Society of Petroleum Engineers

SPE 27091

Environmental Issues in Oil and Gas Development in Malaysia

0.8. Evans and E.F. Yang, DNV Technica

Copyright 1994, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Inc.

This paper was prepared lor presentation at the Second International Conference on Health, Safety & Environment in Oil & Gas Exploration & Production held in Jakarta, Indonesia,
25-27 January 1994.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee Iollowing review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper,
as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessanly reflect
any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society
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of where and by whom the paper is presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A. Telex, 163245 SPEUT.

1991. The role of gas in the energy mix increased

ABSTRACT from 7.4% in 1980 to 21.5% in 1991. Malaysia is
now the world's third largest exporter of liquefied
This paper presents an overall view of the natural gas and is ranked 17th in the world in terms
environmental issues associated with oil and gas of gas reserves. Its natural gas reserves are about
developments in Malaysia with particular emphasis four times its oil reserves and are estimated at 59
on offshore platform developments, their associated trillion standard cubic feet Table 1 gives' the
pipelines and onshore processing facilities. The production figures for oil and gas from 1980 to
issues discussed include Malaysian Legislation and 1992.
requirements for Environmental Impact
Assessments, atmospheric emISSIons, aqueous PETRONAS, incorporated on 17 August 1974 as
emissions, waste disposal, wastewater and produced the national Petroleum Corporation of Malaysia, is
water treatment and discharge, noise, and chemicals vested with the exclusive ownership and
usage. management of the country's oil and gas resources
under the Petroleum Development Act 1974.
INTRODUCTION Exploration and production of hydrocarbon
resources in Malaysia is governed by the Production
Malaysia is in the midst of rapid economic growth Sharing Contract (pSC) which was revised by
and oil and gas is expected to play an important PETRONAS in 1985 to incorporate more
role in the economy towards the year 2020, when favourable· terms for recovery and profit sharing.
the country is expected to be fully industrialized. To date, 37 PSCs have been signed and 39
The country is endowed with an abundance of companies from 15 countries are involved in
energy resources, and her recoverable hydrocarbon exploration in Malaysia.
reserves are estimated at 4.5 billion barrels of oil
and 68 TCF of natural gas. Traditionally, the The number and extent of proposed developments
country has been relying on the four main energy is such that proper consideration of all the
resources (oil, natural gas, hydropower and coal), associated environmental issues is essential if
with an overwhelming dependence on oil. The serious degradation of the marine and onshore
benefits of using gas were not obvious until 1979, resources of the country is to be avoided.
when the Government outlined the national energy
policy of reducing overall dependence on oil by As an indication, Malaysia currently has 122
increasing other sources in the energy supply mix. platforms (26% of the ASEAN total) with a further
The effect of this policy was a significant easing of 87 planned for the period 1993-2000. These
oil dependency from 87% in 1980 to 65.6% in developments will result in significant expansion of

113
2 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENTS IN MALAYSIA
the onshore processing facilities and distribution
network.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
The principal legislation relevant to onshore and
offshore petroleum developments in Malaysia are
the:
• Environmental Quality Act, 1974 (EQA)
and amendments
Exclusive Economic Zone Act, 1984
(EEZ)
The Environmental Quality Act, 1974
(Amendments) 1985 was enacted for the prevention,
abatement, and control of pollution and
enhancement of the environment. The Act specifies
that waste is not permitted to be discharged into the
environment in contravention of · acceptable
conditions. Industrial facilities are required to
comply with bQth air emission and effluent
discharge standards · which are stipulated in
subsidiary legislation enacted under the 1974 Act.
These standards are regarded as acceptable
conditions of emission and discharge. Under the
EQA, fifteen sets of Regulations and Orders have
been introduced and enforced to date.
Additional relevant regulations enacted under the
EQA include:
Environmental Quality (Clean Air)
Regulations 1978;
Environmental Quality (Sewage and
Industrial Effluent) Regulations 1979;
• Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes)
Regulations 1989;
• Environmental Quality (Prescribed
Activities) (Environmental Impact
Assessment) Order 1987.
Under the Environmental Quality (Prescribed
Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment)
Order 1987, all developments classified under a
Prescribed Activities List requires an Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) to be submitted before
the proposed project can be considered for approval
by the relevant federal or state authorities.
Petroleum developments are included under the
Prescribed Activities List which covers:
114
SPE 27091
(a) Oil and gas fields development.
(b) Construction of off-shore and on-shore
pipelines in excess of 50 kilometres in
length.
(c) Construction of oil and gas separation,
processing, handling and storage facilities.
(d) Construction of oil refineries.
(e) Construction of products depots for the
storage of petrol, gas or diesel (excluding
service stations) which are located within
3 kilometres of any commercial, industrial
or residential areas and which have a
combined storage capacity of 60,000
barrels or more.
The EQA and associated Orders and Regulations
are not, strictly speaking, applicable outside
Malaysian territorial waters. Malaysia's territorial
waters is generally 12 nautical miles, subject to
certain adjustments in relation to the Straits of
Malacca and in other areas adjacent to Singapore
and Indonesia.
Offshore installations which are situated outside
Malaysian territorial waters are governed by the
Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone Act which
was enacted in 1984 for the preservation and
protection of the marine environment. The EEZ of
Malaysia is an area beyond and adjacent to the
territorial sea of Malaysia and, subject to certain
clarifications extends to a distance of two hundred
nautical miles from the baselines from which the
breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Under
this Act, Malaysia bas the sovereign right to exploit
her natural resources in the EEZ pursuant to her
environmental policies and in accordance with her
duty to protect and preserve the marine
environment.
A new Act on marine pollution, shippers' liabilities
and compensation for oil spills is likely to be
enforced next year. The Merchant Shippers (Oil
Pollution) Act, 1993, will enable Malaysia to
implement two major International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) conventions - the Civil
Liability Convention 1969 and the Fund Convention
1971. The Act confers wide powers on the Director
of Marine Department to take action to prevent or
reduce the extent of pollution through the escap,e of
oil or other harmful substances. Currently legal
action against errant shippers could only be taken
through civil suits.
Malaysia has not ratified the MARPOL 73{78, the
most well known of the Oil Pollution Prevention
Conventions. The primary reason cited for its
SPE27091 D EVANS & E F YONG
failure to do so is lack of adequate waste disposal
and reception facilities required to implement the
Convention. However the country is in the process
of amending certain maritime regulations to enable
ratification, implementation and enforcement of the
MARPOL Convention.
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS
The Malaysian Government has not yet established
standards for air quality but has adopted guideline
levels [1] (Recommended Malaysian Air Quality
Guidelines RMAQG); for a number of pollutants as
shown in Table 2.
Emissions of pollutants to atmosphere are covered
under the Environmental Quality (Clean Air)
Regulations, 1978. Particular relevant emissions
that are covered by these Regulations are smoke,
hydrogen sulphide, noxious and offensive
substances.
There are currently no emission limits specified for
oxides of sulphur and nitrogen from combustion
sources such as gas turbines, process heaters and
flares.
Smoke
Emissions of smoke are covered under Part N of
the Regulations, smoke emissions during normal
and upset operational conditions must not be darker
than that designated as Shade No.1 on the
Ringelmann Chart. Emissions of smoke from an
installation are permitted to exceed Ringelmann
Shade No.1 for an aggregate of less than 5 minutes
in any period of one hour providing the total period
of such emissions does not exceed 15 minutes in
any period of 24 hours. The Director-General can
direct operators to provide a monitoring system
such that potential emissions of smoke from the
process can be detected from within the control
room.
Gaseous Emissions
Limits on gaseous emJSS10ns to atmosphere are
defined under Part V of these Regulations for new
and existing facilities; facilities in existence before
1978 were required to meet Standard A within two
years and Standard B within three years; any new
facility must comply with Standard C Limits. For
Standard C, emissions of hydrogen sulphide for
example are restricted to 5 ppm (volume for
volume). These gaseous emission limits should be
considered at the design stage of an onshore
115
3
development (in particular sour service installations)
with respect to the provisions for process venting
and system depressurisation facilities.
Noxious and Offensive Substances
The occupier of any industrial facility is required to
use Best Practicable Means (BPM) to prevent the
emission of noxious or offensive substances; these
substances are listed in the Third Schedule of these
Regulations and includes fumes from petroleum
works.
Department of Environment (DOE) Approval
Written approval from the Director-General is
required prior to the installation, re-siting or
alteration of incinerators, fuel burning equipment,
flares and chimneys.
Since there are no specific emission limits stated for
the above emission sources, assessment of the
impact of combustion process emissions on local air
quality must be undertaken during the project EIA
to ensure ground level pollutant concentrations are
within acceptable limits and will not result in
exceedance of air quality objectives (fable 2). A
thorough assessment of potential air quality impact
during the EIA will enable the requirements for
mitigation/abatement plant to be identified; this
mmnmses the likelihood of expensive and
disruptive retrofitting of abatement equipment when
the installation is fully operational. Conducting an
environmental assessment during the initial design
stage is therefore recommended.
Contravention Licence
Under Regulations number 49, an operator can
apply to the Director General for a licence for the
purpose of contravention of acceptable conditions.
A licence to contravene acceptable conditions will
be granted by the Director General providing:
- There is no practicable means of control to enable
compliance with acceptable conditions; or
- The estimated cost incurred for compliance will
be prohibitive with regard to the nature or size of
the industrial operation; or
- The imposition of acceptable conditions may
result in circumstances which, in the opinion of the
Director General, are not reasonably practicable or
are contrary to the spirit of the 1974 Act.
4 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENTS IN MAI.AYSIA
These Regulations do not currently apply beyond
Malaysian territorial waters; this is currently under
review and in the near future the jurisdiction of
these Regulations may be extended to include the
EEZ.
Offshore
Under the Petronas procedures for production
operations, offshore production facilities are not
allowed to continuously flare or vent produced gas
for a period of more than 72 hours in line with the
National gas conservation policy.
Atmospheric emission sources offshore include;
combustion products from flaring, gas turbines,
process heaters and diesel motors; hydrocar�on and
VOC emissions from vents, incomplete combustion
and fugitive emission sources.
Currently there are no atmospheric emission limits
specified for operations in the EEZ. Extension of
these Regulations to include the EEZ will have an
impact on offshore activities, particularly with
regard to smoke emissions from flares and cold
process venting.
AQUEOUS EMISSIONS
Under Malaysian legislation different levels of
control on effluent discharges are exercised
dependant on the location of the discharge.
Effluent discharges to 'inland waters' are controlled
under the Environmental Quality (Sewage and
Industrial Effluents) Regulations, 1979. Under
these Regulations 'inland waters' includes any part
of the sea abutting on the foreshore, and any other
body of natural or artificial surface or subsurface
water.
Acceptable Conditions
Permissible maximum pollutant concentrations in
discharged effluent (acceptable conditions) are
given in the Third Schedule of these Regulations.
Under Standard B of the Regulations, the maximum
permissible concentration of oil and grease in
discharges to w:ater reserves must not exceed 10
mg/I. The Standard B discharge limit values for all
parameters specified in the Third Schedule are
presented in Table 3.
Contravention Licence
As with atmospheric emissions, under Part V of
these Regulations, an operator can apply to the
116
SPE 27091
Director General for a licence for the purpose of
contravention of acceptable conditions (effluent
discharge limits). A licence to contravene
acceptable conditions will be granted by the
Director General providing:
- There is no practicable means of control to enable
compliance with acceptable conditions; or
- The estimated cost incurred for compliance will
be prohibitive with regard to the nature or size of
the industrial operation; or
- The imposition of acceptable conditions may
result in circumstances which, in the opinion of the
Director General, are not reasonably practicable or
are contrary to the spirit of the 1974 Act; or
- A sewerage system is to be provided and the
effluent is pennitted to be admitted to the system.
DOE Written Approval
Written permission from the DOE is required prior
to the installation of effluent treatment facilities and
if a change in effluent discharge conditions is
envisaged.
Monitoring
In order to demonstrate compliance with acceptable
conditions, monitoring of effluent discharges must
be carried out.
The effluent discharge limits specified under these
Regulations with regard to onshore petroleum
processing operations require the provision of
effective wastewater treatment plants.
For onshore processing facilities, separate drainage
systems will be provided for non-contaminated and
contaminated effluent streams. Non-contaminated
water will be routed to the monsoon drainage
system for discharge to the receiving environment
(river, sewer or marine environment).
Contaminated effluents streams are usually
discharged to holding basins, oil interceptors or
corrugated plate interceptors (CPI) for removal of
free hydrocarbons. The above treatment systems
may not be adequate to ensure the quality of
discharged effluent complies with all the parameters
covered under the Regulations. As such. air
floatation, activated filters and biological oxidation
systems may be required.
Continuous effluent discharges even when
SPE 27091 D EVANS & E F YONG
complying with discharge limits may still result in
deteriorations in water quality at the point of
discharge.
Marine Water Quality Standards
The Malaysian Government has not yet established
standards for marine water quality but has adopted
interim guideline levels [2]. These interim
guideline levels are based the standards adopted in
the Peoples Republic of China and Japan. Levels
of water quality have been established according to
water body uses. Type 1 water quality is for the
conservation of marine and aquatic resources and
safe utilization by humans. Type 2 water quality is
for recreation purposes and Type 3 water quality is
for industrial processing, ports and harbours and
offshore development The interim marine water
quality standards are presented in Table 4.
The Malaysian EEZ Act 1984 requires all aqueous
effluent from process units and operational
discharges to be treated prior to discharge to the
marine environment. The 100 ppm oil limit
stipulated under this Act therefore applies to drill
mud/cutting, produced water and drainage
discharges from offshore installations. Compared to
the discharge limits for oil contaminated effluent
enforced on offshore operators in other countries,
an effluent oil concentration of lO0ppm is relatively
straightforward to achieve and a number of oil
companies have adopted more stringent
specifications (eg 40 ppm) with future targeted
limits in the region of 10 ppm.
Produced water is either re-injected via a dedicated
disposal well or passed through oil separation
equipment prior to discharge to the marine
environment. Both corrugated plate interceptors
(CPI) and hydrocyclones provide sufficient oil
separation efficiency to meet the regulatory
requirement (100 ppm of oil in the effluent).
Other potentially contaminated effluent streams
arise form rainfall run-off, washdown water, vessel
flushing and draining and the platform drainage
system. Discharges from non-contaminated areas
are routed directly to the sea. Contaminated
effluent streams are typically routed either to the
closed drain system which discharges into a process
caisson; or the open drain system flowing into an
atmospheric caisson. The caissons are intended to
act as oily water separators.
The intermittent nature of discharges and the
dilution capabilities of the receiving water body
117
5
lead to the conclusion that any hydrocarbons not
separated in the caissons will usually become
rapidly dispersed in the water body.
Under the EEZ Act, any accidental discharge or
escape of mixture containing oil or pollutant from
an offshore installation shall immediately be
reported to the Director General of the Department
of Environment or any other public officer to whom
the Director General has delegated such power in
writing.
The contractor is required to employ every practical
means to contain, cleanse or abate the spill or
accidental discharge and to recover the substances
involved in the spill or·accidental discharge. The
waste generator shall also be required to produce
the technical expertise and supporting assistance in
the clean-up operation. The law also requires the
contractor to undertake studies to determine the
impact of the accidental discharge on the
environment over a period of time which is
determined by the Director-General or any public
officer delegated by him in writing.
There are no specific legislative instruments
controlling the discharge of drill muds/cuttings
(providing oil content does not exceed the EEZ
limit of lO0ppm) and hydrotesting fluids during
pipeline hydrotesting.
Generally, two types of drilling muds are used in
offshore drilling operations in Malaysia, water­
based mud and oil-based mud. Drill cuttings are
typically discharged overboard while drill muds are
recovered and recycled.
The heavier fraction of the drill cutt":Igs will
accumulate in the surrounding sediments. Various
studies have shown that the concentrations of lead,
nickel, vanadium, zinc and especially barium
increase in bottom sediments after drilling,
especially in the direction of the dominant currents
[3][4].
Drilling muds and cuttings discharged overboard
may change the seabed environment, by physically
smothering the benthic organisms. In addition
changes in the particle size distribution of the
sediment can result in changes to the effective
habitat types of the area. The extent of changes in
the macrobenthic community is dependent on the
number of wells drilled, the speed of drilling and
the current regime in the area. The effects due to
the discharge of drilling muds and cuttings on the
benthic community are sometimes very severe but
6 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENTS IN MALAYSIA
often highly localized [5][6][7][8][9]. Leong et al.
[10] reported that the extent of impact from drilling
on the benthic community around Malaysian
platform installations is around 100 m from the
location centre.
The drilling muds and cuttings can contain high
dissolved salts with high pH values and higher than
ambient temperatures. Studies on various water
quality parameters such as suspended solids, light
transmittance, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature
and salinity around platforms have shown that most
water quality parameters are not affected, with the
exception of suspended solids and light
transmittance [11][12]. Effects of discharges to the
marine environment tend to be minimised naturally
due to the buffering capacity of the seawater and
the rapid dilution of the discharges by ocean
currents.
WASTE HANDLING, STORAGE AND
DISPOSAL
The handling and disposal of hazardous and toxic
waste materials is covered under the Environmental
Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 1989.
Under the First Schedule of these Regulations, 107
categories of toxic and hazardous waste have been
classified as scheduled wastes.
These Regulations introduce the "cradle to grave"
waste management concept whereby a historical
record must be maintained providing documented
details of the life-cycle of the waste from its
generation through to its ultimate disposal. This
management concept is implemented by the
following requirements specified by these
Regulations:
Notification of Waste Generation
Any scheduled waste generated after the
Regulations came into force must be notified to the
Department of Environment in writing (scheduled
waste is any waste falling within the categories of
waste listed in the Schedule) within one month of
its generation.
Waste generators must immediately notify the
Department of Environment of new categories and
changes in the quantities of waste which are or
which may be generated as a result of any alteration
in the operation conducted at the plant.
118
SPE 27091
Records of Waste Generation
Waste generators must maintain an up to date
inventory of scheduled wastes generated, treated
and disposed of.
Storage of Waste
Scheduled wastes must be stored in containers
which are sufficiently durable to prevent spillage or
leakage into the environment. Waste storage areas
and containers must be clearly identified/labelled.
Incompatible wastes must be segregated for storage.
Transport of Waste (Consignment Note System)
Transportation of waste from the waste generator to
the treatment and disposal facilities must conform
with the consignment note · system. The
consignment note system provides a documented
record of the movement of waste from the generator
to its approved destination.
The waste generator is responsible for monitoring
the transport of waste to its approved destination
and must also inform any transport contractor as to
the nature of the waste and the actions to be taken
in the event of an accident during transportation.
Disposal of Waste
Under the Environmental Quality (Prescribed
Premises)(Scheduled Waste Treatment and Disposal
Facilities) Order 1989, scheduled wastes can only
be disposed of at licensed premises. At present,
since the Department of Environment has not
licensed any disposal facilities for the disposal of
scheduled wastes, the waste generator is allowed to
safely contain and store on-site or offsite scheduled
waste arisings until such premises are identified.
The possibility of exporting waste to foreign
countries does exist subject to obtaining prior
approval from the Department of Environment and
also the importing governmental authorities.
Domestic and Industrial wastes generated on
offshore platforms are transported to shore for
dispo·sal in local dumping sites or recycled (eg.
paper and metal scrap). Sewage and perishable
food wastes are macerated and discharged direct to
the marine environment.
The disposal of scheduled waste ansmgs is a
problem due to the absence of approved disposal
facilities. As a result some operators currently store
SPE 27091 D EVANS & E F YONG
Scheduled wastes such as spoilt chemicals, spent oil
or grease, solvents and sludges on site.
Petronas and other operators have licences to carry
out land farming to biodegrade oil sludge at their
premises. The disposal of sludge must comply with
scheduled waste regulations.
The presence of Technologically Enhanced
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material
(TENORM) (i.e. uranium, thorium and their
respective daughters) in oil and gas installations has
been recognised in Malaysia. The Atomic Energy
Licensing Act 1984 requires authorization by the
appropriate authority prior to any accumulation or
disposal of radioactive material. The Atomic
Energy Licensing Board has issued Guidelines on
Radiological Monitoring for Offshore Oil and gas
facilities Operators associated with TENORM.
Sludges collected must not be accumulated or
disposed of without prior approval of the Board if
the activity · exceeds 0.1 Bq/g for radioactive
nuclides in the uranium or thorium series. The
transportation of any scales, sludges, contaminated
tubing, or equipment must be in accordance with
the requirements of the Radiation Protection
(fransport) Regulations 1989.
NOISE
Noise levels generated by the construction and
operation of onshore facilities fall within the
responsibility of two government departments.
Environmental noise levels (noise· levels at or
outside the boundaries of the plant) generated by
the plant are covered by the Department of
Environment and stipulated in 'Guidelines for the
Siting and Zoning of Industries' whilst protection of
site personnel from the effects of excessive
exposure· to . noise is the subject of the 'Factories
and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Regulations, 1989
[13). Many operators also have their own internal
standards.
Guidelines for the Siting and Zoning of Industries
Department of Environment (DOE) guidelines [14),
state that noise levels at the boundary of an
industrial site must not generally exceed the
following levels:
Daytime (0700 - 2200) 65 dBA
Night-time (2200 - 0700) 55 dBA
The DOE may vary these levels if it can be
demonstrated that there is no significant impact at
119
7
the nearest communities.
In Malaysia, legislation has been enacted to limit
personnel noise exposure levels (Factories and
Machinery (Noise Exposure) Regulations, 1989),
enforced by the Factories and Machinery
Department (FMD). These Regulations place a
number of duties on employers with the overall aim
of controlling noise in the workplace. One primary
requirement is that no employee shall be exposed to
noise levels exceeding an equivalent continuous
sound level of 90 dBA; if personnel noise exposure
levels exceed this limit, noise levels must be
reduced by engineering and/or administrative
means.
Although the FMD regulations do not currently
apply offshore, many operators are applying the
standards as minimum standards to be achieved on
their offshore platform.
In fact, because the problem of noise on offshore
oil and gas installations is now one of great concern
to the operators more attention is being given to
the assessment of noise levels at the design stage -
so-called "acoustic design" work. Although, clearly
not an environmental issue, on a number of recent
offshore projects, a preliminary acoustic analysis
has been carried out as part of the EIA. Such
design work allows potential problems to be
identified and solutions to be developed while the
installation is still "on paper"; this provides
considerably greater flexibility in the control
measures considered.
Most of the major noise sources will be common to
both offshore and onshore plants. It is good practice
to include remedial treatment from an early stage.
It is important to consider simultaneously the
environment and occupational · aspects when
addressing equipment noise limits. and possible
noise control measures. A measure which reduces
on-plant (occupational) noise levels significantly
may have little benefits in terms of environmental
noise levels at remote.locations; noise levels will be
influenced by
1) Size and elevation of source
2) Frequency content of noise
3) Presence of intervening barriers/screening.
The large number of sources and complexity of
modem installations mean that,, inevitably,
computer-based prediction methods have to be used
for such assessments.
8 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENTS IN MALAYSIA
CONCLUSION
The objective of this paper is to highlight key
environmental issues that impact on oil and gas
developments in Malaysia both at present and in
future. Issues of concern that have been identified
include aqueous discharges, noise, waste disposal
and increasingly stringent environmental
regulations. The enactment of the Environmental
Quality (prescnoed Activities) (Environmental
Impact Assessment) Order 1987 which requires an
EIA to be carried out for aU offshore oil and gas
developments has allowed for the identification of
potential environmental problems and appropriate
mitigation measures developed at the design and
planning stage. This minimises the likelihood of
expensive and potentially disruptive remedial
treatment being necessary once the installation is
fully operational.
REFERENCES
1. "The development of Criteria and
Standards for Air Quality for the
Government of Malaysia." Malaysian
Department of Environment, 1989.
2. "Malaysian Environmental Quality Reports
1990, 1991". Department of Environment
Ministry of Science, Technology and
Environment
3. Mariani et. aI.: "Research on
Environmental Fate and Effects of Drilling
Fluids and Cuttings," Symposium
Proceedings, Jan. 21-24, 1980, Lake Buena
Vista, Florida.
4. Engelhardt F.R., Ray J.P. and Gillian
A.H.: Drilling Wastes, Elsevier Applied
Sciences, 1989.
5. Leong T.S., Khoo K.H., Feng M.C., and
Lum P.E.: "An Environmental Study ofthe
Macrobenthos in the vicinity of the
AMDP-2 Oilfield, Egret-9 and Angsa A
and Offshore Sites, Brunei Darulssalam:
Brunei Shell petroleum Co. Ltd., 1992.
6. Pearson T.H.: "The Benthic Ecology of
Loch Lunhe and Loch EiI, a Sea-Loch
System on the West Coast of Scotland.
Changes in the Benthic Fauna Attnbutable
to Organic Enrichment: J. Exp. Mar. BioI.
Ecoi. 20. 1-41, 1975.
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SPE 27091
7. Addy J.H., Levell D. and Hartley J.P.: "
Assessment of Ecological Impacts, of Oil
Spills," Conference Proceedings of
American Institute of Biological Science,
1978, Arlington, Virginia.
8. Addy J.M., Hartley J.P. and Tibbetts,
PJ.C.: "Ecological Effects of Low
Toxicity Oil Based Mud Drilling in the
Beatrice Oilfield," Marine Pollution
Bulletin 15:492-436, 1984.
9. Davis J.M. et al.: "Environmental Effects
of the Use of Oil Based Drilling Muds in
the North Sea," Marine PoIlution Bulletin
15:363-370, 1984.
10. Leong T.S., Wong S.Y., Feng M.e. and
Lum P.E.: "A Study on the Environmental
Effects of Drilling Fluids on the
Macrobenthos in the Vicinity otErb West
Oil Field, Sabah, Malaysia,"
PetronaslSarawak/Sabah SheIl, 1991.
11. Ayers et. aI.: "Research on Environmental
Fate and Effects of Drilling Fluids and
Cuttings," Symposium Proceedings, Jan.
21-24, 1980, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
12 Ray and Meek et. aI.: "Research on
Environmental Fate and Effects of Drilling
Fluids and Cuttings," Symposium
Proceedings, Jan. 21-24,1980, Lake Buena
Vista, Florida.
13. Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure)
Regulations, 1989.
14 Guidance for the Siting and Zoning of
Industries. Department of Environment,
Malaysia.
SPE27091 D EVANS & E F YONG 9

TABLE 1: OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION FOR MALAYSIA FROM 1980 TO 1992

Year

Product 1980 1990 1991 1992

Crode Oil 275.7 600.7 623.1 630.4

(thousand barrels per day)

Natural Gas 258 1865 2145 2316

(million sef per day)

Source: Petronas

TABLE 2: RECOMMENDED MALAYSIAN AIR QUAUTY GUIDELINES (l]

PoDutants Meau 10 min Meau 1 bour Mean 8 boor Meau Z4bour

Concen....tion Concen....tion Concen....tion Concen....tion

ppm pg/m' ppm ppm ppm pg/m'

Ozone (O~ 0.1 2OOpg/m' 0.06 120pg/m'

Carbon Monoxide (CO) 30 35 mglm' 9.0 10 mglm'

Nitrogen dioxide (NOJ 0.17 320pg/m'

Sulphur dioxide (SOJ 0.19 SOO 0.13 350pg/m' 0.04 105

Total Suspended 260 (1)

Particulates (fSP)

PM,o 150 (2)

0 10 I
133
mglm2/day

121
 TABLE 3: THIRD SCHEDULE STANDARD B EFFLUENT DISCHARGE LIMIT VALUES

Parameter Umit Value

(mgll)
Temperature 4O"C
pH 55-9.0
BOD 50
COD 100
Suspended Solids 100
Mercury 0.05
Cadmium 0.02
Chromium (hexavelant) 0.05
Arsenic 0.1
Cyanide 0.1
Lead 0.5
Chromium (trivalent) 1.0
Copper 1.0
Manganese 1.0
Nickel 1.0
Tin 1.0
Zinc 1.0
Boron 4.0
Iron 5.0
Phenol 1.0
Chlorine 2.0
Sulphide 0.5
Oil and Grease 10.0

TABLE 4: MAlAYSIA: INTERIM STANDARDS FOR MARINE WATER QUALITY

STANDARDS FOR MARINE WATER QUALITY

PARAMETERS

E.COU
UNIT

MPNIlOO ml(l)
STANDARD

100 .
REMARKS

..
ESCHERIClllA COLIFORM

OIL & GREASE O&G mg/l 0

TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS 1'$S mg/l 50 • TYPE I

ARSENIC As mg/l 0.1 • TYPE 2

CADMIUM Cd mg/l 0.1 • TYPE 2

CHROMIUM (TOTAL) Cr mg/l 0.5 • TYPE 2

COPPER Cu mg/l 0.1 • TYPE 2

LEAD IPb mg/l 0.1 • TYPE 2

MERCURY Hg mg/l 0.001 • TYPE 2

NICKEL Ni mg/l 0.1 • TYPE I

LEGEND

... : Based upon The People's Republic of China Standard

: Based upon Japan's Standard

Types of quality are in accordance to use:

TYPE I : For the conservation of marine aquatic resources and safe utilization by humans
TYPE 2 : For recrear:ion
TYPE 3 : For industrial processing. harbour, port and oceanic exploitation and development

Note (I) MPN: Mos! Probable Number

122