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. Dependi ...

. 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 Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

was formed. It is generally understood that Zijilker's endeavour and others similar to it catalyzed the modern

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

industry in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

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

drilling in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

proved to a highly lucrative endeavour in the years following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Because of the vast areas of relatively shallow waters surrounding

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

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 A drilling rig is an integrated system that drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill wa ...

here, specifically to the

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...

coast in 1958.

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,

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

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and the emergence of Japan as a hot-spot for petroleum trade operations. At this moment,

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 carbo ...

). However, the region's main oil producers,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

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