Malaysia: Explosion rips apart section of Sabah-Sarawak gas pipeline

STEPHEN THEN The Star 10 Jun 14;

MIRI: An explosion ripped apart a portion of the RM3bil Sabah to Sarawak interstate gas pipeline project at the stretch between Lawas town and Long Sukang in the northern most district of Sarawak on Tuesday.

The 2am incident resulted in the evacuation of nearby villagers with some houses and vehicles reportedly damaged, said Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum.

Luckily, no lives were lost in the incident, he said.

A high level investigation have started in Lawas and also in Kuala Lumpur to probe the cause of the incident as the project belong to national oil giant Petronas.

Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department Director Nor Hisham Mohamad said the fire had been brought under control.

The pipeline is meant to channel raw gas from Kimanis in Sabah via a 600km route through Lawas district, across Ulu Baram, into Miri district and onward to Bintulu in northern Sarawak for conversion into gas for export.

Fire at Sabah Sarawak Gas Pipeline
New Straits Times 10 Jun 14;

KOTA KINABALU: Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd has confirmed that a fire incident occurred on a section of the Sabah Sarawak Gas Pipeline in Lawas, Sarawak at about 2am.

The location is about 135 from the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal in Kimanis, the starting point for the 500km pipeline that stretches to Bintulu in Sarawak.

A statement from the Petronas Sarawak Regional Office said the fire has been extinguished and there were no injuries.

No communities along the pipeline were affected as the closest was about nine kilometres away, the statement added.

Explosion followed by raging forest fire, witnesses relate
ROY GOH AND GOH PEI PEI New Straits Times 11 Jun 14;

LAWAS: Two cousins who went wildboar hunting lived to tell of the explosions at the Petronas Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline that shocked the district near here.

Parang Sebilor, 39, claimed he had just started hunting with his cousin Thomas Etam Adam, 44, when they heard the explosion and saw flames rising up to the sky in front of him early Tuesday morning.

"We ran separate directions and heard a second explosion," said Parang adding that the jungle behind him was ablaze as he fled from the site at Bukit Berikau about 30km from here.

"As I was running, I saw a river and jumped in. I stayed there for a while until the fire became smaller and made my way out of the jungle," said Parang who eventually made his way to a dirt road where a passer-by helped send him home to Long Ugui about seven kilometres away.

His cousin also made his way back to Long Ugui and both of them later went to the district hospital for medical treatment for minor injuries. Parang said he was injured around his waist and a bit of his hair was also burnt.

The plantation workers said large plots have been planted with oil palm in the area surrounding the pipeline stretching from Kimanis in Sabah to Bintulu in Sarawak.

The location where the explosion happened was 135km from Kimanis.

Meanwhile a team of policemen headed by Assistant Superintendent Mutang Nawat were at the scene together with officials from Petronas and Fire and Rescue Services Department.

A source from Petronas said pipeline leaks would normally be detected by a drop in pressure gauges at the control centre. "In this case, that would likely be in Kimanis because that is where the LNG (liquefied natural gas) is pumped from.

"To determine the cause of the explosion would not be easy but based on what has been reported, there seem to be agricultural activities in the area and reports of people from surrounding communities hunting there. Sparks and flammables are not supposed to mix."

State Fire and Rescue Services Department director Noor Hisham Mohammad said it was still too early to determine the cause of the fire but investigations were continuing.

The 512km pipeline feeds natural gas to the Petronas LNG Complex in Bintulu from the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal in Kimanis.

An initial flow of 65 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) from the Kinabalu Non-Associated Gas field southwest of the state via a 120km underwater pipeline has been pumped to the SOGT since Dec 18 last year.

Petronas in blowdown operation
New Straits Times 14 Jun 14;

KUCHING: Petronas will conduct a blowdown operation tomorrow from noon to 3pm near Merapok in Lawas following the Bukit Berikau gas explosion.

The operation is a process to remove residual gas in the affected section of the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline (SSGP) as a safety measure prior to commencing repair work.

"The removed gas is harmless and the process will not affect the environment or public health as it is a controlled release," said Petronas' Sarawak regional office in a statement.

On Tuesday, a massive gas explosion at a part of the SSGP in Bukit Berikau happened at 2am.

Petronas is leading the investigation into the incident. A forensic team from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health in Putrajaya was also at the scene to carry out assessments.

"All necessary measures have been taken to ensure that the area is secure and safe. Petronas adheres to stringent safety measures in line with international standards," said the statement.