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Halliburton and Oil Search form "Strategic Alliance" in PNG

Papua New Guinea, the most hetergeneous place left on the planet, is facing increased risk of devestation to the rainforest and ancient cultures that inhabit them.

Oil Search forms "Strategic Alliance" with Halliburton in PNG




Alice 11

02.01.2004



At Stake in Papau New Guinea



Papua New Guinea is a gem on the other side of the world, sitting pretty like an emerald in the ocean beside a much larger landmass, the continent of Australia. PNG (Papa New Guinea) is the eastern side of New Guinea, a country sharing half the island with Irian Jaya, a province of Indonesia. PNG is a place where tribal cultures still exist in the lush but rapidly deteriorating rainforests of the land. Forming part of the “Ring of Fire”, PNG is a rich environment, full of luscious resources that have sustained humans and thousand upon thousands of unique species, flora and fauna for millennia.



The population of 4.4 million is spread throughout the lands. This is a land of history and culture, and of tribal communities. A cultural anthropologists and sociologists dream. Some descendants having roots there for over 10 000 years. Cultures that have, until recently, escaped the influence of the “modern” world. Systems of value, practices, language, customs, and beliefs that have all but gone extinct around the rest of the globe, still live here. PNG boast over 800 living languages, and is the most heterogeneous place on earth. This basically means that PNG has the most diverse DNA on the planet, and represents the most facets of the globe. It truly is a gem.



Papua New Guineas generally do not believe in the concept of land ownership, regarding the land as something to steward. Most, 85% of Papua New Guineas work in the sector of farming, sustenance and semi-sustenance agriculture. What they have, so rare in the world, are villages that are self-sufficient. This decreases each day, as each corporation comes in to take a piece of Papua New Guinea to feed it to the rest of the world.



PNG meet Hungry World



PNG, gaining independence in 1975, is a democratic country, like we are (wink wink). Therefore it is not the people of Papua New Guinea who control it, but those with business interests in PNG who control it. Being a major exporter of rich matter such as trees, minerals, gold, copper, coffee, many other agricultural products, and last but not least, oil; it is ripe for the picking and economists estimate its worth to be over $2 billion US.



We now have a dollar value placed on irreplaceable resources.
Deforestation, in which the oxygen producing forests are not replantable and the biodiversity is not recoverable, is a major issue. Deforestation, water, and air pollution, also occur with the extraction of oil and minerals. With each dollar of export, there is a toll on the land, on the cultures and people.



Papua New Guinea has not received much attention. It rests quietly but if you listen hard enough, you will hear the creeping in of machinery, this being their major import. This is all part of the initiative to bring the PNG community up to speed with the “developed” world. PNG, while not virginal, is still intact and has areas that are undeveloped. But this is rapidly changing.



At risk here is the culture and land, people and place, past and future. The locals are not in favor of the devastation, deforestation, and depletion of the land, which is occurring at alarming rates as larger and larger corporations move into the area, through acquisitions and amalgamations of other interested companies.



One of the earliest companies to claim the land is Oil Search. Founded in PNG in 1929, Oil Search “owns” 70% of PNGs oil reserves. As PNG is part of the commonwealth, ownership is claimed under the dictatorship of the queen, essentially, claiming PNG for the British Empire.



About Oil Search



Oil search names PNG as the major shareholder holding the largest shares at 18%. There are three other “nominees limited” operations each with over 10% share, and the rest are divided mainly amongst other “nominee limited” operations. Oil Search (OSE) is going up on the Australian Stock Exchange, (the companies policies are based on the laws of this stock exchange, and the laws of the stock exchange are to turn of profit at ALL COSTS). Oil Search does employ a few locals, roughly 800 people throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea.



Oil Search submitted its end quarter 2003 financial report to the Australian Stock Exchange and reported the following:



 Total 2003 operating revenue of US $336.6 Million. This is 53% higher then the record year they had in 2002.

 2003 saw ownership of all of Papua New Guineas oil productions transferred from Chevron Texaco to Oil Search. During the last quarter or 2003, Oil Search also sold its 20% interest in the Porgera gold mine, for US $73.3Million.

 Took over operations of the country’s producing oil fields in 2003 (Oct.) from incumbent Chevron Niugini.

 Has big plans for future development and resources extraction, including drawing the 101.2 million barrels of crude oil out of Moran.



Big plans are in the works so that Oil Search and all of their investors get the most turn around for their money. The policies at Oil Search reflect that aim, and what they need to do to achieve it, at any cost. Oil Search has recently “committed” working closely with HALLIBURTON (Yes, "that Halliburton)to form a “strategic alliance” with them, in order to extract as much oil and resources as possible in the quickest and most cost-effective way. Haliburton is one of, if not THE largest supplier of petro chemical products on the planet. Of course they would want to strategically align with Oil Search.



PNG Future Uncertain



Because there is not enough initiative to extract, pillage and rape the land for all of her natural resources, the PNG government has decided that the industry needs incentives and therefore, any applications from now until 2007 for extrapolation of these resources, gets the added bonus of a large tax break.



Oil Search has strict policy regarding all matters of operation, and will answer first and foremost, to its shareholders. They have a board that is full of rich white people. Their executives are all experienced in the field of oil, and all that entails, with little care for the land. Most executives have deep business and government connections, and are adept at following the order of operations when it comes to making money.



So while we struggle to save the forests and search for viable, clean energy resources, the struggle is also being fought on the other side of the world, in a place that has so much at stake. By spreading awareness of what is going on on this planet, maybe one day, knowledge, wisdom, and preservation will rule the planet.



PAPUA NEW GUINEA forever!



reference:

Papua New Guinea Embassy

Oil Search

Petroleum.Gov.PNG

Halliburton on CORPWATCH

Halliburton: Leading the way to Darwin, though Alice.

 
 

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