Romania’s GSP vows to recover oil rig from Iran
This is a follow up to my post, "Today is the Era of Thoughts, Dialogue, and Cultural Exchanges", on August 22nd, regarding the Iranian attack on a Romanian oil rig owned and operated by Grup Servicii Petroliere in the Persian Gulf.
GSP's Oil Rig in the Persian Gulf
From Gulfnews.com:
Abu Dhabi: Romania's Grup Servicii Petroliere yesterday said its offshore drilling rig in Iran came under military attack and all communication lines with its crew have been cut.
GSP president Gabriel Comanescu has accused Iran of violating all international norms and said Romania would leave no stone unturned to recover the rig.
"The rig, Orizont, is now under the control of Iran's military troops that arrived in a military ship and opened fire. The radio operation room is controlled by the military troops," he told Gulf News.
Comanescu said GSP has lodged an official complaint at the Romanian Embassy in Iran against the use of military force.
The Orizont has been moored near Kish island since October 2005.
"We are unaware of any injuries or deaths because we have lost contact with our crew," he said. "The Romanian President's office is now involved and is talking to Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we are doing our best to ensure the safety of our rig and the workers held hostage."
Some 25 Romanian and 10 Indian workers are on board the 13,000-tonne Orizont rig. "We have informed the Oil Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, Foreign Relations Committee, and Energy Committee of Iranian Parliament that failure to intervene will lead to serious dent on the reputation of Iran," Comanescu added.
The Charge d'Affairs at the Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said they were aware of the Romanian rig controversy and are awaiting information. "This problem is not related to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but we have asked the ministry for information on this."
GSP had two rigs operating near the Iranian coast. It was in Iranian courts earlier this year over a contract dispute involving another oil rig, Fortuna.
Full story: Romania's GSP vows to recover oil rig from Iran