Traditional oil miner gathers buckets of crude oil to begin the distillation process of converting it into diesel fuel. Distillation is accomplished by heating the filtered crude oil to between 200 °C (392 °F) and 350 °C (662 °F). Cepu, Indonesia. 25/01/2011
Motorcycle is loaded with drums of diesel and transported to nearby villages to be sold. Cepu, Indonesia. 25/01/2011
The Ikarama community of the oil-rich state of Bayelsa, Nigeria struggles to survive with crude oil spills from Royal Dutch Shell, ruining their crops and natural spaces.
5 year old Fortune, Freeborn's daughter, sits in the front of their home surrounded by spilled crude from Royal Dutch Shell Facility in Ikarama community in the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
A Boy from crude ravaged community of Ikarama near Royal Dutch Shell Facility plays with spill crude in the oil rich Bayelsa,Nigeria.
Farmland covered with spilled crude from Royal Dutch Shell Facility at Ikarama community of oil rich Bayelsa state,Nigeria .
5 year-old Fortune stands at the entrance to their home, recently surrounded by crude oil spill from Royal Dutch Facility in Ikarama community in the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
An environmentalist, Alagoa Morris with Environmental Rights Action (ERA) viewing the spread of spilled crude from the Royal Dutch Shell facility at Ikarama community in the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Alagoa Morris, an environmentalist, walks through the bush around the recent Royal Dutch Shell spill site at Ikarama of oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Farmland covered with spilled crude from Royal Dutch Shell Facility at Ikarama community of oil rich Bayelsa state,Nigeria .
5 year old Fortune plays with spilled crude oil near their home in Ikarama community, near Royal Dutch Shell Facility in the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Freeborn Roland viewing spilled crude oil from Royal Dutch Shell facility behind his home in the Ikarama community of oil rich Bayelsa state Nigeria
Freeborn wife and four children, including four month-old twins pose to camera in their near Royal Dutch Shell recent spill in Ikarama community of oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Crude oil theft has become a common phenomena in Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria, which ranks seventh among oil-producing nations. The majority of citizens in the Niger Delta live on less than $1 per day, despite the fact that the country possesses vast natural resources and produces over 2 million barrel of crude oil daily.
The resulting widespread poverty has turned many toward criminality for income, particularly oil theft.
Zoin Ibegi in the oil-rich Niger Delta says, "Many of us live below one cent a day, despite being blessed with crude oil whereby forcing many of us into illegal refinery business because we can't continue in this poverty circle."
On daily basis, crude oil is emptied into the rivers, owing to low technical-know-how of these locals are not educated on the ecological repercussions of their actions.
The Niger Delta's Joint Task Force (JTF) is responsible for eradicating oil theft in the region. Though citizens see crude oil theft as an option as a result of an inability for them to get out of poverty in another way, the JTF believes that communities in the region have shielded the "thieves" and are perpetuating a culture of criminality.
Crude oil spilled to the ground in the illegal refinery camp in the Deibou community, along Nun river in the State of Bayelsa, Nigeria.
A lady and man on a wooden boat carrying stolen crude in the oil-rich Niger Delta, where most people live below the poverty line.The locals say they make 10,000 Nigerian Naira, or $63, monthly to the break out of poverty circle.
Tula Ebiowei, 50, and his colleague work along the Nun River in Nigeria's oil-rich state of Bayelsa.
A child walks towards some containers filled with stolen crude oil the Deibou community of Bayelsa State.
A hose used to pump water into the distilling equipment at the illegal refinery camp along the Nun River.
A man walking into his house in Ikebiri community in the Nigeria's oil state,Bayelsa.Thousand of people live below one usd per day despite being blessed with crude oil and ranks seventh large oil producing nation in the world.
Most locals emerge in illicit act of stealing the crude and refined it to break out of poverty circle and also destroying the eco-system with thousand of crude spilling into the rivers
A cut-to-size drum fill with crude oil at an illegal refinery camp along the Nun river in the Nigeria oil rich state of Bayelsa. Thousand of people live below one usd per day despite being blessed with crude oil and ranks seventh large oil producing nation in the world.
Most locals emerge in illicit act of stealing the crude and refined it to break out of poverty circle and also destroying the eco-system with thousand of crude spilling into the rivers
A worker wears a gas mask while working around the refinery due to the clouds of smoke produced in the process. Ras al Ain, Syria, April, 2013.
Photos by Jeffry Ruigendijk
For full text by Annabell Van den Berghe, click here: http://transterramedia.com/media/20137
Abu Zechariah and his two sons are farmers in the Kurdish town of Ras al-Ain that are among the many people throughout Syria who have decided to start privately refining crude oil as a way to make money. Trucks come from Ramalan to Ras al-Ain, where they then begin the process. Despite the danger of using rudimentary refinery equipment, for them, the pay-off is worth the risk.
Rival rebel groups and regime forces continue to battle for control of strategic oil and gas fields in the northeast and east of the country. Since the war began, the local demand for oil has increased dramatically because of the disruption in supply to the west, which has led to small, privately-owned refineries being built throughout Syria. Though profitable, this process of refining crude oil is unhealthy and highly volatile, with the chance of an explosion anytime during the process.
Jeremaih Tukor, a naitive of Ikarama community empties sample of spilled crude from Eni/Agip Facility on the ground into container in the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Washington Odoyibo, Public Relations Officer [P.R.O] of Ikarama Community Development Committee collects sample of spillage from Eni/Agip Facility into a container.
Well head of crude facility belonging to Eni/Agip in the oil rich Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Jeremaih Tukor, a native of Ikarama community collects sample of spilled crude from Eni/Agip Facility on the ground in the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
A filling station in the riverine community along the Nun river in Nigeria's oil state, Bayelsa.The locals say they make 10,000 monthly to the break out of poverty circle.
A boat driver, David Sowawi, 29, drives past an illegal refinery along Nun River that has just set ablaze by the Military Authority in the Niger Delta.
A pail containing a refined product at the illegal refinery camp along Nun River in the Nigeria's oil of state of Bayelsa.
An illegal refinery worker,John Tarila, fills a container with refined PMS product before shipping it out to end users along the River Nun in Nigeria's oil rich ,Bayelsa State. The locals say the make 10,000 monthly to break out of poverty circle.
Crude oil in a rainbow pattern on the Nun river in Southern Ijaw area,near river Nun in Nigeria's oil state of Bayelsa November 27, 2012.
The local people in Nigeria engage in a the illicit act known locally as 'oil bunkering'
hacking into pipelines to steal crude then refining it or selling it abroad.
A man in a wooden boat carrying stolen crude oil along the Nun river in Nigeria's oil state, Bayelsa.The locals say the make 10,000 monthly to break out of poverty circle.
A teenage girl in a fishing expedition is covered with crude oil in the waterways of the oil rich Bayelsa state, Nigeria.
Traditional oil miner scoops crude out of collection tank. The oil which has settled on the top of the water will be distilled into diesel when heated in an oil drum and then sold. Cepu, Indonesia. 25/01/2011
Traditional oil wells in Bojonegoro a regency in East Java. Previously known as a major producer of teak and tobacco, Bojonegoro is now the focus of renewed attention after a new oil field was found in the area. Bojonegoro, Indonesia.
Traditional oil wells in Bojonegoro Indonesia. Bojonegoro is a regency in East Java, Indonesia, about 110 km west of Surabaya. Previously known as a major producer of teak and tobacco, Bojonegoro is the focus of attention in Indonesia as a new oil field has been found in this area. This oil find is the biggest oil discovery in Indonesia in three decades and one of the biggest reserve in Indonesia.
This part of Java has had a long association with oil, and the Dutch, Indonesia's former colonial rulers, operated oil fields in the area although never realized the potential of Cepu. Freelance oil men use rickety wooden frames with pulleys, a few still operated by hand, to retrieve oil in wells up to 400 meters (1,300ft) deep. They then heat the oil on wood fires to burn off water. Miners said they could earn from 200,000 rupiah ($20) a day shared between a team of at least three.
Traditional oil miners prepare the hoisting system for a new oil derrick. As they prepare to drill a new well. Cepu, Indonesia. 25/01/2011
Traditional oil miners prepare the hoisting system for a new oil derrick. As they prepare to drill a new well. Cepu, Indonesia. 25/01/2011
Traditional oil miners prepare the hoisting system for a new oil derrick. As they prepare to drill a new well. Cepu, Indonesia. 25/01/2011