PHE ONWJ deploys fluid storage tank at YYA-1 well incident site
Friday, August 16 2019 - 03:16 PM WIB
PT Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ), a subsidiary of state-owned energy company PT Pertamina, continues its efforts to contain the oil leakage at the YYA-1 well by deploying a fluid storage tank.
The fluid storage tank, with capacity to store 5,000 liters of crude per day, is stationed below the YYA platform, PHE ONWJ said in statement.
The floating storage tank was pulled by two vessels. With this method, the oil leakage from the platform is stored at the storage tank and then transferred to a larger storage vessel.
The deployment of the fluid storage tank is the latest effort by the company to contain the oil leakage at the YYA-1 well.
"We hope this method will reduce the volume of oil leakages," VP Relations of PHE, Ifki Sukarya, said.
PHE ONWJ said earlier that gas bubbles appeared around the YYA-1 platform on July 12, which was suspected to be triggered by well-kick at the reactivated YYA-1 well.
In order to mitigate the environmental impact of the incident, PHE ONJW has installed a static oil boom around the YYA-1 platform and applying layers of anticipation strategy at around the YYA-1 well.
The company is also drilling a relief well to permanently close down the well.
On Thursday (15/08), the drilling of the relief well has reached 1,680 meters measured depth (MD) or 5,512 feet, just over half way before reaching the target of 2,766 meters MD.
The relief well is about 1 kilometers from the YYA offshore platform, the location of YYA-1 well.
Ifki said the relief well is drilled through a directional drilling method until reaching the main source of the oil leaks. Once drilling reaches the target, the source of oil leaks will then be closed down permanently with cement.
Once the oil leakages are stopped, the well will be abandoned for safety reason.
Editing by Roffie Kurniawan