MRF was contracted by Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd, to contribute the marine ecology component of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study for drill sites Siwa South-1 and MNE-1, as part of the Block SK307 Nearshore Exploration Drilling Campaign, commissioned by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd.
MRF was contracted to identify, analyse and describe marine features (coral reefs, seagrasses, fisheries and other key marine lifeforms (including mangroves, macrobenthos and meiobenthos) at the two drill sites. Marine features were to be marked, mapped and documented. Other important marine based economic activities encountered during the survey were also to be highlighted.
MRF was also tasked with conducting surveys and interviews with fishermen and relevant stakeholders, particularly the Department of Fisheries to describe and determine the importance of the fishery industry in the area, and to identify important fishing ground area in nearby vicinity and list of typical catches (species composition, characteristics, and average catches, and convert image information (coral, seagrasses, sensitive fishing grounds, etc.) into individual GIS layers.
MRF was also tasked with determining the potential impacts of the drilling activities on the marine ecosystem, and to propose appropriate mitigating measures and monitoring programmes to minimise the anticipated impacts.
