UNB, Dhaka :
Although about 15 months have elapsed since its formation to look into whether there was any irregularity in the tender process of the multi-client seismic survey in the country’s offshore areas, the Law Minister-led investigation committee could not yet submit its report.
For the delay in submitting the report, the Energy Division cannot move ahead with its plan to appoint any company to conduct the seismic survey in the country’s offshore areas of the Bay of Bengal.
Following a rift in its meeting in August last year, the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee constituted the high-powered committee, headed by the Law Minister, to inquire whether there was any irregularity in the Energy Ministry’s tender process for selecting a foreign firm for the job. Admitting the problem, State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said this has put the process to award
contract for the multi-client seismic survey into a critical situation. “We’re already two years behind the schedule due to this problem,” he told reporters recently. Mentioning that the committee killed time in submitting the probe report and it was supposed to come up with the report within one year as per its latest commitment, he said, “But still my ministry hasn’t got the findings of the committee.” Apparently frustrated at the delay, Nasrul said his ministry cannot move for the offshore exploration until the multi-client survey is done.
He, however, said the Energy Ministry has awarded some blocks located near Myanmar border to a foreign company. South Korean-Posco Daewoo is now conducting exploration at those blocks.
The idea of multi-client survey is that the selected firm will conduct survey in the country’s maritime boundary at its own cost. On completion of the survey, it will share its findings with state-owned Petrobangla free of cost.
The selected firm will have a right to sell the findings and seismic data to aspirant international oil companies who want to participate in oil and gas exploration in the Bangladesh territory.
Although about 15 months have elapsed since its formation to look into whether there was any irregularity in the tender process of the multi-client seismic survey in the country’s offshore areas, the Law Minister-led investigation committee could not yet submit its report.
For the delay in submitting the report, the Energy Division cannot move ahead with its plan to appoint any company to conduct the seismic survey in the country’s offshore areas of the Bay of Bengal.
Following a rift in its meeting in August last year, the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee constituted the high-powered committee, headed by the Law Minister, to inquire whether there was any irregularity in the Energy Ministry’s tender process for selecting a foreign firm for the job. Admitting the problem, State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said this has put the process to award
contract for the multi-client seismic survey into a critical situation. “We’re already two years behind the schedule due to this problem,” he told reporters recently. Mentioning that the committee killed time in submitting the probe report and it was supposed to come up with the report within one year as per its latest commitment, he said, “But still my ministry hasn’t got the findings of the committee.” Apparently frustrated at the delay, Nasrul said his ministry cannot move for the offshore exploration until the multi-client survey is done.
He, however, said the Energy Ministry has awarded some blocks located near Myanmar border to a foreign company. South Korean-Posco Daewoo is now conducting exploration at those blocks.
The idea of multi-client survey is that the selected firm will conduct survey in the country’s maritime boundary at its own cost. On completion of the survey, it will share its findings with state-owned Petrobangla free of cost.
The selected firm will have a right to sell the findings and seismic data to aspirant international oil companies who want to participate in oil and gas exploration in the Bangladesh territory.
