UPDATE 1-Petronas says Newfield pipeline source of oil sheen

July 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 10 (Reuters) – A production pipeline belonging to the Malaysian unit of independent energy firm Newfield Exploration Co (NFX.N) was the source of an oil sheen spotted earlier off the country’s east coast, state oil company Petronas [PETR.UL] said on Saturday.

A report lodged by Newfield Peninsula Malaysia Inc with the Malaysian authorities had earlier shown it was checking for a possible oil leak off the coast.

Petronas had said on Friday it shut down pipelines at an oil platform after discovering an oil sheen near facilities it shared with Newfield and the Malaysian unit of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N). [ID:nSGE6680H5]

“Initial visual inspection results indicate the pipeline has been damaged by activities of an unidentified marine vessel unrelated to Newfield’s operations,” Petronas said in a statement on Saturday.

“Repair work on the affected pipeline is in progress.”

It said production pipelines belonging to its exploration arm and Exxon Mobil had resumed operation since early Saturday.

In a July 9 report lodged with the Malaysian authorities, Newfield said the Belumut to Tinggi pipeline was shut in on July 6 due to a report of a possible pipeline leak well to the west of the location.

The oil sheen was spotted along the general line of the oil pipeline from Newfield’s East Belumut-A Platform to Tinggi Platform, it said.

“Pressure was observed to be static in pipeline but it was observed to decrease night 8/9 July 2010,” the report said.

The East Belumut field is off Malaysia’s eastern state of Terengganu. (Reporting by Liau Y-Sing; Editing by Alex Richardson/Ruth Pitchford)

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Singapore coast not tainted by oil from stricken tanker

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

An oil slick from a tanker involved in a collision with a bulk carrier in the Singapore Strait has not affected the city-state’s coastline, the Marine and Port Authority (MPA) said on Wednesday.

Crude from the tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 is being transferred out of the vessel after the collision a day ago, spilling some 2,500 tonnes of light crude oil, the shipowner said earlier.

“The waters in our anchorages and the Traffic Separation Scheme south of Changi were reported to be clean,” Singapore’s MPA said in a statement, though small patches of oil and sheen were sighted off Singapore’s east coast and close to southern Malaysia where the accident happened.

“Six response craft equipped with dispersants were on site to manage the oil and sheen,” it said.

For a map of the area and the site of the collision, click:

http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/RNGS/2010/MAY/SING.jpg

“Fifteen craft and more than 120 personnel were deployed as part of the containment and clean up efforts. 3,300 metres of containment booms are being used to contain the oil slick,” it said, adding that clean-up work continues.

MPA had said that traffic along the strait, Asia’s busiest shipping lane, remained unaffected.

The incident caused significant damage to the vessel’s hull and resulted in a spill of Bintulu light crude oil that is now being cleaned up by specialists, shipowner AET Tanker Holdings said.

“AET is also cooperating fully with Malaysian authorities in readiness of possible clean-up operations along the south eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia,” said the firm, a unit of Malaysian transport company MISC Bhd. Shares in the company fell more than 3 percent on Wednesday.

The Malaysian flagged aframax was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of light crude when it was involved in the collision with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The spill, equivalent to about 18,000 barrels, is dwarfed by the 175,000 barrels of oil that has poured into the Gulf of Mexico since the April 20 offshore explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Singapore’s environment agency said that the public had complained of an oil smell but it had not detected toxic chemicals in the air.

(Writing by Ramthan Hussain, additional reporting by Seng Li Peng in SINGAPORE and Kuala Lumpur Bureau; Editing by Ed Lane)

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Hindraf leader’s mom says release of son best Mother’s Day gift

May 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Taiping, May 10 (ANI): R. Manomani, who has been crying and praying for the release of her son K. Vasanthakumar held by the Malaysian authorities under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for the last 514 days, is perhaps the happiest mother this Mother’s Day.
“I have prayed each day for his release and I thank God that he is really coming out,” Manomani said, this time breaking into tears of relief and joy.

Despite suffering from flu, Manomani travelled all the way from Sungai Petani in Kedah to the Kamunting Detention Camp on Saturday to await her son’s release, The Star reports.

She had to wait over three hours under the blazing sun before Vasanthakumar finally came out and even then, the two only had seconds together before Vasanthakumar was whisked away in an unmarked car.

“I had to come, although I caught only a glimpse of him,” she said, adding that she had actually been told the night before that Vasanthakumar would be taken directly from the camp to his house in Kajang by the authorities.

Manomani said since Vasanthakumar’s arrest on Dec 13, 2007, she had visited him in Kamunting numerous times but “nothing beats seeing him as a free man.”

In Kuala Lumpur, Vasanthakumar arrived at his home in Taman Cheras Prima in the evening to shouts of Makkal Sakti after spending a year-and-a-half in Kamunting and alighted from his car with a cane.

Thanking Malaysians and Hindraf members for their support and efforts, Vasanthakumar said he would call for a press conference soon. (ANI)

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Malaysian Govt. orders probe into reality show’s stark ‘nude run’

May 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Kuala Lumpur, May 9 (ANI): Malaysia’s Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim has announced probe into allegations that an island in Johor was used for a European reality show’s “nude run”.

“We also have to see that a production does not offend the cultural sensitivities of the various ethnic groups in the country. But morality is a complicated issue. That’s why we will have to look at this matter from various angles,” Dr Rais said.

An island off Mersing came into focus after it was used as the location for a European reality show, which had its participants running stark naked.

Scenes from the Survivor Robinson Ekspeditionen programme, which had been broadcast over TV3 in Denmark, were published on an online newspaper ScandAsia.com.

Dr Rais has asked the relevant agencies involved to help in the probe, and added that he would investigate the matter carefully as he did not want any party to feel discriminated against.

“I have to first determine what happened because various allegations have been made. I have asked all the parties responsible to forward their evidence,” he said.

The probe would also focus on which government agency or department should be held responsible.

“We can’t tell because there are actually many parties involved,” he told reporters.

A source at the Mersing local council said approval for the filming was given only after the producers agreed that there should be no nude activities.

The Danish national who e-mailed the images to Metro, said he was surprised that the Malaysian authorities had allowed the filming although the show was soft porn.

It is believed that a woman who refused to strip was kicked out of the show and sent home to Denmark. (ANI)

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Hindraf chairman wants to return to Malaysia

March 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 7 (ANI): Hindu Rights Action Force’ (HINDRAF) chairman P. Waythamoorthy, whose passport has been revoked by the Malaysian Government, has expressed his wish to return back to the country to recuperate after undergoing heart surgery in London.

Waythamoorthy’s twin sister, Waythanayagi, said her brother wanted to be with his family, especially his seven-year-old daughter Vaishnavi.

She said Waythamoorthy’s wife K. Nageswary went to London, earlier this week, to be with her husband.

The Star quoted her as saying that Waythamoorthy is not well and wants his family with him.

She revealed that Waythamoorthy would also need a passport to return to London for his follow-up treatment as the Malaysian authorities had revoked his passport earlier.

Waythamoorthy’s 65-year old mother K. Kalaivaniy is also said to be upset over her son’s condition.

Waythanayagi said that her other brother, who is elder to Waythamoorthy, was also facing health problems.

Waythamoorthy has been diagnosed with two complicating heart ailments, one of which requires surgery. (ANI)

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Pak terrorists using Malaysia as transit point for fake rupees

January 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Kuala Lumpur, Jan.13 (ANI): Pakistani terrorists are reportedly using Malaysia as a transit point to move counterfeit Indian rupees into India to destabilise that country.

The New Strait Times quoted Indian Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis senior researcher Brigadier S.K. Saini as saying that the transfer of fake notes had been going on for some time but had worsened in the last five years.

“The latest incident occurred in October last year when Indian authorities intercepted a large consignment of fake Indian rupees en route from Malaysia to India,” Brigadier Saini said.

He declined to state the exact amount involved but said the overall figure from Malaysia and other countries ran into billions of rupees.

Saini said the movement of counterfeit currency continued unchecked despite concerted efforts by Indian and Malaysian authorities.

“The Pakistani elements behind this racket are doing this to create confusion and destabilise India,” he told the New Straits Times.

It is understood that counterfeit rupees are also being smuggled into India from Nepal and Bangladesh.

Saini said the terrorists’ objective were two-pronged — to undermine the Indian fiscal sector and set up legitimate companies and businesses to fund their terrorist activities in India. He said the fake notes were of such high quality that even experts in India could not tell them apart. (ANI)

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