Petrobangla halts all drilling and seismic survey operations for 48hrs amid earthquake scare
The temporary halt of the ongoing exploration and workover operations across Petrobangla’s affiliated companies will resume on 25 November at 8am
As a precautionary measure against possible earthquake-related risks, Petrobangla today (23 November) suspended all drilling and seismic survey operations across its affiliated companies for the next 48 hours.
"To ensure the safety of the manpower involved with drilling of wells and seismic survey has been put on hold until 25 November," said Tariqul Islam Khan, general manager (public relations) of Petrobangla.
He said the temporary halt of the ongoing exploration and workover operations across Petrobangla's affiliated companies will resume on 25 November at 8am.
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The wells where drilling and seismic survey operations are being suspended: Shrikail-5, Habiganj-5, Kailashtila-1, Beanibazar-2, Sylhet-11, Sylhet-10X, and Rashidpur-11 as these wells are currently undergoing various stages of drilling, exploration, and work over activities, according to the state-owned oil and gas corporation.
Apart from that, the ongoing seismic survey in Sonargaon, Narayanganj has also been put on hold to ensure the safety of technical teams and to prevent any risk of equipment damage.
Petrobangla officials said sensitive equipment and field operations could be vulnerable during an earthquake.
Yesterday, Dhaka experienced two back-to-back earthquakes, occurring just one second apart – a day after a powerful 5.7-magnitude quake jolted the country.
At least 10 people, including a newborn, were killed and hundreds of individuals were injured after a powerful 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted Bangladesh on 21 November, damaging multiple buildings in Dhaka and other districts.
