BP Confirms 4 Deaths in Terror Attack
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013
BP has confirmed the deaths of four employees in the recent terrorist attack on one of its desert gas facilities in Algeria.
On Tuesday (Feb. 12), BP confirmed the identity of the fourth employee who was killed Jan. 16 in the terrorist attack on the In Amenas gas joint venture in Algeria.
The fourth employee was Stephen Green, an HSSE specialist from Farnham, UK. Green had more than 23 years of experience on major international products and had just joined BP in 2012, the company said.
BP previously confirmed the identities of the other employees as Sebastian (Seb) John, 26, a civil and structural engineer; Carlos Estrada, 44, a VP of BP's Upstream Global Projects Organization; and Gordon Rowan, 58, a well operations and engineering manager.
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On Jan. 16, a terrorist group stormed the In Amenas gas complex, killing at least 38 hostages and 29 militants during a four-day standoff. Four of the fatalities were BP employees. |
"These men were murdered while carrying out their jobs on a normal working day," said Bob Dudley, BP Group Chief Executive. "It was a calculated and evil act. As BP mourns the loss of our colleagues, our thoughts are also with the families and friends of all of those who lost their lives in this terrible incident."
The Attack
In the early morning on Jan. 16, a terrorist group calling itself the Signatories in Blood Battalion stormed the entrance of the In Amenas gas complex. During a four-day siege, the attackers killed at least 38 civilian hostages and 29 militants.
A standoff ensued between the militants and Algerian troops, lasting four days.
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BP confirmed the identity of Stephen Green (bottom left) as its fourth employee that was killed in the Jan. 16 terrorist attack on the In Amenas gas joint venture. Gordon Rowan, Seb John, and Carlos Estrada (clockwise from top left) were the three other BP employees that perished. |
Colleagues Remembered
At the time of the attack, there were 18 BP employees at In Amenas, as well as other personnel contracted to the joint venture or other companies, many of whom have worked with and for BP for many years, the company said.
Green's colleague, Colin Browning, described him as "very professional and committed to his role as HSSE Manager. He was respected and recognized for his contributions to safe working."
"Steve was a friendly and likeable guy, working well with everyone he met," Browning said.
Seb John, from Nottingham, joined BP in September 2012. He was a member of the BP graduate development programme and had recently joined the In Amenas joint venture team. John was married with a young son.
"Without doubt, Seb was going to succeed," said Andy McEwan, a colleague from BP's North Africa region. "He was definitely one of a kind when it came to work, as a character and as a person. There are no words that can describe how much Sebastian will be missed by us."
Originally from Colombia, Carlos Estrada was living in London and had worked for BP since 1995. As VP of the Upstream Global Projects Organisation, he was visiting the In Amenas site to provide expertise on projects in Algeria. Estrada was married with two young daughters.
"Everyone loved Carlos, he was full of energy, passionate about what he did, incredibly smart and liked by everyone he met. He was a huge talent for the future. He was also a great personal friend of mine and of many others. I will greatly miss him as I know will very many people in BP," said Felipe Posada, BP North Africa President and friend of Estrada.
Gordon Rowan, from Oregon, worked for BP and formerly ARCO since 1986. After spending time in China, he had returned to Algeria, where he previously spent time at the Rhourde El Baguel field. He had two sons.
Mark Cobb, Rowan's colleague who was also involved in the incident, said, "He was respected by all of his colleagues for his openness, personal integrity and commitment to the safety of his people. He was a leader that people wanted to follow, leadership which he fostered through his commitment to the development of his staff."
BP in Algeria
A large foreign investor in Algeria, BP's In Amenas joint gas venture with Statoil and Sonatrach is one of the largest wet gas projects in the world, the company said. The venture involves the development and production of natural gas and gas liquids from fields in the Illizi basin of southeastern Algeria.
BP is also in one of the largest dry gas joint venture projects in the country with the In Salah venture with Statoil and Sonatrach.
In June 2006, BP announced the beginning of the In Amenas gas project. The project included development of four primary gas fields, plus gas gathering and processing facilities.
The principal engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor is JGC/KBR, a joint venture between the Japanese Gas Corporation of Yokahama, Japan, and Kellogg, Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton in Dallas, TX. The contractor was responsible for the gas treating facilities, exporting pipelines from the gas fields to the tie in point of Ohanet and infrastructure.
Syrian company LEAD was responsible for constructing the intrafield pipelines, which totaled 100 kilometers of pipe ranging from 10 to 24 inches in diameter.
Tagged categories: BP; Fatalities; Health & Safety; Pipelines
