Historical
The historical records of Southeastern Asian
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
started in 1883, when a Dutch planter A.J. Zijiker was exploring the exterior of
Sumatra, an Indonesian Island when he was struck by a
tropical storm
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
. Seeking shelter on nearby island, Zijiker witnessed a
Sumatran local watchman light a fire from wet twigs using a bamboo torch. Naturally curious, the planter inquired about the burning capabilities of the torch and was soon after taken to a small pond filled with the black fluid. In the year following, Zijiker commenced the drilling of the now-well known Telega Tila oil well in Northern
Sumatra. It was from this well that
Royal Dutch Shell was formed. It is generally understood that Zijilker's endeavour and others similar to it catalyzed the modern
petroleum industry in
Southeast Asia and connected the region's resources to the world's energy markets.
Though off-shore drilling was not a practise first used in Southeast Asia and in
China, attitudes changed after
petroleum drilling in the
Gulf of Mexico proved to a highly lucrative endeavour in the years following
World War II. Because of the vast areas of relatively shallow waters surrounding
Indonesia and Southeastern Asian countries, drilling in these areas was a clear and easy conclusion to draw.
Shell
Shell may refer to:
Architecture and design
* Shell (structure), a thin structure
** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses
** Thin-shell structure
Science Biology
* Seashell, a hard o ...
, the first to discover oil in these areas, naturally brought the first offshore
drilling rig here, specifically to the
Brunei coast in 1958.
Brunei would later evolve into a joint venture owned in equal shares by the Brunei Government and the Royal Dutch/Shell group of companies.
Current situation
Today,
Southeast Asia is some of the most active area of offshore exploration in the world. The impetus behind this in recent decades can be largely attributed to three phenomena: technological innovations in the industry, political developments in
Southeast Asia and the
Middle East, and the emergence of
Japan as a hot-spot for petroleum trade operations.
At this moment,
Southeast Asia produces nearly 2 million barrels per day (as well as 500 million cubic feet
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon di ...
). However, the region's main oil producers,
Indonesia,
Malaysia and Vietnam, are planning for a future as oil importers as their oil output declines and domestic demand rises. As Indonesia became a net importer of oil, the country declared its own suspension from OPEC in 2008.
Forbes.com
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References
{{Reflist
Petroleum production
Southeast Asia
Petroleum in Brunei
Petroleum in Vietnam
Petroleum in Indonesia
Petroleum in Malaysia