BP, Statoil Pull Staff from Algeria
BP and Norway’s Statoil said on March 21 they are pulling out all staff from their Algerian gas facilities in the Sahara for the next few weeks.
Their decision comes three days after rocket-propelled grenades hit the In Salah gas plant, which the two firms jointly operate with Algerian state owned Sonatrach. No one was injured.
"Following the attack 18 March on the In Salah Gas joint venture Krechba site, Statoil is now undertaking a phased temporary relocation out of Algeria of its entire staff from In Salah, In Amenas and Hassi Messaoud sites over the next weeks," Statoil said in a statement. "This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure and in collaboration with our partner BP."
The Norwegian firm said its “first priority is the safety and security of our people. We are monitoring the situation closely and will carry out further actions if necessary. During this period of temporary relocation, Statoil will continue to support the joint venture (JV) businesses in Algeria remotely and is working together with BP and Sonatrach in order to maintain a robust business follow up.”
BP added it too had “decided to undertake a phased temporary relocation of all its staff from the In Salah Gas and In Amenas JVs in Algeria over the next two weeks.
"This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure," the firm said. "BP values its history and working relationships in Algeria. During this period of temporary relocation, BP will continue to support the JV businesses in Algeria remotely and is working to develop a robust business continuity plan agreed with partners Sonatrach and Statoil to ensure an appropriately managed return to business as usual.”
The attack on the In Salah gas plant is not the first to affect the joint venture's operations in Algeria. In January 2013 Islamist militants killed 40 staff at the In Amenas gas complex. The plant is jointly run by the three companies and just 40 miles from the Libyan border.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim) claimed responsibility for that attack, as well as the one farther south at In Salah three days ago, and one on 13 March 2016 that killed at least 16 people at a beach resort in the West African state of Cote d’Ivoire.
On March 20, Reuters reported that the Algerian army had killed four militants and wounded three others linked to the March 18 attack, citing a source close to security services. That day President Abdelaziz Bouteflika met with key ministers and army chiefs to discuss security in the region, according to Algerian state news agency APS.
A month ago Sonatrach CEO Amine Mazouzi said that Train 3 of the In Amenas gas complex, shut since the January 2013 attack, would be back in operation in April 2016. The recent build-up in staffing and activity to prepare for the re-start of Train 3, and a scheduled start-up of new compressors later this year at In Salah, where new fields were brought onstream in mid-February 2016, may have motivated this most recent attack.
APS quoted Sonatrach on March 18 as describing that morning’s attack as a “failure” that caused no casualties nor damage.
Mark Smedley