VOLGOGRAD REFINERY HOSTED INTERNATIONAL ANTI-TERRORISM EXERCISES

Thursday, September 4, 2008

The main stage of Volgograd-Antiterror-2008 International Exercises was held at the premises of LUKOIL-Volgogradneftepererabotka today.

At the river port of the refinery, an armed hijacking of an oil tanker and its crew was simulated, with an ensuing hostage rescue operation, neutralization of the “terrorists” and relief measures at the seized vessel.

The exercises were held within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s program to fight terrorism, separatism and extremism.

As part of the exercises, interaction between special forces of theRussian Federation, Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan and Uzbekistan was tested.

The total area of the Volgograd refinery is 1,500 ha with a perimeter of 25 km. The refinery is equipped with systems of engineering protection, security lighting and alarm, video surveillance, tanker relocation control, registration of state license plates, as well as systems of control and management of access.

Sabotage and terrorist attacks at fuel and energy facilities significantly threaten the population and the infrastructure of whole regions. The energy equivalent of oil production organizations, refineries, oil terminals, tank farms and offshore drilling rigs is comparable to the yield of modern tactic nuclear weapons.

Therefore, the Government of the Russian Federation supported LUKOIL’s initiative to host joint anti-terrorist exercises with cooperation of state and private security forces. In 2003 such exercises were held in Budennovsk, in 2004 they were hosted in Volgograd and Perm.

As part of bilateral international relations, in 2006 territorial waters of the Caspian Sea saw special joint exercises held by Russia and Kazakhstan, titled The Caspian Sea – 2006. One of the target objects was Astra, LUKOIL’s offshore drilling rig. In October of the same year at the premises of LUKOIL’s refinery in Burgas (Bulgaria) exercises called Dark Shadow – 2006 were held.

“Anti-terror exercises at the Volgograd refinery demonstrated how well it is protected. Concerted efforts of the SCO special forces and the LUKOIL security service gave practical support to the initiatives aimed at stronger anti-terror partnership between the government and business’, LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov commented.