Life from oil

Metal pipes clang amid the chatter of several men at an old oil field in Semanggi a village in Blora, Central Java.

Residents of nearby villages make a living from obsolete oil wells abandoned by state oil company PT Pertamina.

Semanggi is among dozens of villages in the northern coast of Java that reap a benefit from the mine. The site is known as the Cepu Block, which was recently awarded by the government and Pertamina to U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil after a four-year dispute.

Notably, this award to ExxonMobil cost some of the “higher ups” in Pertamina their jobs as corruption was suspected. (Surprise Surprise)

The site was first opened in 1860 under the colonial government after Dutch engineer Adrian Stoop, while trying to draw water from a well, accidentally discovered a substance that later became known as crude oil. (What the fuck is all this black shit were his exact words).

After independence, the government took over the site, but since 1998, Pertamina has allowed the local residents to “pump” oil from old wells.

The people sell the crude oil to Pertamina at US Cents 16 per liter, and make an income of between US $ 50 to US$ 300 per month.

Below are some pictures showing how modern technology is fully utilised in this endeavour. (Somehow I cannot see this working in the North Sea).