INDONESIA - Pertamina Gas Pipelines.

The NOC has six important gas supply pipelines in Indonesia. The three in operation are: a 250 MCF/d marine transmission line from West Natuna to Singapore, 450 MCF/d transmission line from Grissik to Duri, and 250 MCF/d transmission line from Grissik to Pagardewa on stream in 2002. Its three pipelines under construction are: a 340 MCF/d line from Grissik to Sakernan, 350 MCF/d line from Sakerman to Batam island, and 350 MCF/d line from Batam to Singapore.

Pertamina Branching Overseas: Pertamina in October 2002 allocated $64.2m to meet its exploration commitments in Iraq, Vietnam and Malaysia over the coming two to five years. In Malaysia Pertamina is to be a partner of Petronas and PetroVietnam in the 15,000 sq km SK-305 Block. The same three partners have formed the Con Son Joint Operating Co., exploring 7,915 sq km in Blocks 10/11-1 in the Nam Con Son basin off Southern Vietnam where two wells will be drilled this year.

In Iraq, Pertamina last April got the 17,700 sq km Block 3 in the western desert. Under the deal, the permit should be converted to a PSC if Pertamina finds oil or gas in commercial quantities. The deal, to be activated once the UN sanctions have been lifted, gives Pertamina 16 years of exploration work for oil and 17 years for gas. What remains to be seen is whether a post-Saddam regime in Baghdad will honour this and the other E&P deals which have been signed by the Baathist government.

US, British and Australian special forces are operating inside Iraq, which practically means the long-promised Bush war on Saddam's regime has begun already. These forces are said to be protecting some of the most important Iraqi oilfields against possible sabotage by Saddam's troops.