Gas field trouble over
Contractors withdraw obstructions after 5 days
The Daily Star
After terrorising workers of US oil company Chevron in Moulvibazar gas field for five days, a group of five contractors yesterday withdrew its blocking of the movement of Chevron vehicles in Srimangal.
The five local contractors backed by a powerful parliamentarian have been demanding what Chevron says is “exclusive control over the total supply business, jobs, etc.”
According to a Chevron letter to Petrobangla on Tuesday, the situation could lead to an unavoidable shutdown of the gas field.
The Moulvibazar field supplies 75 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas to the gas-starved nation.
Following Chevron’s complaints to the government, Srimangal Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Ashfaqul Haq Chowdhury and other high officials had a meeting with the contractors yesterday. Later, a representative of the contractors told Chevron officials that they were withdrawing their blocking of Chevron vehicles’ movement on the basis of talks with the UNO.
Chevron was asked to sit with the contractors within a week to resolve differences with them.
Following Chevron’s letter, Petrobangla on Tuesday sought intervention of local parliamentarian and Chief Whip of the House Abdus Shahid. But he said he did not know the contractors and he could do nothing.
Contacted by The Daily Star, the chief whip said, “Why are you asking me these questions? I do not know anything about Chevron’s field. This is a matter for the energy ministry or Petrobangla and the law enforcing agencies. Not mine.”
But local people said Shahid held several meetings with Chevron officials and the local contractors in recent months over awarding contracts for supplies and temporary jobs at the gas field.
Our Moulvibazar correspondent reports that Chevron has 22 listed contractors who did not have any supply contracts in recent years. These contractors had been staging demonstrations around the gas field demanding contracts, and they got support of the locals who added demands like domestic gas connection and employment opportunity.
To end this stalemate, Chevron held meetings with the contractors in May and June. The contractors include Samata Enterprise, Khwaza Enterprise, SM Enterprise, Golden Enterprise and Kalapur Enterprise-2.
With the chief whip’s intervention, it was finally resolved that Chevron would award contracts to all the 22 listed contractors.
But in the middle of this month, five of these contractors asked Chevron officials to award all the contracts to them and said they would “manage” the other contractors. Chevron rejected the proposal.
This prompted the five contractors to go for the blocking.
On Tuesday, Chevron wrote to Petrobangla, “Unruly local persons are still moving around the gas plant area, patrolling with motor cycle and creating a blockage that is severely impacting our gas plant operations.”
Due to the blockage, water storage capacity of the gas plant had been exhausted. This water is a by-product of natural gas, which is stored and regularly taken away by vehicles for discharge. To manage the water storage, Chevron had to reduce gas production.
Chevron also cannot change its crews due to this situation, and its staffs were feeling insecure.
Contractor Jamshedur Rahman of Samata Enterprise claimed to The Daily Star that Chevron had promised to give them 12 to 15 supply job by July 17, but it did not keep its words. “That’s why we have called for blockade of all transports carrying Chevron’s workers.”
The local contractors also held a press conference on Tuesday night at Srimangal Press Club where Jamshedur Rahman, Akal Mian, Suju Mia and other contractors said they have been working as local contractors for Occidental, Unocal and Chevron since 1998. But they were not getting contracts properly for the last three years, and Chevron awarded contracts only to its favourite contractors, they added.
The five local contractors backed by a powerful parliamentarian have been demanding what Chevron says is “exclusive control over the total supply business, jobs, etc.”
According to a Chevron letter to Petrobangla on Tuesday, the situation could lead to an unavoidable shutdown of the gas field.
The Moulvibazar field supplies 75 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas to the gas-starved nation.
Following Chevron’s complaints to the government, Srimangal Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Ashfaqul Haq Chowdhury and other high officials had a meeting with the contractors yesterday. Later, a representative of the contractors told Chevron officials that they were withdrawing their blocking of Chevron vehicles’ movement on the basis of talks with the UNO.
Chevron was asked to sit with the contractors within a week to resolve differences with them.
Following Chevron’s letter, Petrobangla on Tuesday sought intervention of local parliamentarian and Chief Whip of the House Abdus Shahid. But he said he did not know the contractors and he could do nothing.
Contacted by The Daily Star, the chief whip said, “Why are you asking me these questions? I do not know anything about Chevron’s field. This is a matter for the energy ministry or Petrobangla and the law enforcing agencies. Not mine.”
But local people said Shahid held several meetings with Chevron officials and the local contractors in recent months over awarding contracts for supplies and temporary jobs at the gas field.
Our Moulvibazar correspondent reports that Chevron has 22 listed contractors who did not have any supply contracts in recent years. These contractors had been staging demonstrations around the gas field demanding contracts, and they got support of the locals who added demands like domestic gas connection and employment opportunity.
To end this stalemate, Chevron held meetings with the contractors in May and June. The contractors include Samata Enterprise, Khwaza Enterprise, SM Enterprise, Golden Enterprise and Kalapur Enterprise-2.
With the chief whip’s intervention, it was finally resolved that Chevron would award contracts to all the 22 listed contractors.
But in the middle of this month, five of these contractors asked Chevron officials to award all the contracts to them and said they would “manage” the other contractors. Chevron rejected the proposal.
This prompted the five contractors to go for the blocking.
On Tuesday, Chevron wrote to Petrobangla, “Unruly local persons are still moving around the gas plant area, patrolling with motor cycle and creating a blockage that is severely impacting our gas plant operations.”
Due to the blockage, water storage capacity of the gas plant had been exhausted. This water is a by-product of natural gas, which is stored and regularly taken away by vehicles for discharge. To manage the water storage, Chevron had to reduce gas production.
Chevron also cannot change its crews due to this situation, and its staffs were feeling insecure.
Contractor Jamshedur Rahman of Samata Enterprise claimed to The Daily Star that Chevron had promised to give them 12 to 15 supply job by July 17, but it did not keep its words. “That’s why we have called for blockade of all transports carrying Chevron’s workers.”
The local contractors also held a press conference on Tuesday night at Srimangal Press Club where Jamshedur Rahman, Akal Mian, Suju Mia and other contractors said they have been working as local contractors for Occidental, Unocal and Chevron since 1998. But they were not getting contracts properly for the last three years, and Chevron awarded contracts only to its favourite contractors, they added.
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