BP confirms four staff still missing at gas plant

The In Armenas gas plant would typically have bag around 700 people working on site. (GETTY IMAGES)

BP has given a further update on the situation at the In Amenas joint venture in Algeria and its response following the terrorist attack on the site which took place early on Wednesday morning (16 January, 2013).

At the time of the attack there were 18 BP employees at In Amenas, 14 of them are safe and secure. Two of the 14 have sustained injuries, but these are not life-threatening.

BP remains gravely concerned about four of its employees who are missing. There is no further confirmed information regarding their status at this time. BP group chief executive Bob Dudley and other executives have spoken to the families to offer the company’s full support at this deeply tragic time.

It has been widely circulated that it is thought 23 hostages and 32 captors had died in the bloody siege in Algeria's eastern region.

To respect the privacy of the individuals offcially "missing" and their families, BP company has not commented on their identities.

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BP has also confirmed that overnight it completed its plans to bring out non-essential staff from In Salah, Hassi Messaoud and other locations.

More than 35 BP staff from various locations in Algeria have now been flown out of the country as a precautionary measure. BP’s HR teams and others are working to provide them with medical services, practical help and other assistance as needed.

In a statement to the press the UK-headquartered supermajor said it will keep the security situation under close review across the region in the coming days.

BP’s response teams in Algeria and the UK are still in full operation.

In Amenas is a joint venture gas project, owned and managed by a joint venture consisting of the Algerian state oil and gas company Sonatrach, Statoil and BP. It is located in the eastern central region of Algeria, about 60 km west of the Libyan border. Citizens of more than 25 countries work at In Amenas.

It is a large operation with a significant workforce. At any one time there might be a workforce of 500-700 on the In Amenas site. The great majority of these are Algerian nationals working directly for the joint venture, and for Sonatrach and contracting companies. They are supported by a smaller international workforce, again from contractors but also from BP and Statoil.

The press statement conlcuded with a note that BP remains committed to operating in Algeria, where it has high quality assets and has been present for over 60 years.