Earthquake 2018

The two LNG trains at the PNG LNG plant near Port Moresby have been safely shut down following yesterday’s shut down of the Hides Gas Conditioning Plant and Hides well pads in Hela Province.

In a statement, EMPNG said: “We are continuing to work with our customers to minimise the impact.

“Evacuation of non-essential personnel from the Hides Conditioning Plant will continue today.

“Specialist engineers are also flying into Hides to join remaining personnel on site to assist with damage and repair assessments.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred at 03:44 am on Monday (26 February) in the Southern Highlands region, about 30km South of Tari and about 40km North-West of Lake Kutubu.

Governor for Hela Province, Philip Undialu, told this newsroom that an unconfirmed number of people have been injured while communication with authorities in Hela has been lost.

Undialu said health and education infrastructure have also been damaged and the province is looking at a temporary shutdown of vital services until further notice.

Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) confirms that the landslip occurred on a section of the Tabubil Mine road in Western Province.

Employees who worked the night shift at the mine and mill have been relocated safely back to Tabubil by helicopter, with all employees accounted for. 

The landslip damaged the water and concentrate pipelines at the slip location. Maintenance work on the damaged pipes will begin as soon as road access is restored and spare pipes are transported to the location.

"Defence Force personnel in Hela, Southern Highlands and Western Highlands provinces are preparing to deploy when the extent of the damage has been confirmed and targeted relief operations initiated,” stated the PM in a statement.

"There are communities that have suffered from this natural disaster, and we are sending our soldiers and other Government agencies to support our people in their time of need.

"We know that there have been houses lost, roads cut by land slips and a disruption to services.

The plant and wellpads have been shut as a precaution until full assessments can be completed on damages sustained during the earthquake.

In a statement, ExxonMobil PNG says it is putting plans in place to evacuate non-essential staff due to the damage to the Hides camp quarters and continuing aftershocks.

Police Officer Joseph Kumin, who is on ground in Moro, Southern Highlands Province, told this newsroom that the earthquake hit at around 3:30am today.

Officer Kumin confirmed the 2 strongest tremors lasted up to about 2 minutes, while short tremors are still being felt.

Officer Kumin was not able to confirm the total damages in Moro, but said police officers found their desktop computers and printers on the floor of their office, damaged.

Chief Secretary to Government, Isaac Lupari said: “The National Disaster Centre is working with provincial authorities to assess any damage and impacts on service delivery in the area.

“The Papua New Guinea Defence Force has also been mobilised to assist with the assessment and the delivery of assistance to affected people as well as the restoration of services and infrastructure.

“Information will be provided as this is made available from assessment teams in the area.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred at 03:44 am today, Monday 26 February, in the Southern Highlands region, about 30km South of Tari and about 40km North-West of Lake Kutubu.

The details are:

Time:                     03.44 am

Location:              6.1 ° S, 142.7 ° E

Depth:                  25 km

Mag:                      7.5

“Oil Search’s primary concern is the safety of our employees and contractors. The Company is presently confirming that all personnel have been accounted for,” says the firm in a statement.

“As a precautionary measure and in order to assess any damage to facilities, Oil Search’s production operations in the PNG Highlands are in the process of being shut-down.

“ExxonMobil PNG Ltd has confirmed that the PNG LNG facility at Hides has also been safely shut down.