Pertamina pledges to smooth CNOOC assets transfer: Report

State oil firm Pertamina said on Friday it would help smooth the transfer of Repsol-YPF Indonesian assets to China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC).

"In the discussion with the Minister of Mines and Energy, CNOOC officials had asked for help on the transfer of Indonesian assets to them from Repsol-YPF. The minister has pledged to help everything needed following the acquisition," a Pertamina official told Reuters.

"CNOOC will also cooperate in upstream activities with Pertamina, while Pertamina raised the issue of possible liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to China with CNOOC," the official said, adding that representatives from CNOOC had visited Jakarta earlier this week.

CNOOC has short-listed three companies as possible suppliers of LNG for a terminal in southern China, including global oil giant BP, which could use natural gas from Tangguh.

Pertamina has said it planned to build two LNG plants in the remote province of Papua which will get the feedstock of the Tangguh natural gas fields. The fields are operated by BP and have yet to begin commercial production.

In January, CNOOC bought the Indonesian oil and gas assets of Spanish oil giant Repsol-YPF for US$585 million. (*)