Link to USGS Home Page
 
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Petroleum Systems of the Northwest Java Province, Java and Offshore Southeast Sumatra, Indonesia

by Michele G. Bishop
 
 

Open-File Report 99-50R

2000














HISTORY OF EXPLORATION
     Knowledge of oil on Java and Sumatra was reported as early as the year 954 and in 1596 a Dutch voyage reported a well in Sumatra producing a balm used for treating rheumatism and for lighting purposes (Van Bemmelen, 1949).  In 1869, Von Baumhauer recorded 44 oil seeps in Java, drilling for oil started in West Java in 1872 and the first oil company started operations in East Java in 1887 (Van Bemmelen, 1949).

     Early exploration wells in West Java onshore were drilled by Jon Reesink who was a store keeper in Cirebon (Courteney and others, 1989).  He visited the United States, collected drilling equipment and skills, and began drilling at Cibodas in 1871 with the financial backing of Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij (the predecessor of Royal Dutch Shell) (Courteney and others, 1989).  Sub-commercial oil was found in two of his first four wells, which were drilled using water buffalo for power.  He resumed drilling in 1874 with steam equipment, but the next 5 wells were unsuccessful, which discouraged his backers.  However, other drilling ventures were conducted with encouraging shows, and the first commercial oil field was discovered at Randegan in 1939 (Courteney and others, 1989).

     Exploration was interrupted until 1967 when, at Jatibarang-44, a major oil field was discovered with reserves in the Jatibarang Volcanics (Courteney and others, 1989).  Independent Indonesia American Petroleum Company (IIAPCO) was then formed and negotiations began with Indonesia for the first offshore Production Sharing Contract (Courteney and others, 1989; Wight and others, 1997).  Sinclair and Natomas joined IIAPCO in 1966 and drilling began in 1968.  The “B” field, with cumulative production of 122 MMBO to 1989, and the “E” field, with cumulative production of 160 MMBO to 1989, were the first fields in the Ardjuna Basin (Courteney and others, 1989).  The Main and Massive reservoirs of Miocene age contain most of the reserves.  Light (36—37? API gravity), low-sulfur, paraffinic and waxy crude with low pour point is produced primarily under water drive (Courteney and others, 1989).

     In the Sunda Basin, IIAPCO discovered Cinta field in 1969 (Fig. 5).  Production is from the Talang Akar sandstones under strong water drive (Courteney and others, 1989).  Over 170 MMBO were produced to 1989.  The Rama and Krisna fields were discovered in the late 1970’s and produce from Batu Raja carbonates (Fig. 4) (Courteney and others, 1989; Park and others, 1995).  The first discovery in the Asri Basin, the Widuri oil field, was discovered in 1988 (Young and others, 1991).

     A subbasin of mature source rock, the North Seribu Trough located east of the Sunda Basin, is a more recently identified exploration target (Pramono and others, 1990).


[TOP of REPORT]  [To Previous Page]    [To Top of this Page]    [To Next Page]    [To World Energy Project]


U. S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-50R