Drillers Strike It Rich Off Thailand

[webfact]

Drillers strike it rich off Thailand

By Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation

Three concession holders for petroleum exploration have found oil in their concession fields in the Gulf of Thailand.

Pearl Oil found petroleum in G6/50 field; Chevron (Thailand) discovered it in G7/50; and PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) made its find in the G8/50 field.

They were granted the concessions in the 20th round of concession granting by the Department of Mineral Fuels.

The department's directorgeneral, Songpob Polchan, said concession holders should promote good understanding with communities in their areas.

As part of this effort, the department, together with PTTEP, Chevron, Pearl Oil, Salamander Energy and CEC International, yesterday each donated Bt200,000 to purฌchase relief packages for floodhit people in Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani.

Last year the department distributed a manual of guidelines for holding public hearings to all concession holders.

In related news, Chevron's Pla Thong 2 gas field in the Gulf of Thailand will start generating 330 million cubic feet per day by the end of this year, while PTTEP's Bongkot South field will be producing 320 million cubic feet per day by late next year.

-- The Nation 2011-04-02

[animatic]

The death nell for island paradises in the gulf I fear.

Of course the attempts to bribe the locals with aide packages kicks in instantly. We care for you, since you have oil under you. I don't remember Chevron aide packages for Issan flood victims....

[Soutpeel]

The death nell for island paradises in the gulf I fear.

Of course the attempts to bribe the locals with aide packages kicks in instantly. We care for you, since you have oil under you. I don't remember Chevron aide packages for Issan flood victims....

Why.... ...oil and gas exploration and production has been going on for 25 year plus in the Gulf Thailand

This is hardly news at all.....a few new concessions have been awarded

[Canada]

200,000 baht......just short of 7,000 dollars .......ooooooooiiiii.......pathetic, for these rich companies poised to exploit......this is not good news.

[tpiety2]

200,000 baht......just short of 7,000 dollars .......ooooooooiiiii.......pathetic, for these rich companies poised to exploit......this is not good news.

So I assume you will be suppling the oil and gas to thailand. It isn't explotation it is exploration and you can't do it for nothing.

I don't understand why people begrudge companies making money when they provide such a valuable product.

Yea I bitch about high gas prices but I blame the commodities (futures markets) and gov'ts (policy, taxes etc.) for high prices.

There are only so many companies who can do it and somebody has to do it or I guess we could all do without and leave it in the ground.

What do you propose, a rich benevolent company do it for free? Not Likely

[asiawatcher]

Big brother will always get its way. People are the minority as they don't have cash and will always be trodden on by those who have.

[animatic]

The death nell for island paradises in the gulf I fear.

Of course the attempts to bribe the locals with aide packages kicks in instantly. We care for you, since you have oil under you. I don't remember Chevron aide packages for Issan flood victims....

Why.... ...oil and gas exploration and production has been going on for 25 year plus in the Gulf Thailand

This is hardly news at all.....a few new concessions have been awarded

Oil derricks in the skyline off Koh Phagnan, K. Tao and K. Samui

will not be maintaining these islands as vacation paradises.

It's not being in the gulf that is the worry but WHERE in the gulf.

The current proposals are not good.

Certainly I can admit a certain amount of NIMBY to this, but putting them around these islands is a sure route to ruining the local economies and the great investments of many companies in resorts and infrastructure. As well as jeopardizing the livelihoods of 10's of thousands of locals.

Edited April 2, 2011 by animatic

[Soutpeel]

The death nell for island paradises in the gulf I fear.

Of course the attempts to bribe the locals with aide packages kicks in instantly. We care for you, since you have oil under you. I don't remember Chevron aide packages for Issan flood victims....

Why.... ...oil and gas exploration and production has been going on for 25 year plus in the Gulf Thailand

This is hardly news at all.....a few new concessions have been awarded

Oil derricks in the skyline off Koh Phagnan, K. Tao and K. Samui

will not be maintaining these islands as vacation paradises.

It's not being in the gulf that is the worry but WHERE in the gulf.

The current proposals are not good.

Do you even know where these concessions are located ?....Thought not...allow me to enlighten you

G6/50 concession - closest point to Koh Samui - about 160km

G7/50 concession - closest point to Koh Samui- about 170km

G8/50 concession - no info....but would be around 100km off Songkhla as a minimum

If there is every any development offshore around Koh Samui area It would be in the B6/27, G4/50, G5/50 blocks anywhere else is nowhere close

So no "oil derricks" off above mentioned Islands just yet and highly unlikely there ever would be as feel any deposits there would not be economically viable

[ParadiseLost]

200,000 baht......just short of 7,000 dollars .......ooooooooiiiii.......pathetic, for these rich companies poised to exploit......this is not good news.

So I assume you will be suppling the oil and gas to thailand. It isn't explotation it is exploration and you can't do it for nothing.

I don't understand why people begrudge companies making money when they provide such a valuable product.

Yea I bitch about high gas prices but I blame the commodities (futures markets) and gov'ts (policy, taxes etc.) for high prices.

There are only so many companies who can do it and somebody has to do it or I guess we could all do without and leave it in the ground.

What do you propose, a rich benevolent company do it for free? Not Likely

I think the point being made was how little money these mega-rich companies had donated to people hit by the worst floods in living memory!

Think about the vast fortunes involved and then consider how little $7,000 is - each of these bloated parasites could have made a meaningful gesture of say $100,000 and hardly missed it at all...

Together they come up with 1.2 mil Baht. Disgusting.

[Soutpeel]

200,000 baht......just short of 7,000 dollars .......ooooooooiiiii.......pathetic, for these rich companies poised to exploit......this is not good news.

my calculator my be different from your but 5 companies donated THB 200,000 each therefore THB 1.0 mill or about $33,000 unless I am mistaken......

[Soutpeel]

200,000 baht......just short of 7,000 dollars .......ooooooooiiiii.......pathetic, for these rich companies poised to exploit......this is not good news.

So I assume you will be suppling the oil and gas to thailand. It isn't explotation it is exploration and you can't do it for nothing.

I don't understand why people begrudge companies making money when they provide such a valuable product.

Yea I bitch about high gas prices but I blame the commodities (futures markets) and gov'ts (policy, taxes etc.) for high prices.

There are only so many companies who can do it and somebody has to do it or I guess we could all do without and leave it in the ground.

What do you propose, a rich benevolent company do it for free? Not Likely

I think the point being made was how little money these mega-rich companies had donated to people hit by the worst floods in living memory!

Think about the vast fortunes involved and then consider how little $7,000 is - each of these bloated parasites could have made a meaningful gesture of say $100,000 and hardly missed it at all...

Together they come up with 1.2 mil Baht. Disgusting.

Pearl Oil, Salamander Energy and CEC International are hardly mega-rich companies..... .....shall we at this juncture also refer of how much cash was first offered to Japan by the Thai goverment during their on going disaster, if memory serves it was only US$ 60,000 more than the oil companies have put up in this instance...

The thing you have to remember they are not obligated to contribute anything, do you give cash to every beggar you come across on the streets of BKK ?, in their eyes you are a mega rich farang...

[MaiChai]

These islands become R&R retreats for the platforms. In fact they are already, for quite some time. Thus they bring in money to these islands.

The only big negative for me is if they have an oil spill. This is Thailand and PTT had a major spill off Australia recently. Safety and all that and doing things on the cheap to maximise profits...

[ParadiseLost]

200,000 baht......just short of 7,000 dollars .......ooooooooiiiii.......pathetic, for these rich companies poised to exploit......this is not good news.

So I assume you will be suppling the oil and gas to thailand. It isn't explotation it is exploration and you can't do it for nothing.

I don't understand why people begrudge companies making money when they provide such a valuable product.

Yea I bitch about high gas prices but I blame the commodities (futures markets) and gov'ts (policy, taxes etc.) for high prices.

There are only so many companies who can do it and somebody has to do it or I guess we could all do without and leave it in the ground.

What do you propose, a rich benevolent company do it for free? Not Likely

I think the point being made was how little money these mega-rich companies had donated to people hit by the worst floods in living memory!

Think about the vast fortunes involved and then consider how little $7,000 is - each of these bloated parasites could have made a meaningful gesture of say $100,000 and hardly missed it at all...

Together they come up with 1.2 mil Baht. Disgusting.

Pearl Oil, Salamander Energy and CEC International are hardly mega-rich companies..... .....shall we at this juncture also refer of how much cash was first offered to Japan by the Thai goverment during their on going disaster, if memory serves it was only US$ 60,000 more than the oil companies have put up in this instance...

The thing you have to remember they are not obligated to contribute anything, do you give cash to every beggar you come across on the streets of BKK ?, in their eyes you are a mega rich farang...

If I were to give the beggar one baht as I stepped out of my Mercedes he would hardly feel any better than I feel about these companies. If they are going to offer anything, then donate enough to actually make a difference. Their entire donation will hardly feed one village for a day.

I commented on the shameful Thai MP offer of 3,000 baht each to Japan in a prior thread - here is just another example of how little these people really care about the sufferers.

[Soutpeel]

These islands become R&R retreats for the platforms. In fact they are already, for quite some time. Thus they bring in money to these islands.

....really how so....?.....most O&G guys in the Gulf of Thailand are Thai....they go home to their familes not to some over priced island.

Very few expats left offshore in the gulf and the vast majority live in Thailand, so on their time off....they go home as well to their familes...

So islands concerned are not and never have been "R&R retreats" for offshore O&G in Thailand and thus they bring very little if any money to these islands

[TAWP]

I think the point being made was how little money these mega-rich companies had donated to people hit by the worst floods in living memory!

Think about the vast fortunes involved and then consider how little $7,000 is - each of these bloated parasites could have made a meaningful gesture of say $100,000 and hardly missed it at all...

Together they come up with 1.2 mil Baht. Disgusting.

Parasites? Hardly the correct term for a company that performs work in competition with others and delivers.

Parasites would be those that call their daughter to get money for more lao kao or to cover card-debts.

[Soutpeel]

Their entire donation will hardly feed one village for a day.

THB 1.0 mil will not feed a village for a day.....what are they eating caviar and smoked salmon washed down with champagne ?.....

If you are feeling so bad about all this sell your mercedes and donate the proceeds then....

Before slagging people off...how much have you donated to the floods in the south or to the Japanese ?..nothing is my guess

[H2oDunc]

The thing you have to remember they are not obligated to contribute anything, do you give cash to every beggar you come across on the streets of BKK ?, in their eyes you are a mega rich farang...

If I were to give the beggar one baht as I stepped out of my Mercedes he would hardly feel any better than I feel about these companies. If they are going to offer anything, then donate enough to actually make a difference. Their entire donation will hardly feed one village for a day.

I commented on the shameful Thai MP offer of 3,000 baht each to Japan in a prior thread - here is just another example of how little these people really care about the sufferers.

Prey tell how much you have sent to Japan and to the victims of the Southern floods ?

The oil companies are providing jobs and security for many local families and businesses in the area and the offshore workers spend a lot of money en route to the platforms and on the way home.

Just your typical knee jerk reaction from tree hugging loonies

[Soutpeel]

Parasites? Hardly the correct term for a company that performs work in competition with others and delivers.

Agreed...

Oil companies operate on the ecomonic principles of supply and demand.....My dear TV members you are creating the demand and the O&G companies satisfy that demand.

[Soutpeel]

Prey tell how much you have sent to Japan and to the victims of the Southern floods ?

The oil companies are providing jobs and security for many local families and businesses in the area and the offshore workers spend a lot of money en route to the platforms and on the way home.

Just your typical knee jerk reaction from tree hugging loonies

Spoken like a true O&G guy...well done.. ......the tree huggers would have us on solar power, riding a donkey and eating lentils...

[ballpoint]

These islands become R&R retreats for the platforms. In fact they are already, for quite some time. Thus they bring in money to these islands.

....really how so....?.....most O&G guys in the Gulf of Thailand are Thai....they go home to their familes not to some over priced island.

Very few expats left offshore in the gulf and the vast majority live in Thailand, so on their time off....they go home as well to their familes...

So islands concerned are not and never have been "R&R retreats" for offshore O&G in Thailand and thus they bring very little if any money to these islands

I agree with most of what you say, but you shouldn't be so sweeping in your "never have been" comments. In the mid 90's I spent many a happy night, along with thousands of baht, crew changing through Samui, and standing by there for days on end during rig moves and storm evacuations. The choppers were based at Samui airport. In terms of R&R, there was plenty of the latter, but not much of the former. Sadly those days came to an end when the smaller concession holders, Maersk, Thai Roma, and Pogo, were bought out by Chevron who moved operations to Sattahip.

[ParadiseLost]

Fine, fine - oil companies (and their cling-on supports) are wonderful! All over the world we can see the re-investment of their profits into the regions they plunder...

You still miss my point. I am no tree-hugger, nor am I berating you or others for not donating. I question the practice of 'earning face' by making a small token offer which gets a mention in the press, but ultimately is insignificant to both themselves and the benefactor.

One company which I googled - Salamander Energy - is listed on the FTSE with revenues of $160 Million. This company donated $7,000 to the victims of the floods, in an area they are exploiting for financial gain, using workers from the surrounding areas. I ask just how far this money is expected to help?

And as to my donations, no I have not as I do not have money to spare. I live a Thai lifestyle here, not an expat life of excess. I see how much this weather affects real people who are living hand to mouth, amazingly they don't moan and bitch about things half as much as the people here. They do agree on one thing though, the oil exploration is not going to benefit them at all.

[Soutpeel]

These islands become R&R retreats for the platforms. In fact they are already, for quite some time. Thus they bring in money to these islands.

....really how so....?.....most O&G guys in the Gulf of Thailand are Thai....they go home to their familes not to some over priced island.

Very few expats left offshore in the gulf and the vast majority live in Thailand, so on their time off....they go home as well to their familes...

So islands concerned are not and never have been "R&R retreats" for offshore O&G in Thailand and thus they bring very little if any money to these islands

I agree with most of what you say, but you shouldn't be so sweeping in your "never have been" comments. In the mid 90's I spent many a happy night, along with thousands of baht, crew changing through Samui, and standing by there for days on end during rig moves and storm evacuations. The choppers were based at Samui airport. In terms of R&R, there was plenty of the latter, but not much of the former. Sadly those days came to an end when the smaller concession holders, Maersk, Thai Roma, and Pogo, were bought out by Chevron who moved operations to Sattahip.

Well aware of the Koh Samui set up in the 90's for offshore, but the poster was referring to Koh Samui as an R&R location, nothing to do with mobbing/demobbing offshore crews through the offshore bases, but take your point....I suspect one of the reasons the offshore bases were moved from Koh Samui to Sattahip was to do with a lot of the offshore guys "enjoying" themselves too much prior to going offshore...

[boggle]

These islands become R&R retreats for the platforms. In fact they are already, for quite some time. Thus they bring in money to these islands.

....really how so....?.....most O&G guys in the Gulf of Thailand are Thai....they go home to their familes not to some over priced island.

Very few expats left offshore in the gulf and the vast majority live in Thailand, so on their time off....they go home as well to their familes...

So islands concerned are not and never have been "R&R retreats" for offshore O&G in Thailand and thus they bring very little if any money to these islands

I agree with most of what you say, but you shouldn't be so sweeping in your "never have been" comments. In the mid 90's I spent many a happy night, along with thousands of baht, crew changing through Samui, and standing by there for days on end during rig moves and storm evacuations. The choppers were based at Samui airport. In terms of R&R, there was plenty of the latter, but not much of the former. Sadly those days came to an end when the smaller concession holders, Maersk, Thai Roma, and Pogo, were bought out by Chevron who moved operations to Sattahip.

Well aware of the Koh Samui set up in the 90's for offshore, but the poster was referring to Koh Samui as an R&R location, nothing to do with mobbing/demobbing offshore crews through the offshore bases, but take your point....I suspect one of the reasons the offshore bases were moved from Koh Samui to Sattahip was to do with a lot of the offshore guys "enjoying" themselves too much prior to going offshore...

Maybe, but Pattiya isnt exactly the other side of the country. Koh Samui has bugger all on Pattiya when it comes to "enjoying" yourself.

[powderpuff]

Maybe it had to do with the prices Bangkok Airways charges for a round trip ticket.

I used to crew change through Samui & we were never there more than a few hours. If you have any alcohol on your breath you don't fly. Ditto Songkla.

Sattahip makes sense for a number of reasons. So does Sri Racha.

As to donations. Samsung Nokia Toshiba Toyota & 100's of other companies make money off Thailand. Should they be donationg? You answer that.

Edited April 2, 2011 by powderpuff

[richard_smith237]

Some rather emotional rhetoric here...

Firstly... Pretty much any company is in it for financial gain, pretty silly to operate otherwise unless you run want to run a charity.

These companies provide and contribute a lot to the local communities and economy.

Soutpeel appears to be the only one who knows what he's talking about here...

BTW. back on topic: many of the areas mentioned are under constant exploration... This simply seems like the DMF feathering thir caps.....

[richard_smith237]

Powder seems spot on too BTW...

[murrinman]

everybody whingers about this stuff but how do they get around how do they see when its dark how do they cook food HOW DO THEY CHILL THERE BEER honestly the world needs energy you have to take where you can get it

[Soutpeel]

Fine, fine - oil companies (and their cling-on supports) are wonderful! All over the world we can see the re-investment of their profits into the regions they plunder...

You still miss my point. I am no tree-hugger, nor am I berating you or others for not donating. I question the practice of 'earning face' by making a small token offer which gets a mention in the press, but ultimately is insignificant to both themselves and the benefactor.

One company which I googled - Salamander Energy - is listed on the FTSE with revenues of $160 Million. This company donated $7,000 to the victims of the floods, in an area they are exploiting for financial gain, using workers from the surrounding areas. I ask just how far this money is expected to help?

And as to my donations, no I have not as I do not have money to spare. I live a Thai lifestyle here, not an expat life of excess. I see how much this weather affects real people who are living hand to mouth, amazingly they don't moan and bitch about things half as much as the people here. They do agree on one thing though, the oil exploration is not going to benefit them at all.

What exactly are the oil compaies in Thailand plundering ?....I stand to be corrected, but over the 25 years of O&G in the gulf oil companies have paid the Thai goverment somewhere in the order of $7-10 billion in royalites as well creating jobs, educating people and building infastructure.

Other synonyms for pluder are steal, rob, loot or pillage....therefore we have established that oil companies are paying for right to explore and produce O&G in the gulf, so they cannot be pludering anything

"exploiting" for financial gain has another name its called captialism, if there is no financial gain companies would not bother..or would you prefer we live in a communist country ?

As to your last paragrpah.....you said you had a Mercedes ?...but now say you do not have money spare to make a donation to any cause, but here you are on your soap box, preaching that people and companies who have made a gesture irrespective of the amount are so bad....think the technical term for this is called hypocrisy

[ballpoint]

Maybe it had to do with the prices Bangkok Airways charges for a round trip ticket.

I used to crew change through Samui & we were never there more than a few hours. If you have any alcohol on your breath you don't fly. Ditto Songkla.

Sattahip makes sense for a number of reasons. So does Sri Racha.

As to donations. Samsung Nokia Toshiba Toyota & 100's of other companies make money off Thailand. Should they be donationg? You answer that.

Ah, but the Sophonpanich family, owners of the Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Airways, and Samui airport, were minor shareholders of the concession. I'm sure that having hundreds of oilfield workers travelling on their airline, through their airport, had no influence on why operations were based there... This factor ceased to exist when Chevron took over.

There was no breath testing when I was changing through Samui. Sounds like you guys were hard done by, flying in to meet the chopper, no night in town, and breath tested to boot.

[ParadiseLost]

Fine, fine - oil companies (and their cling-on supports) are wonderful! All over the world we can see the re-investment of their profits into the regions they plunder...

You still miss my point. I am no tree-hugger, nor am I berating you or others for not donating. I question the practice of 'earning face' by making a small token offer which gets a mention in the press, but ultimately is insignificant to both themselves and the benefactor.

One company which I googled - Salamander Energy - is listed on the FTSE with revenues of $160 Million. This company donated $7,000 to the victims of the floods, in an area they are exploiting for financial gain, using workers from the surrounding areas. I ask just how far this money is expected to help?

And as to my donations, no I have not as I do not have money to spare. I live a Thai lifestyle here, not an expat life of excess. I see how much this weather affects real people who are living hand to mouth, amazingly they don't moan and bitch about things half as much as the people here. They do agree on one thing though, the oil exploration is not going to benefit them at all.

What exactly are the oil compaies in Thailand plundering ?....I stand to be corrected, but over the 25 years of O&G in the gulf oil companies have paid the Thai goverment somewhere in the order of $7-10 billion in royalites as well creating jobs, educating people and building infastructure.

Other synonyms for pluder are steal, rob, loot or pillage....therefore we have established that oil companies are paying for right to explore and produce O&G in the gulf, so they cannot be pludering anything

"exploiting" for financial gain has another name its called captialism, if there is no financial gain companies would not bother..or would you prefer we live in a communist country ?

As to your last paragrpah.....you said you had a Mercedes ?...but now say you do not have money spare to make a donation to any cause, but here you are on your soap box, preaching that people and companies who have made a gesture irrespective of the amount are so bad....think the technical term for this is called hypocrisy

You really took my statement literally?

No, I do not own a Mercedes; in fact I do not own a motor car at all. I merely used the metaphor to highlight the difference between the net worth of the wonderful generous corporation and the local people affected. The one baht is equivalent to the $7,000 donated - it is meaningless so why bother to donate anything? At least by not donating they are showing how much they truly care.

I don't claim to be anything, I am certainly not preaching here, I am however questioning the motives behind the fantastically generous offer. You seem to think it is generous anyway...