MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Foreign Office impressed with Falklands oil security measures

Minerals and Agriculture Director Phyl Rendell

A British Foreign and Commonwealth security consultant whose work will assist the Falkland Islands Government to progress the drilling of offshore exploration wells spent a week in the islands earlier this month.

Director of Minerals and Agriculture Mrs Phyl Rendel said Mr Fred Rokkita appeared, “…impressed with the facilities and emergency plans that are in place for such a small country.”

Falkland Islands Government Legislative Assembly (Legassy) Member Mike Summers confirmed that Mr Rokkita met with Members in order to discuss the physical security of rigs and vessels as well as operational security in terms of logistics.

He said they talked through how the last drilling round went and what had been learnt.

The Hon Mike Summers said Legassy Members were able to assure Mr Rokkita that all of the issues he had been tasked with examining were being looked at already by the Falkland Islands Government: “All of the people he met were able to satisfy him that everything was well in hand.”

Latest news relating to North Falklands’ basin is that the Environmental Impact Assessment for Desire Petroleum Licences PL 006 and PL 007 presented to the Falkland Islands Government Executive Council last week was accepted yesterday.

Desire announced: “This approval is subject to the further approval by the Mineral Resources Committee of an Operational Addendum, to be submitted once the rig details are known.”

Desire Petroleum operates 6 licences in the North Falklands Basin. Rockhopper Exploration plc has farmed into two of those tranches and Arcadia Petroleum Limited into three.

By Lisa Johnston - SeAledPR - Stanley