STATE-OWNED fledgling oil and gas company, Petroleum Sarawak (Petros) has taken its first step into the business with the signing a memorandum of understanding with Petrotel Energy Oman LLC “to explore the possibility of co-operation to develop the downstream sector of oil and gas industries in Sarawak”.

International oil and gas company “with links to Sarawak”, South Sea Energy (SSE), is also a signatory to the MoU.

The signing in Muscat, Oman today was witnessed by Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg.

Chairman Hamid Bugo and board member Zuraimi Sabki signed for Petronas, president Lily Chin and executive director Tiong Kiong King for SSE, and chief executive Dr Anil Chopra and chief operating officer Mike Lucich for Petrotel.

The chief minister, who is on a working visit to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, had earlier witnessed the signing of an MOU between Petrotel and SSE on exploration and production rights in the Arab country.

Petrotel is described on its website as “a leader in oil and gas technology in all aspects of exploration and production with worldwide experience” which has worked on “more than 300 fields worldwide in over 30 countries”.

The Sarawak chief minister and his delegation, which included Deputy Chief Minister and Second Minister of Natural Resources Awang Tengah Ali Hasssn, State Secretary Mohammad Morshidi Abdul Ghani and Sarawak Energy chief executive officer Sharbini Suhaili, arrived in the Omani capital yesterday.

Later yesterday evening, the chief minister and his entourage were shown an overview of the prospects and possibilities of cooperation in the oil and gas sector in the sultanate by SSE.

On Monday, while in the oil refining town of Miri, Abang Johari said Petros would be an active player in the oil and gas industry in two years.

The company was formed in August last year to look after the state’s interest in oil and gas discovered and mined in Sarawak.

Petros is still on a head hunt for a chief executive officer. – January 17, 2018.