Statoil, BP gas facility in Algeria hit by rocket attack

KRECHBA, Algeria (Bloomberg) -- Statoil ASA and BP Plc said there is no information to suggest anyone was injured after a gas facility they run in Krechba, Algeria, was hit by a rocket attack from outside the site’s perimeter.

The central processing facility has been shut down as a safety precaution, BP said in an emailed statement on Friday. All its staff in Algeria have been accounted for, it said.

Two homemade mortars were fired, but didn’t cause any damage, according to the Tout Sur L’Algerie news website. The army was in pursuit of the attackers, and there was no word on their progress as of 10:30 local time, it reported.

The assault, which targeted facilities at the In Salah gas field, occurred three years after a January 2013 attack by Islamist militants against the In Amenas gas plant, operated by Statoil, BP and Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach. That incident resulted in 40 people being killed, including 38 foreign workers.

Statoil said it has been in contact with its three employees at the Krechba facility and all are unharmed. The company has mobilized its emergency preparedness and is working to get a full overview of the situation.