History
On 20 July 1922, the British Malayan Petroleum Company (BMPC) was established under the then Royal Dutch Shell group and registered as a business in the United Kingdom. The Asiatic Petroleum Company and Shell's Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company sold oil-prospecting concessions to the BMPC the same year, giving the BMPC mining and prospecting rights in Brunei. Shell gained major share of control over oil exploration in Borneo as a result of the arrangement, which saw the BMPC pay a royalty of two shillings per ton (or 10% in kind) to the Bruneian government and another shilling to the British Borneo Petroleum Syndicate. In 1922, BMPC began oil exploration in Labi, Brunei, where previous attempts by other companies had failed to yield significant results. The prospecting license of the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company in the Tutong District was renewed in November 1922 under the new name of the BMPC. Later, on 28 July 1923, an agreement was made for the BMPC to acquire the British Borneo Petroleum Syndicate's Belait District properties. The BMPC carried out an aerial reconnaissance on 9 March 1925, and neither the Sarawakian nor Bruneian governments objected to the plan. After encountering difficulties in Labi, BMPC shifted its focus to the area between the Seria and Bera rivers, where it discovered oil deposits in April 1929. By 1949, BMPC had expanded its exploration efforts to include Brunei Town (now Bandar Seri Begawan), Tutong, and the areas between Seria and Labi. Offshore exploration began in 1952 as production in Seria and Jerudong continued. The Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) was reorganised and registered in Brunei in 1957 following the implementation of the Brunei Companies Enactment on 1 January of that year. On 15 March 1957, it officially took over operations from its sister company, the BMPC. The new name was chosen to reflect the scope of oil development, particularly on Brunei’s continental shelf. It was felt that a new company should align with the state under the new legislation, and Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III approved the inclusion of the name "Brunei" in the company's name. Furthermore, given the company's affiliation with the Royal Dutch Shell Group, it was important to incorporate "Shell" to highlight its connection to the global operations of Royal Dutch Shell. Its exploration area extended from Seria to Labi, Tutong, and Brunei Town after BSP assumed operations from BMPC. During the 1962 Brunei revolt, BSP oil installations were the focus of the TNKU rebels' coordinated attacks on government buildings and police stations around the protectorate and in the oil town of Seria. In 1963, BSP exchanged earlier concessions with limited output for new ones, covering about 4,000 km2 of the continental shelf and an extra 680 square kilometres of the Seria oil field were included in these new concessions. BSP's insights into oil discoveries are thought to have influenced Omar Ali Saifuddien's stance on Malaysia, and unresolved questions over Brunei's oil economy with the Federation of Malaya contributed to his decision to reject joining in 1963, a choice that defined the nation's economic and political independence. While Omar Ali Saifuddien was meeting the Malayan government in Kuala Lumpur, BSP sent him a telegram reporting a major commercial discovery at Southwest Ampa Field. BSP expressed the view that joining Malaysia could merge Brunei's control over its oil resources with the Federation. According to B.A. Hamzah, the telegram was intended to sway Omar Ali Saifuddien to remain outside Malaysia. In 1966, concerns arose that Omar Ali Saifuddien might retaliate against British actions by denying concessions to Shell or withdrawing Brunei's sterling reserves from the Bank of England. At the same time, the British government benefited from substantial profits from BSP, while Brunei retained significant reserves in London. In 1968, BSP obtained a further offshore concession that included 298 square kilometres close to Labi and 3,735 square kilometres, some of which extended beyond the continental shelf.
The Seria Crude Oil Terminal was inaugurated on 5 June 1972 by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.[1] In 1973, the Brunei government acquired a 25% stake in BSP, and in 1975, it formalised a 50-50 joint venture with the Royal Dutch Shell Group to jointly develop and exploit the country's hydrocarbon resources.[2]
By 1981, BSP had expanded its offshore concessions by an additional 3530 km2 to retain its interests in Brunei. Security for Shell's operations was supported by a battalion of British Gurkha troops stationed in the country,[3] with Brunei covering their expenses, thereby reducing costs for Britain, although the government denied any direct connection between defence arrangements and Shell's concessions. The Brunei Shell Refinery was commissioned in 1983 by Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah.[4] Following a decline in oil prices in 1985, Japanese buyers sought a review of Brunei’s long-term contracts. In the same year, the Brunei government increased its stake in BSP to 50%, enhancing state involvement in the industry. By 1989, citing limited personnel, the government chose not to establish a state oil corporation but continued to expand its stake in BSP to strengthen its role in the national energy sector.
The Petroleum Unit, under the Prime Minister's Office, was responsible for in shaping policies on production, conservation, and pricing, while also overseeing BSP companies through board representation. In early 1993, the Brunei Oil and Gas Authority was established under the Minister of Finance and Economy, taking over some of the Petroleum Unit's responsibilities, including setting output levels and granting concession rights. By 1997, BSP held concessions covering 10,107 square kilometres, 73% of which were offshore. Despite the presence of competitors such as Jasra–ELF (formerly Jasra Jackson), Sunray Borneo Oil Company, Superior Oil, Clark Brunei Oil, and Woods Petroleum, BSP held the majority of concessions in exploration and production. BSP became a conglomerate comprising five businesses as of 1997.
In 2001, BSP installed a 40 in pipeline, the largest in Borneo at the time, achieving a record lay rate of 214 joints in 24 hours.[5] In 2002, the company awarded Technip-Coflexip a $22 million contract for the $80 million Egret oil field development.[6] BSP exported its first Seria Light Export Blend cargo to India in 2003.[7] Subsequent exploration led to oil discoveries in North Seria Flank in 2004,[8] gas in the Bubut area in 2007,[9] and first oil from the Bugan field in 2009, developed in 20 months using standardised platform designs.[10]
In 2011, BSP discovered oil in the deepwater Geronggong prospect, around 100 kilometres offshore in 1,000 metres of water, marking its deepest offshore find.[11] In 2014, BSP awarded Maersk Drilling a four-year contract for the jack-up rig Maersk Completer, with options to extend.[12] In February 2017, CGG received a six-year contract to operate a processing centre in Seria for 2D, 3D, and 4D seismic data.[13] In March 2017, Amec Foster Wheeler was awarded a five-year contract to rejuvenate BSP's South China Sea assets.[14] In April 2017, BSP made its first onshore oil discovery in 37 years at the Layang-Layang Well in the Seria oil field.[15] In 2025, BSP contracted Noble Corporation's 2013-built drillship, Noble Viking, for an offshore drilling campaign off Brunei, with a contract value of approximately $14 million.[16]
