G4S wins major mine clearance contract in Iraq

The contract has been awarded to G4S' Ordnance Management business

G4S Risk Management, a leading provider of risk mitigation and secure support services, has been awarded a major mine action contract in Southern Iraq by LUKOIL, one of the world's leading vertically integrated oil and gas companies.

This is the first contract for mine survey and clearance to be signed by a major international oil and gas company operating in Iraq and will allow LUKOIL to start the development of the giant West Qurna 2 oilfield in Basra province.

The contract, which has been awarded to G4S' Ordnance Management business, starts with immediate effect and the first two phases are expected to complete by early 2011. The contract will involve a variety of mine action assessment, survey, data capture and clearance teams made up of predominantly Iraqi personnel. The teams will provide technical survey, as well as mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance operations in order to survey and clear hundreds of square kilometres of land ahead of the LUKOIL teams starting work.

The West Qurna-2 oil field is one of the largest in Iraq, with known reserves of 12.9 billion barrels. LUKOIL expects drilling operations will start in early 2011, with production beginning before the end of 2012.

G4S Risk Management has offered ordnance management services to governmental, commercial and humanitarian organisations since 1994 and its teams have supported the oil and gas industry in many areas throughout Africa and Far East Russia. Over that time it has cleared thousands of kilometres of land and destroyed over 25 million items of unexploded ordnance.

Nigel Billingham, Group Managing Director, G4S Risk Management, commented: "We are very pleased to have been awarded this strategic contract to help unlock the Basra oilfields. The economic development of Iraq can only be accelerated by the start of production at the West Qurna field and we will be working hard to ensure that our operations support the safe and secure commencement of this important work."

Dave McDonnell, Managing Director, G4S Ordnance Management, said: "This is a significant contract for us and demonstrates G4S's ongoing commitment to Iraq and to meeting the demanding timelines of this and other programmes. We have already spent months training and equipping our Iraqi teams, as well as ensuring our technologically advanced equipment is ready for work to begin. We believe any responsible company looking to initiate safe oil production in Iraq will need to complete ordnance management operations ahead of drilling and we believe our teams offer the best opportunity for them to do so in line with internationally accepted standards."