Australian exploration and production (E&P) firm Tap Oil and partner Mubadala Petroleum have implemented protocols to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading among workforce involved in activities offshore Thailand.
At the Manora platform in the Gulf of Thailand, Mubadala has put procedures in place for business continuity, infection control and pandemic response, as well as infectious disease outbreak managements, logistics, and aviation.
In additional, crew changes onto Manora facilities have been extended by two weeks to ensure staff spend 14 days in quarantine before going offshore.
Furthermore, Tap Oil has taken a series of steps to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19. These measures include cutting non-critical spending and cancelling some exploration initiatives.
The company has reduced its 2020 Manora work programme and its budget by $14m. It said this gave it a strong balance sheet, leaving it “well placed to counter any negative financial impacts”.
All corporate staff of both Tap Oil and Mubadala in Bangkok are now working remotely from home.
Mubadala-operated Manora oil field lies in 44m depth of water approximately 80km from the coast of Thailand. Discovered in November 2009, the Manora oilfield produced first oil in November 2014.
It produced 14.36 million barrels of oil gross from 14 wells at the end of 2018. The average production was 6,397 barrels of oil per day gross in 2018.
Last month, Mubadala Petroleum subsidiary MP G1 announced it was set to increase its stake in G1/48 Manora block.
Tap Oil announced its joint venture (JV) partners had approved a work programme and budget for the Manora oilfield in 2019. In August that year, Tap Oil completed its drilling programme at the field.
