East Africa is about to experience a hydrocarbon induced economic boom. However, the disconnect between what oil and petrol companies say is happening regarding the development of oil and gas resources, versus what international NGOs, academics and ecologists say is occurring is alarming.
What is clear is that we have already done a great deal of damage, and appear to have learnt little.
Natural gas exploration in East Africa is being pursued without adequate scientific studies of vulnerable marine environments, including the 220 'red list' species under threat located in the vast coastal and inland areas, and the newly discovered species of deep water marine life living in hydrothermal vents in the Indian ocean.
In Tanzania and Kenya the environmental management studies associated with the LAPSETT pipeline, the Mwambani port in Tanga Marine Park, and Lake Natron have largely been ignored.
Eighteen companies are involved in the 27 offshore coastal areas, in South Kenya, South Tanzania, and North Mozambique. The companies include: British Gas Group, Statoil (which is a 40 percent shareholder of Exxon) KPMG, Royal Dutch Shell, Anadarko, Petrobras, Ophir, Origin Oil, Total, BP and Aminex. With only 500 oil wells drilled so far (compared to West and North Africa's 35,000), the estimated volume of the gas reserves alone are 100 trillion cubic feet. Petroleum reserves are estimated at 600,000 barrels a day.
Off the record, several consultants involved in the oil and gas industry are willing to offer their opinions. All are aware that the oil industry is a serious player: $US 2.1 trillion is needed for investment in African oil and gas supply infrastructure to build refineries, roads, whole towns and ports between 2010-2035.
Consultants are contractually bound not to talk about what they are doing, and scared to 'bite the hand that feeds them.' As one said "...what we do know is that most of East Africa has no regulatory frameworks in place for oil and mineral resources exploitation. Or if they have, there is an abject lack of willpower to implement them. Selous in Tanzania, the Albertine Rift and Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in Rwanda have all had Environmental Assessments or management plans which have not been adhered to or implemented. They sit on shelves, unread."
Certainly in Mtwara, Mikindani and Kilwa (Southern Tanzania, close to the border of Mozambique) there are enough problems already without adding the massive uncertainties and risks that oil and gas exploration bring.
Firstly, environmental assessments are not in the public domain. Secondly the area is wracked with existing agricultural and water scarcity issues. Thirdly, unemployment and livelihoods are in a mess: the coastal fishing communities dynamite up to four times an hour in Mtwara bay, and the oil platform is being drilled right next door to a marine park, famous for sea horses and turtles. As Professor Marc Kochzius of Brussels University comments, "Compromising this natural capital of living resources by uncontrolled oil and gas exploitation that damages or destroys these ecosystems will have undesired and severe socio-economic consequences. If coastal habitats can no longer support subsistence fisheries, a large part of the coastal population will lose their main source of animal protein, since fishing is the only possibility for poor people to meet their requirements".
Inland, in Uganda three British firms, Tullow, Tower and Dominion are all exploring the Albertine Rift, a lake area in which 2- 2.5 billion barrels of oil have already been discovered. In Mozambique, Uganda and Tanzania, oil and natural gas drilling will take place in national parks and UN World Heritage Sites. The governments are the first to privately admit that they can't effectively manage the burgeoning development pressures. Dr Dembe, a senior Tanzanian National Parks Association official, says: "These challenges, between wildlife, resources and extraction are extremely challenging, they are not simple problems, adding resource extraction into this complicates it all, and yes, I am worried we do not have the capacity, the leadership, and the politicians to do this properly."
Every oil company working in Tanzania has to donate $100,000 (US) a year, as a basic registration fee to central government. And, as a result of the lessons learned in gold mining, the Tanzanian government is asking for 60 percent of all gas revenues. However, financial mechanisms in East Africa to keep account of the revenues are deliberately vague: only companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (in the USA) are required to submit financial reports - which leaves the Italian, Brazilian and British firms exempt. Even then, it is easy, as has already happened in Uganda, for local ministers and judges to ensure disclosure of documents relating to oil are kept out of the public sphere.
The Tanzanian minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr William Ngeleja, said Petrobras, Motherland Industries and Heritage Rukwa from Brazil, India and the UK, respectively, would prospect for gas and oil reserves in the country for 11 years. In his, and every other government press release in East African media, there is no mention of issues alarming World Wildlife Fund East Africa, and IUCN: the threatened stature of seagrass, coastal mangroves, dogon, Coelecanthes, sea turtles, the manta, the pristine areas of coral, which range over thousands of miles along this East African coastline. The World Resources Institute, UN Heritage and IUCN highlight this area as some of the most complex, and fascinating marine systems in the world.
As Professor Marc Kochzius says, "Protecting coastal habitats, such as coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves is a vital interest of East African nations, because these habitats support the livelihood of local communities. The resulting socio-economic costs for the East African nations might exceed the benefit gained from this oil and gas exploitation."
Are we in East Africa suffering a form of amnesia? The fallacy of sustainable fossil fuels and the overconsumption of oil goes largely unquestioned, particularly by East African media and electorates. As veteran Nigerian activist, Nnimmo Bassey comments: "I'm sure there are communities in Tanzania and Kenya that have swallowed the tales from the oil industry and the government. That was the situation in Nigeria 54 years ago, in Uganda, in Ghana. Now we know better. Most communities are already seeing the bare fangs of the industry. Fossil fuel civilization has reached its dead end. Anything further just means going over the precipice."
Comparisons with the Niger Delta situation are complicated by the presence of illegal oil wells ('bunkering'), exploitation of existing ethnic hatreds by interested parties, spurious factual data (often gathered with specific agendas in mind), and the corruption which dominated the country prior to 1999.
The use of flaring, and the failure to follow up on the two major oil spills in August and December 2008 in the Niger Delta (where the volume of oil spill was as large as the volume of oil spilt by the Exxon Valdez oil tanker in Alaska in 1989) has left Bassey angry: "[The] Exxon Valdez accident is considered as one of the worst environmental disasters of all time. Why has the environmental disaster in the Niger Delta never reached the same level of relevance? The deafening silence over this level of ecological assault makes some of us reach the conclusion that human and environmental rights are only important when abridged in rich, powerful countries. No questions asked. It is a replay of the abuses entrenched from colonial past, the ugly face of imperialism".
East Africans are owed more intelligent options than just fossil fuel based modernisation plans. Oil and natural gas exploration must only continue if scientifically tight, historically informed and contextually accurate environmental and social factors are included and- crucially- made public. We need to know more about soils, water tables, erosion and to ensure communities who 'own' or rely on valuable environmental assets take ownership of them.
Fragmented, inaccurate and obscure information about the environment needs to be actively reworked and explained to East Africa's citizens. If we are serious about the Millenium Development Goals, then we need to thread them into some of the core issues of Africa's development: and that is oil and gas exploration.
Thembi Mutch is a freelance journalist based in Tanzania.
Comments Post a comment
Why do these articles make what is going on in Africa seem like a mystery that people cannot understand. Foreigners and their companies are doing what they have always been doing, raping the land of its resources with little or no concern to the local populations or the environment. The environmental groups are an arm of the same foreign entities who want to control Africa's land for their own benefit, not for the environment and not for Africans. These companies are doing what they have been doing for the last 300 years and they will pay off local government officials to look the other way while most of the profits, resources and benefits flow out of the country and the African populations stay dirt poor. There is no mystery here, it is simply a deliberate act to stop Africans from benefiting from their own resources. Africans wont be trained or educated to operate their own mines, refineries or construction companies. Africans won't be trained as engineers or scientists to study and understand how to use their resources for their own benefit. None of this oil is going to go into African cars or generators to produce energy. None of this petroleum will be used for asphalt and other materials needed in infrastructure. Even as all of these things are the reason for the demand of the oil resources in the first place, none of these things will produced for the consumption of the African people. There is no mystery here it is the same old game of colonial exploitation and subjugation.
WILD1MIND U TUFF!!!!! HOW COMES THESE BROTHERS STILL NOT LEARNING?? WHAT CAN WE DO SO THEY OPEN THIER MINDS? NOT EVEN THIER EYES THIER MINMDS" WHAT IS THIER NAMES " NEVA SI CUM SI" OR " COUNRTY CUM TO TOWN" OR MAY BE DEM MAME" WANTY WANTY CYAAN GETTY' AND GETTYY GETTY NUH WANTE " OR PROBABLY THEY ARE JUST STRAIGHT UP FOOLS. THEY DONT REALISE THAT THIS IS THIER OPPORTUNITY AND THE RESOURCES THEY HAVE CAN NOT DONE !!! THIS IS THIER BLESSINGS THIS IS FOREVEVR. THE ISLAMIST SOEM OF THEM HAVE PARTS OF THE EQUATIONS RIGHT; IT IS ALL ABOUT THE "ALLMIGHTY GOD" HE IS OUR BENIFACTOR BUT YOU JU7ST BE A BELIVER AND START FROM SCRAT KNOWINH WHOYOU ARE AND WHAT ROLE IT IS THAT YOU ARE TO PLAY ON THE PLANET. THEY NEED TO BE RECONNECT WITH THIER CONTINENT THEY NEED TO FEEL THE CONNECTION THAT THIS WAS WHERE THE BEGGININGS OF HUMANITY BEGAN THIS WAS THE MOST BELOVED BLSSED PLACE ON THE PLANT5. WE ARE BLESSED WITH WATERS TEEMING WITH LIFE SOURCES WE ARE BLESSED WITH RESOURCES IN ABAUNDANCE TO BENIFIT THE PEOPLE OF THE CONTIENNT. BEOFR TRYING TO BE SUCH GREEDY FOLLLOWERERS F CORRUPTION THEY NEED TO STUDY THEW EARTH THE STUDY THIER RESOURCVES STUDY WHAT THEY CAN DO AS EXPORTERS WHAT THEY CAN DO AS REFINERS MANUFACTURERS; HOW THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERNCE, THEY NEED TO STERNGTHEN THIER SCIENTIST COMMUNITIES THEIR CHEMIST. THEY NEED TO BE ENVIRONMENTLY FREINDLY. THE ENVIRONMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT IF THEY DESTROY WHERE THEY LIVE THEN THEY WILL HAVE GIVEN THIER GIFT AWAY AND SHOWN THAT THY HAD NOT DESERVED THE WEALTH THAT IS BESTOWED UPON THEM.TO UNDERMINE ALL THE ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES TO DENY6 THE LIFE OF THE MANY ANIMALS THAT IS UNDER YOUR PROTECTION; LET US BE CLEAR THESE ANIMALS WER EHRE FROM THE VERY BEGGINING THEY ARE PART AND PARCEL OF OUR EXISTENCE THEY WERE ALL ATME IN THE EARLY HISORY OF MAN. WE NEED TO STUDY AND HAVEALL THE CAPABILITIES TO DEVELOP ALL OUR FACILTIIES FROM THE STANDPOINT OF KNOWLEDGE NOT JUST ACEEPTING THAT YOU GIVE LICENSES TO OTHER PEPLE TO DO THE WORK AND YOU BENIFIT THIS WOULD BE LAZY AND COUNTER PRODUCTIVE. NO MAN IS GOING TO LOOK AFTER YOUR WELFARE BETTER THAN YOU NO MNA IS GOING TO PROTECT YOUR HOUSE BETTRE THAN YOU. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT INETERESTED IN THE ENVIRONMENT NOR ARE THEY INETERSTED HOW MANY CVHILDREN THEY KILL, THEY JUST WANT TO COME AND TAKE ; THEY LIVE FAR AWAY FROM THE DESTRUCTION THEY COMMIT. IT IS IMPEWRATIVE THAT WE HAVE COMMAND OVER ALL THE RESOURCES DISCOVERED. ANOTHER THING IS THE NEED TO SLOW DOWN THERE IS NO HURRY TO EXPLOIT YOUR FINDS . YOU WONT CACTH UP TO THE OTHER EXPORTERS THERE IS ENOUGH OIL AND GAS RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO NEED TO EXPORT UNTILL YOUARE THE MASTERS OF THESE RESOURCES RIGHT NOW YOU ARE NOT. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH SCIENTIST TO REFINE THE OIL MAKE AVIATION FULE TO SUPPLY OUR AIRLINES WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THESE THINSG. THER HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH CONVERSATRION AT AU LEVEL TO DECIDE THE LEVEL OF DISTRIBUTIN AND WHO IS CONNECT THE CONTINENT TO THE OIL AND GAS SO THAT ALL AFRICANS CAN BENIFIT FROM THESE FINDS. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THSE THINSG WITHOUT REALISING THAT THYE MAKE JOBS THEY CREATE MILLIUONS OF JOBS IN ELECTRICITY GAS SECTORS. THER WOULD BE MORE INDIGENOUS COMPANIES ONWED OPERATED BY AFRICANS THEY WOULD NEED MORE PEOPLE ON THECONTINENT SCHOOLED IN BEING ABLE TO READ GAS METERS ELECTRIC METERS, THE NEED FOR KEROSENE WOULD DECREASE WITH GAS AND WE NED TO BE ABLE TO SIMUNTANEOUSLY CONNECT METERS OF GAS ELECTRICITY ALL OVER AFRICA WE NEED TRAINED PEOPLE TO DO THESE THINGS . THE POTENTIAL FOR JOB GROWTH IS ASTRONOMICAL. LET GO OF THE WARS WE NEED TO SETTLE DOWN AND STEP UP OUR MENTAL ABILITIES TO DO FOR SELF. PLEASE MY BROTHES SIT DOWN WITH ALL THE PRESIDENTS FROMEAST TO SOUTYH MAKE THIS INTITIATIVE TO BRQAINSTORM WITH INTERCONNECTING RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ON THE CONTINENT. SELLING RAW RESOURCES WIL NOT GET THE AFRICAN CONTIENENT ONITS FEET. IT JUST ODES NOT TRICKLE DOWN WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE SAME RESOURCES BEING USED TO DVELOP THE LIVES OF ALL AFRICAN PEOPLE. THIS IS WHY YOU HEAR THE WEST SPEAKING ABOUT NOT BUILDING REFINIERIES ,THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO BECOME SO INDEPENDENT, THAT THEY CANT LEECH OFF YOU. CHINA IMPORTS YOUR RESOURCES AND SUPPLIES IT TO THIER PEOPLE THEY USE IT TO BUILKS FACTORIES RUN ELECTRICITY PUMP WATER TO ALL THIER CITIZENS THESE ARE THE SAME THINSG YOU WANT TO DO!!!. BRAZIL WAS JSUT A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY YET TODAY EVERYONE HAS SOME SORT OF LIFE THEY REHABILIATATING THE GHETTOS THEY HAVE VENEZUELA HAS UPLIFTED MILLION OUT OF POVERTY; NO ONE IS SMARTYER THAN ANYONE ELSE . WE JAVE EVERYTHING WE NEE IN AFRICA WE MUST APPLY THE BRAINH POWER TO STAND FIRM AND INDEPENDENT TO EB ABLE TO REFRM THE UN . THE UN WILL ENVER BVEB REFORMED TILL AL HUMANITY ITY HTHEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL EVERY SINLGE ASPECT FROM EXTRACTION MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION SALES. THEY HAVE NO VISION THEY DO NOT WANT T HELP EACH OTHER. THEY DONT TO SAY TO OEN NATIO KOAY !! YOU HAVE IRON ORE START REFINING THE ORE INTO IRON WE NEED TO BUILD STRONG MOTOR WAYS WE ALSO NEED TO HAVE LARGE SHIPPS AND TANKERS TO EXPORT OUR OIL AN OUR GAS WORLD WIDE WE WANT TO BE THE BIG PLAyer, we want to be the supplyers we just do not want these exploiters to just take!!!. Everytime we trust them all they do is thief swindle defraud lie they are dishonest we know this from thier mere exisetence this is what they do!!!!"
WILD1MIND U TUFF!!!!! HOW COMES THESE BROTHERS STILL NOT LEARNING?? WHAT CAN WE DO SO THEY OPEN THIER MINDS? NOT EVEN THIER EYES THIER MINDS" WHAT IS THIER NAMES " NEVA SI CUM SI" OR " COUNRTY CUM TO TOWN" OR MAY BE DEM MAME" WANTY WANTY CYAAN GETTY' AND GETTYY GETTY NUH WANTE " OR PROBABLY THEY ARE JUST STRAIGHT UP FOOLS. THEY DONT REALISE THAT THIS IS THIER OPPORTUNITY AND THE RESOURCES THEY HAVE CAN NOT DONE !!! THIS IS THIER BLESSINGS THIS IS FOREVEVR. THE ISLAMIST SOME OF THEM HAVE PARTS OF THE EQUATIONS RIGHT; IT IS ALL ABOUT THE "ALLMIGHTY GOD" HE IS OUR BENIFACTOR BUT YOU MUST BE A BELIEVER AND START FROM SCRATCH KNOWING WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT ROLE IT IS THAT YOU ARE TO PLAY ON THE PLANET. THEY NEED TO BE RECONNECTED WITH THIER CONTINENT THEY NEED TO FEEL THE CONNECTION THAT THIS WAS WHERE THE BEGGININGS OF HUMANITY BEGAN. THIS WAS THE MOST BELOVED BLSSED PLACE ON THE PLANET. WE ARE BLESSED WITH WATERS ,TEEMING WITH LIFE SOURCES, WE ARE BLESSED WITH RESOURCES IN ABAUNDANCE,HERE TO BENIFIT THE PEOPLE OF THE CONTIENNT. BEFORE TRYING TO BE SUCH GREEDY FOLLLOWERERS OF CORRUPTION , THEY NEED TO STUDY THE EARTH THE STUDY OF THIER RESOURCES, STUDY WHAT THEY CAN DO AS EXPORTERS WHAT THEY CAN DO AS REFINERS MANUFACTURERS; HOW THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THEY NEED TO STERNGTHEN THIER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES THEIR CHEMIST. THEY NEED TO BE ENVIRONMENTLY FREINDLY. THE ENVIRONMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT IF THEY DESTROY WHERE THEY LIVE THEN THEY WILL HAVE GIVEN THIER GIFT AWAY AND SHOWN THAT THEY WERE NOT WORTHY' AND SATAN HAD PROVEN TO BE MORE INFLUINCIAL , THEY WERE NOT DESERVED OF THE WEALTH THAT IS BESTOWED UPON THEM.TO UNDERMINE ALL THE ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES TO DENY THE LIFE OF THE MANY ANIMALS THAT IS UNDER YOUR PROTECTION; LET US BE CLEAR THESE ANIMALS WERE HERE FROM THE VERY BEGGINING .THEY ARE PART AND PARCEL OF OUR EXISTENCE THEY WERE ALL TAME IN THE EARLY HISORY OF MAN. WE NEED TO STUDY AND TRULY HAVE ALL THE CAPABILITIES TO DEVELOP ALL OUR FACILTIIES FROM THE STANDPOINT OF KNOWLEDGE ;NOT JUST ACEEPTING THAT YOU GIVE LICENSES TO OTHER POEPLE TO DO THE WORK AND YOU BENIFIT? THIS WOULD BE LAZY AND COUNTER PRODUCTIVE. NO MAN IS GOING TO LOOK AFTER YOUR WELFARE BETTER THAN YOU? NO MAN IS GOING TO PROTECT YOUR HOUSE BETTRE THAN YOU!!!!. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT INETERESTED IN THE ENVIRONMENT NOR ARE THEY INETERSTED HOW MANY CHILDREN THEY KILL, THEY JUST WANT TO COME AND TAKE ; THEY LIVE FAR AWAY FROM THE DESTRUCTION THEY COMMIT. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE COMMAND OVER ALL THE RESOURCES DISCOVERED. ANOTHER THING IS THE NEED TO SLOW DOWN!!!!! THERE IS NO NEED TO HURRY TO EXPLOIT YOUR FINDS . YOU WONT CACTH UP TO THE OTHER EXPORTERS, THERE IS ENOUGH OIL AND GAS RIGHT NOW ON THE PLANET THERE IS NO NEED TO EXPORT UNTILL YOU ARE THE MASTERS OF THESE RESOURCES; RIGHT NOW YOU ARE NOT. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH SCIENTIST TO REFINE THE OIL MAKE AVIATION FUEL TO SUPPLY OUR AIRLINES .WE NEED TO DEAL WITH THESE OBSTACLES FIRST. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH CONVERSATRION AT AU' LEVEL TO DECIDE THE LEVEL OF DISTRIBUTION AND WHO IS GOING TO CONNECT THE CONTINENT TO THE OIL AND GAS SO THAT ALL AFRICANS CAN BENIFIT FROM THESE FINDS. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THESE THINGS WITHOUT REALISING THAT THEY MAKE UNCOUNTABLE JOBS THEY CREATE MILLIONSS OF JOBS IN ELECTRICITY GAS SECTORS. THER WOULD BE MORE INDIGENOUS COMPANIES ONWED OPERATED BY AFRICANS THEY WOULD NEED MORE PEOPLE ON THE CONTINENT SCHOOLED IN BEING ABLE TO READ GAS METERS ELECTRIC METERSAND BEING ABLE TO CONNECT LINES TO HOUSES BUSINESES FROM LINES AND HUBS THRUOUT . THE NEED FOR KEROSENE WOULD DECREASE WITH USE OF GAS AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SIMUNTANEOUSLY CONNECT METERS OF GAS ELECTRICITY ALL OVER AFRICA WE NEED TRAINED PEOPLE TO DO THESE THINGS . THE POTENTIAL FOR JOB GROWTH IS ASTRONOMICAL. LET GO OF THE WARS WE NEED TO SETTLE DOWN AND STEP UP OUR MENTAL ABILITIES TO DO FOR SELF. "PLEASE MY BROTHES SIT DOWN WITH ALL THE PRESIDENTS FROM 'EAST TO SOUTH MAKE THIS INTITIATIVE ,TO BRAINSTORM WITH INTERCONNECTING RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ON THE CONTINENTS AGENDA. SELLING RAW RESOURCES WIL NOT GET THE AFRICAN CONTINENT ON ITS FEET. IT JUST DOES NOT TRICKLE DOWN WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE SAME RESOURCES BEING USED TO DVELOP THE LIVES OF ALL AFRICAN PEOPLE. THIS IS WHY YOU HEAR THE WEST SPEAKING ABOUT NOT BUILDING REFINIERIES ,THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO BECOME SO INDEPENDENT, THAT THEY CANT LEECH OFF YOU. CHINA IMPORTS YOUR RESOURCES AND SUPPLIES IT TO THIER PEOPLE THEY USE IT TO BUILD FACTORIES RUN ELECTRICITY PUMP WATER TO ALL THIER CITIZENS THESE ARE THE SAME THINGS YOU SHOULD DO!!!. BRAZIL WAS JUST A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY YET TODAY EVERYONE HAS SOME SORT OF LIFE 20 MILLION PEOPLE WERE LIFTED OUT OF POVERTY IN 8 YEARS .THEY REHABILITATED THE GHETTOS. THEY AS WELL AS VENEZUELA HAS UPLIFTED MILLION OUT OF POVERTY; NO ONE IS SMARTYER THAN ANYONE ELSE . WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED IN AFRICA WE MUST APPLY THE BRAIN POWER TO STAND FIRM AND INDEPENDENT ,TO BE ABLE TO REFORM THE UN . THE UN WILL NEVER EVER BE REFORMED TILL AL HUMANITY IS EQUAL AND FREE. WHAT WE NEED IIS TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL EVERY SINLGE ASPECT FROM EXTRACTION MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION SALES. THEY HAVE NO VISION, THEY DO NOT WANT TO HELP EACH OTHER. THEY DONT TO SAY TO OONE ANOTHER OKAY !! YOU HAVE IRON ORE START REFINING THE ORE INTO IRON WE NEED TO BUILD STRONG MOTOR WAYS WE ALSO NEED TO HAVE LARGE SHIPPS AND TANKERS TO EXPORT OUR OIL AN OUR GAS WORLD WIDE . WE WANT TO BE THE BIG PLAyer, we want to be the supplyers we just do not want these exploiters to just take!!!. Everytime we trust them all they do is thief swindle defraud lie they are dishonest we know this from thier mere exisetence this is what they do!!!!"