VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has intensified the research on gas hydrate on
its waters and continental shelf, a step in its strategy to explore the reserves
and choose the technologies for the exploitation of the new type of energy for
its socio-economic development and its rights protection in the East Sea.
According to Vu Truong Son, Director of the Center of Geology and Sea
Mineral Resources, an arm of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the
Environment, gas hydrate is the new type of energy in which many countries have
shown their interests because of its huge reserves and the impacts on the
climate changes.
The new kind of energy minerals is believed to have the reserves three times
bigger than the fossil energy resources all over the world. However, it could be
a danger to the environment disasters. To date, more than 90 countries in the
world have carried out research programs at different levels on gas hydrate.
Most recently, on March 12, Japan announced that its group of scientists on
Chikyu oil rig successfully collected the gas from the methane hydrate layer
which was 300 meters under the sediments on the ocean floor.
With a special drill and method, the scientists have successfully turned the
methane hydrate on the sea floor into methane gas and ice, so as to bring to the
surface of the earth. This is an important milestone which marks the discovery
of the technologies for exploring and exploiting the new type of energy – gas
hydrate.
The USGS (US Geology Survey) believes that the Vietnamese East Sea ranks the
fifth in Asia in terms of the gas hydrate potentials. Though the lack of
necessary equipments, technologies and labor force still does not allow Vietnam
to conduct thorough surveys on its gas hydrate situation, the tectonics and
geology surveys show that there are many necessary factors in Vietnam that can
create gas hydrate.
Five years ago, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment organized
scientific conferences on the gas hydrate potentials on Vietnamese territorial
waters. The Vietnam General Department of Sea and Islands has draw up a research
program to assess the gas hydrate potentials, while sending staff to
international workshops held in South Korea, Russia, the US and Jamaica. It has
also signed memorandum of understandings on the cooperation in geology and deep
sea research with Russia and South Korea
Vietnam will need heavy investment in the technical equipment, specialized
ships, and training to conduct such research works. A lot of organizations in
the world have expressed their readiness to cooperate with Vietnam in conducting
research on gas hydrate.
Also according to Son, on the East Sea under the sovereignty of Vietnam, there
are adequate conditions, including the depth of the sea floor, geomorphological
characteristics, seabed temperature, sediment, gas source, geophysics signs, to
form up gas hydrate.
Especially, he mentioned the appearance of the Red River, Phu Khanh, Tu Chinh –
Vung May, Nam Con Son, Hoang Sa and Truong Sa oil and gas basins.
Son thinks that scientists, after considering the oil and gas exploration works,
may divide the East Sea into four prediction areas to assess the gas hydrate
potentials. These include the Hoang Sa archipelago and neighboring areas, Phu
Khanh, Tu Chinh – Vung May, and the Truong Sa archipelago and neighboring areas.
Tia Sang