development Center of the Research and Development Agency at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The vessel, manufactured by state-owned ship maker PT PAL, was first launched in 2009, the ministry said in a statement.
Over the years, the vessel has been carrying out oil and gas surveys particularly in eastern part of the country to help provide required data for the government in determining oil and gas working areas to be offered to contractors for development. The ministry said that the vessel had also successfully identified gold potential in Komba, south of Banda Sea, and biogenic gas in North Bali.
Head of the ministry?s Research and Development Agency, F.X. Sutijastoto said in the statement that the agency plans to commercially sell the survey capacity of Geomarin III vessel to upstream companies.
He said that in 2018, the ministry plans to upgrade the equipment of Geomarin III vessel.
Deputy for Procurement Control at upstream oil and gas authority SKK Migas, Djoko Siswanto said in the statement that the regulator has issued a new guideline for oil and gas contractors in carrying out procurement of goods and services. Under the new ruling, SKK Migas will be allowed to directly appoint government-owned agency to carry out seismic survey for oil and gas contractors. ?The Geomarin III vessel can be utilized for the seismic survey activities,? he said. (*)
He added that the Geomarin III can also be deployed to ?see? under water condition to help oil and gas contractors in installing undersea pipelines for their offshore operations.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak