(C) Photo: Kjetil Alsvik / Statoil

Over the course of the night we have received confirmation that one additional Statoil employee was brought to safety. The situation for the remaining 8 employees at In Amenas remains uncertain.

This means that a total of 9 of the 17 Statoil employees who were located at the In Amenas plant have been brought to safety. The person who came to safety over the course of the night is now receiving medical treatment at a hospital in In Amenas.

Our three Algerian colleagues who were declared in safety last night were transported from In Amenas to the capital Algiers and are now being followed up.

We have no further information on the remaining 8 Statoil employees at In Amenas.

Algerian authorities carried out a military operation yesterday against the hostage takers at the In Amenas plant. Statoil confirmed yesterday that five of its 17 employees were safe. Today an additional three Algerian employees are also confirmed to be safe.

Five of the 17 Statoil employees involved in the hostage situation at the In Amenas gas facility have been safe since yesterday. They are now on their way to Norway.

In addition, Statoil and BP have decided to bring non-critical personnel from our two other plants in Algeria – In Salah and Hassi Mouina – out of the area and home again. At least three planes will likely be utilised for this purpose, and it is believed that around 40 Statoil employees will be onboard the first three planes.

The planes were scheduled to depart from In Salah earlier this evening. All of the planes will travel to London, and the Statoil employees will thereafter fly from London to Bergen.

“The whole of Statoil is strongly affected by the situation in In Amenas. The situation is still unresolved, uncertain and very serious. In an unresolved situation it is important for us to be hands-on with those who are most affected,” says Statoil CEO Helge Lund.

“We cannot currently confirm what the situation is for the remaining nine Norwegians who are involved in the situation,” says Lund.

Statoil is now working together with the Norwegian government and BP in order to ensure access to appropriate medical personnel for the hostages and an effective evacuation.

Tags: Statoil