| Rasau | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location of Rasau | |
| Country | Brunei |
| Region | Belait |
| Location | Rasau |
| Offshore/onshore | Onshore |
| Coordinates | 4°34′N114°11′E / 4.567°N 114.183°E |
| Operators | Brunei Shell Petroleum |
| Owner |
|
| Field history | |
| Discovery | 1979 |
| Start of production | 1983 |
Rasau is an area in Brunei. The area contains one of the many oil fields of Brunei, the Rasau Field, [1] and a small village, Kampong Rasau, which has a population of 103. [2]
Rasau is located in the Belait district on the west bank of the Belait River [1] south of Kampong Sungai Teraban, close to the district capital of Kuala Belait. It is one of the villages in Mukim Kuala Belait. [3] It is located at 114°11′E longitude and 4°34′N latitude. To the north lies Kampong Sungai Teraban. The Malaysian state of Sarawak lies to the west and south with the Asam Paya oil field to the southwest. [4] [5] Across the Belait River to the east lies the southern portion of Kuala Belait and Kampong Sungai Duhon.
Rasau was historically one of the first stops on the Belait River upriver from Kuala Belait towards the former district administrative capital of Kuala Balai. It was founded further inland from the mouth of the Belait River and Kuala Belait for protection against pirates. A timber jetty used to exist in the area in 1930. [6] Moreover latter that year, British Malayan Petroleum Company constructed a telephone line along the Kuala Belait Beach which linked up Seria and Rasau with their main headquarters in Kuala Belait. [7]
Commercial hydrocarbons were first discovered in Rasau in 1979, and production began in 1983. [8] A blowout of one of the wells in the Rasau Field, Rasau-17 occurred in April 1989. [9] [10] The resulting fire lasted from 25 April to 8 May when it was finally extinguished. [11] [12] [13]
Rasau gained prominence in the latter half of the 20th century when a bridge was built across the Belait River providing a route to Miri in Sarawak, Malaysia without the need for any ferry crossings across the Belait River. However, the bridge was not opened until after a family of Malaysians drowned at the ferry point during heavy rain. [14]
The small village of Kampong Rasau is located to the south of the Rasau Bridge. It has a population of 103, [2] and is situated further upriver from Kuala Belait towards Kuala Balai. This was formerly a village of hunter-gatherers and fishermen.
The modern day Kampong Rasau serves as a suburb of the nearby Kuala Belait. Villagers residing in Kampong Rasau can obtain a special permit to waive toll payment across the Rasau Bridge. This allows the villagers to conveniently travel across the Belait River for employment opportunities.
A shipyard, [15] on the opposite bank from the Port of Kuala Belait at Kampong Sungai Duhon in Rasau, is a major source of employment for the people from the village and the greater Kuala Belait area.
Rasau is dominated by the Rasau Field which is one of the two onshore oil fields in Brunei. [16] The field is operated by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) [17] and was discovered in 1979, [18] [19] although production from the field did not start until 1983. Most of the wells are located between the highway linking the Rasau Bridge to Sungai Tujoh in the Rasau area. However, some of the Rasau wells are on the east side of the Belait River in Kampong Sungai Duhon and Kampong Pandan.
The Rasau Production Station is located in the Rasau area. Pipelines connect it to the tank farms in Seria via Mumong, [20] and to the Refinery of Seria, via Kuala Belait. [21] Hydrocarbons from Malaysia's Asam Paya field in Sarawak, across the border from Rasau is piped into Rasau. [22] The well Rasau 5 had a depth of 9,000 ft. [23]
The main highway from Bandar Seri Begawan to the Malaysian border passes through Rasau. [24] The road, Jalan Rasau, is a single carriageway and it is surfaced. [25] It connects the Seria Bypass and the Rasau Bridge to the 11 km road between Kampong Sungai Teraban and Sungai Tujoh. An unsurfaced road connects the village of Kampong Rasau to the Rasau bridge.
A "water taxi" can be hired at the public wharf close to the Kuala Belait market to go upriver towards Kampong Rasau and Kuala Balai.
Commercial travellers would have to travel to either Bandar Seri Begawan's Brunei International Airport or Miri's Airport to catch a commercial flight. The Anduki Airfield in Belait District is the nearest private heliport owned by BSP. [26]
Belait District or simply known as Belait, is the largest as well as the westernmost district in Brunei. It has an area of 2,727 square kilometres (1,053 sq mi) and the population of 65,531 as of 2021. The administrative town is Kuala Belait, located at the mouth of the 32 kilometres (20 mi) long Belait River. The district is commonly associated with the oil and gas industry of the country, mainly concentrated near the town of Seria.
Kuala Belait or officially the Kuala Belait Town, and colloquially referred to as KB, is the administrative town of Belait District, Brunei. The population of the town proper was 4,259 in 2016. Kuala Belait is officially a municipal area, as well as a village under the mukim of the same name. The town is located 85 kilometres (53 mi) west of the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Seria, the district's other town. It is also in the westernmost part of country, near the mouth of the Belait River.
Seria or officially known as Seria Town, is a town in Belait District, Brunei. It is located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the country's oil and gas industry.
Panaga is a coastal settlement on the north-east coast of the island of Borneo, in the Bruneian district of Belait. Officially known as Kampong Panaga, it is a village-level subdivision under Seria, a mukim or subdistrict of Belait. The settlement of Panaga comprises a public housing estate under the National Housing Scheme and the housing estate of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), the main oil and gas company in the country. Panaga is also home to the headquarters of the company itself. The postcode for Panaga is KB4533.
Mukim Seria is a mukim in Belait District, Brunei. It has an area of 169 square kilometres (65 sq mi); the population was 21,214 in 2016. The mukim encompasses Seria, one of the only two towns in the district. It is home to the oil and gas industry of the country.
Kampong Mumong, or simply known as Mumong, is a residential suburb of Kuala Belait, the principal town of Belait District, in Brunei Darussalam. It comprises the original Mumong settlement, as well as the Mumong public housing estate of the Landless Indigenous Citizens' Housing Scheme. However, it officially consists of two village sub-divisions, namely Mumong 'A' and Mumong 'B', which are under the mukim of Kuala Belait.
Kampong Sungai Teraban is a village in Belait District, Brunei, near the district's principal town Kuala Belait. It has an area of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi); the population was 1,082 in 2016. It is one of the administrative villages within Mukim Kuala Belait.
Mukim Kuala Belait is a mukim in Belait District, Brunei. The population was 31,308 in 2016. The mukim encompasses Kuala Belait, the administrative town of the district.
Kampong Sungai Duhon is a village that is located within the town of Kuala Belait in Mukim Kuala Belait, Belait District of Brunei. The postcode is KA3131.
Sungai Tujoh, is the westernmost point of Brunei. It is located in the Belait district.
Mukim Labi is a mukim in the interior of Belait District, Brunei. It has an area of 361.8 square kilometres (139.7 sq mi); the population was 1,216 in 2016.
Mukim Kuala Balai is a mukim located in the Belait District of Brunei, known for its unique geographical setting. As of 2016, the population was recorded at just 31 residents. The village of Kampong Kuala Balai is situated in the upper Kumgang region of Belait, forming part of the Mukim Kuala Balai catchment area. It is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Kuala Belait. However, Kampong Kuala Balai is currently uninhabited due to factors such as migration to other villages and employment opportunities elsewhere, leading to a decline in its once-thriving community. It is an early settlement of the Belait people, who formed the majority of its population, and it once served as the administrative center for the Belait District during traditional governance and British residency, while also being a prominent exporter of ambulong (sago) in its heyday.
Mukim Sukang is a mukim in Belait District, Brunei. The population was 169 in 2016.
Lumut–Belait Highway is a major highway in Belait District, Brunei. It bypasses the town centers of Seria and Kuala Belait, in addition to the Sungai Belait toll bridge, which is not present along the original route of the Pan Borneo Highway. Along the section of the original route of the Pan Borneo Highway between Kampung Sungai Teraban and Kampung Lumut, motorists may need to cross the Belait River via a river ferry service; therefore, the Belait River bridge at the Kuala Belait Highway enables motorists to cross the river directly without using the river ferry service which may become dangerous during bad weather. The section of the Kuala Belait highway that passes through Seria is generally known as the 'Seria Bypass'. Construction is under way to expand the part of the Kuala Belait Highway from a single carriageway highway to a dual carriageway highway.
Seria oil field also known as Seria Field is the largest oil field in northwest Borneo, discovered in 1929. The oil is accumulated in Upper Miocene sandstone, trapped in Seria Anticline that straddles the present day coastline. This field has produced more than 1 billion barrels of oil for more than 75 years. Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) is the operator of this field.
Transport in Brunei consists of air, land, and sea transport. Previously there was some rail transport in Brunei, but eventually most of it was closed down. Several public and commercial sector organizations are in charge of creating and overseeing these networks and infrastructures. The Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC) is in charge of overseeing the maritime and aviation industries, as well as planning and regulating all kinds of land transportation.
Rail transport in Brunei highlights its role in industrial and wartime efforts, beginning with the Brooketon Colliery's 19th century coal railway to Muara's harbour, which aided steamship routes. Later, Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) built a line from Seria to Badas in the 1930s for water and pipeline transport, reactivated briefly by Australian forces in the Second World War. Today, Brunei LNG uses a rail system to transport equipment offshore, and plans for a Trans Borneo Railway aim to enhance trade by linking Brunei with neighbouring regions, underscoring rail’s lasting impact on Brunei's economy and connectivity.
Kampong Kuala Tutong, also simply known as Kuala Tutong, is a village in Tutong District, Brunei, within the mukim of Pekan Tutong. The postcode for Kampong Kuala Tutong is TA3341. Kampong Kuala Tutong covers 1.3 square kilometres (0.50 sq mi) from the mosque to the river's mouth. Before World War II, a ferry jetty was constructed at the end of Jalan Kuala Tutong, approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Kampong Penabai. Since no bridges connected the Tutong and Belait districts at that time, the Brunei government introduced a ferry service in 1930, which operated from Kuala Sungai Tutong. This ferry became a crucial transportation link for vehicles traveling between Brunei Town, Tutong, Seria, and Kuala Belait. However, the service ceased in 1958 following the completion of bridges in Serambangun and Telamba, which made the ferry redundant.
The Belait River is a river in Belait District, Brunei. It is the longest of the four main rivers in the country.
The Kuala Belait Port, also known as Kuala Belait Wharf, is a port operated by both the Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) and Maritime and Port Authority Brunei Darussalam (MPABD). The port can only accommodate low-draught ships. It is one of the only three existing ports in the country.
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