BP withdraws 60 techies from Russia

An ongoing dispute about visas with its Russian business partner has forced BP to remove its last 60-strong line of IT specialists from the oil-rich country.



The workers – technical experts employed by BP but seconded to TNK-BP, the joint venture it owns with AAR group, have been unable to work since visa complications in March.



Although the problem was sorted when Moscow immigration officials approved their visas, almost 150 of BP's technical staff were reportedly barred from work by TNK-BP's security guards.



A court injunction from Tetlis, a small shareholder in TKN-BP, followed, effectively blocking their work permits by claiming that their holders – BP staff - were on unfairly inflated salaries.



Despite the injunction being lifted last week - after the staff had been expelled, BP yesterday said that its workers' technical skills were needed elsewhere, as the legal wrangles persist.



The giant said it was 'reluctant' to withdraw its last 60 techies, but claimed there was no sign "that this or other attempts to interfere" with its tech support role would be resolved quickly.



In a statement, BP said its technical experts had played a huge part in making TNK-"BP one of Russia's most successful oil companies" in the past few years, hinting they would be sorely missed.



But Stan Polovets, chief executive of Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR), reportedly said TNK-BP would be unaffected.



"We respect BP's decision and are confident it will not have an adverse impact on TNK-BP's operations," he told the Daily Telegraph.



"The BP secondees have not been working for TNK-BP for many months now, and the company's operations have not been hampered in any way."



Despite the insistence, the long-term nature of the technical work and projects the removed workers were carrying out means any impact would be a few months away.



BP reflected: "The decision to redeploy the staff is a business decision - there is a global shortage of skilled people in the industry and BP has numerous other ventures, for example, in Azerbaijan, the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico, where their skills are needed and valued."