Upping the ante, the Sultan has also called for an upgrade of the country's LNG capability by developing a new liquefied gas storage facility.

The Sultan believes that that the oil and gas sectors need to continue "to increase their capacity to contribute more to the economic growth of the nation in addition to the contribution of other non-oil and gas sectors that are now rapidly developing" and that the new facility - at around US$1 billion - will increase the capacity of the country's current LNG facilities.

Brunei and Malaysia are at loggerheads over territorial rights to oil and gas fields around their respective sea and land borders with naval forces being utilised to enforce maritime boundaries.