There has been a lot of discussion of this issue, much of which has struck me as ill informed and somewhat hysterical.
So my ears pricked up last night whilst watching the latest episode on David Attenborough's Africa series.
Last night's TV programme included quite a long segment on Virunga and the mountain gorillas. I was struck by the fact that the region was described as the most intensively cultivated area in the whole of Africa. Gorilla numbers are down to 800 and in the face of increasing human population they have retreated up the sides of the mountains into what are now effectively little islands of protected forest which are disconnected from each other and which rise above the lowlands - which now contain hardly any remnants of the indigenous forest cover and its wild life.
Those who complain about Soco exploring the region for oil should watch the programme and reflect on the fact that nobody ever climbs mountains to look for oil. The exploration activity is not targetting the forests occupied by the gorillas but rather the low land areas some considerable distance away. If oil is found then the net effect will be to offer alternative employment to those who would otherwise have no choice but agriculture which would lead to more pressure onn gorilla habitat. It will also generate revenue for the government which would enable greater resources to be made available for conservation.
(Clearly that desirable outcome is hostage to the level of corruption that prevails - but that's another story)
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PHOTOGRAPHS POSTED BELOW BY OTHER CONTRIBUTORS DO NOT SHOW VIRUNGA OR ANY OTHER LOCATION WHERE SOCO IS ACTIVE. AS FAR AS I CAN SEE THEY HAVE NOTHING WHATEVER TO DO WITH SOCO, UGANDA OR OIL EXPLORATION.
Disclaimer:
The author may hold shares in this company. All opinions are his own. You should check any statements that appear factual and seek independent professional advice before making any investment decision.
SOCO International plc is an international oil and gas exploration and production company. The Company has oil and gas interests in Vietnam, which includes Block 9-2 and Block 16-1; Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), which includes Marine XI Block and Marine XIV Block, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), consists of Nganzi block and Block V and Angola, which include Cabinda Onshore North Block. The Company's operations are located in South East Asia and Africa. It holds its interests in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), through its 85%-owned subsidiary, SOCO Exploration and Production Congo SA (SOCO EPC). It holds its interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) through its 85%-owned subsidiary SOCO Exploration and Production DRC Sprl. The Company’s net entitlement volumes were approximately 15,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day. more »
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Those who complain about Soco exploring the region for oil should watch the programme and reflect on the fact that nobody ever climbs mountains to look for oil
Apart from Vast?
In reply to peterg, post #1
Peterg,
I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that...Hardly a model for E+Ps though!
Cheers,
JS123
Should they not be banning agriculture then rather than oil exploration as it would seem the former is to blame for the removal of Gorilla habitat?
In reply to marben100, post #4
Just for the avoidance of doubt, perhaps you could quote the location of that photo and make clear that it is absolutely nothing to do with either SOCO or Virunga.........given that the WWF have stooped at nothing in inventing stories for their fund-raising efforts.
It is plainly a completely different scenario - and it is certainly nothing to do with SOCO and probably not even in Africa. And SOCO have repeatedly made clear that they have no intention of going anywhere near the mountains or the gorillas, irrespective of any prospectivity.
Management have a tough enough job trying to get people to stick to the facts and recognise that the even the hoped-for Block V activities (in the event that the aerial survey is positive) have absolutely nothing to do with gorilla habitat, being 37kms or much more from the nearest gorilla. I don't think shareholders help by raising the association again, even if to demonstrate how false it is - and I an certain that management have got better things to do than deal with enquiries on matters like these, which are usually ill-informed and/or mendacious. The sooner the WWF move on to deal with actual facts and to consider more constructively the potential for improving the lot of the local human population (who are the ones who cause the problems for the gorillas and park rangers), the better it will be for everyone.
ps....I see from the photo's source that it is captioned "Oil drilling platform in Jayawijaya Mountains, Indonesia" - though whether that is accurate is anyone's guess. So note once again the completely unqualified statement made by SOCO: "it will never seek to have operations in the mountain gorilla habitat, the Virunga Volcanoes or the Virunga equatorial rainforest"
Well of course it's nothing to do with Virunga. It just illustrates that tournesol's statement that "people don't climb mountains to drill for oil" isn't correct. Mountains may represent structural highs and can be prime drilling locations.The rig shown in the photo looks pretty basic/primitive - not the sort of thing Soco would use.
Soco undeniably faces difficult political and environmental challenges in Virunga.
In reply to emptyend, post #5
It's a picture that's all over the web, and if that's an oil-drilling platform then I'm a gorilla's uncle.
More likely to be related to mineral prospecting/mapping - there's quite a bit of gold in them there mountains.
He (tournesol) is right - there's not much point climbing up to drill down. The structural highs we're looking for are ancient and not likely to be reproduced at surface. Bits of the Gulf of Mexico are quite deep ;-)
SW10
(Who's done a bit of getting oil out the ground in Indonesia.)
In reply to marben100, post #6
The rig shown in the photo looks pretty basic/primitive
Medieval is the description that comes to mind.
In reply to SW10Chap, post #7
Well I must admit that my first draft of my post to Marben made the point that the rig was almost certainly to do with some other non-hydrocarbon minerals but I edited that bit out when I clicked the photo and saw the caption.
As usual SW10's points are all good.
As for the "case for the defence" re the photo, I would simply point out that two pieces of disinformation don't make one piece of information. This whole thread is probably worse than useless (with due respect to the thread author, whom I'm certain had the best of intentions).
As for this point:
......it is complete rubbish. That is why most oilfields are found in large saucer-shaped features commonly referred to as basins!
In reply to SW10Chap, post #7
Thanks, as ever, for your expert input, SW10. On reflection, you could well be right and that rig could be for mineral prospecting, rather than oil drilling, by the looks of it [unfortunate labelling by those trying to sell the stock photo]. However, as Peterg pointed out, drilling does take place in mountains: Vast's picture is incontrovertible:
Of course oil companies will try to avoid it, wherever possible. Besides environmental issues, drilling from a mountain must add sigificantly to complexity/costs. However, sometimes, as in the case of Qara Dagh, I guess the terrain makes it unavoidable.
Good to see that Soco have a clear statement on their website:
Cheers,
Mark
In reply to marben100, post #10
Looking at that picture of the terrain, I would suggest that they have picked that location because it is the only FLAT drilling site for miles around - and the fact that it is at the top of a hill is mere coincidence!
Looking at the last picture. It is the first time I have seen what look like settlement ponds beside an oil rig!
Just my tuppence worth,
Eric
In reply to emptyend, post #11
It probably is a question of flatness - there are certainly much higher points nearby!
<arben - you're right about the complexity of the geography: this is the terrain - it's pretty daunting, dipping steeply from SW to NE, but with two steep-sided ridges running in parallel. They need to find somewhere between the two ridges and the wellsite looks to be at around 1300m altitude (you may be able to see a 'flat' spot with the 1300m contour kinking through it at the centre of the map), there's a steep-sided ridge to the NE (in front of the photographer) rising to about 1500m and another ridge behind the photographer rising steeply to nearly 1700m.
Here's the same site from Niko Resources' point of view... their photographer has clambered higher up the ridge:
(Apologies if the photo disappears at some stage in the future - Niko relinquished the block in Nov 2011.)
SW10
So to get a horizontal well you just need to drill at the side of a mountain - now it all makes sense :-)
Hi all,
With all this debate over Virunga, I'm faintly surprised that no-one's commented on the 'other' gorilla in the room : today's news that ENI / senior management incl Paolo Scaroni are being investigated re allegations of corruption in Algeria......
While there may be nothing to it, it's an unwelcome distraction for this occasionally-mooted suitor for SOCO VN - esp. if an important condition precedent for any bid (that of reserves update) were about to be released.
GLA
extrader
(major (for me) holder of SIA, small holder of PCI
Link to the above.
No Interference.
Scaroni, 66, was appointed Eni CEO in June 2005. He is serving his third term, which expires in 2014. Scaroni told Italian newspaper La Repubblica he doesn’t and can’t interfere with Saipem contracts because 90 percent of the company’s operations are with Eni competitors. Eni rallied after two days of declines in Milan trading. The shares rose as much as 1.6 percent to 17.61 euros, and were at 17.53 euros as of 1:22 p.m. local time. Saipem’s new CEO Umberto Vergine said yesterday that he wasn’t aware of any new developments in the investigation and the company has no plans to set aside financial provisions related to the probe. Saipem, which is 43 percent-owned by Eni and is Europe’s biggest oil-services provider, has always denied any wrongdoing.
topics.bloomberg.com/paolo-scaroni/
Chaps, given the thread title, I'd be grateful if anyone posting photographs of rigs captioned them prominently stating for the record that they are not oil rigs in Virunga but are actually drilling for gold in Indonesia or whatever.
Otherwise it is easy for casual readers to get completely the wrong impression.