Violence forces Exxon to stop project

EXXONMOBIL PNG Ltd (EMPNG) has suspended all work at Angore project area including well pads and pipeline of the multi-billion kina PNG LNG project in Hela.
This is after disgruntled landowners vandalised and destroyed significant project assets. A spokesperson from EMPNG, operator of the project, said the company was taking recent incidents of vandalism of assets associated with the Angore pipeline tie-in construction project very seriously as it involved significant assets.
Frustrated landowners from the Angore PDL 8 wellhead area destroyed several plant and machinery equipment at the Angore project site and well pads after making claims of outstanding demands.
ExxonMobil PNG spokesperson said safety of their staff and the community was their first priority and they were taking the issue very seriously.
“We are taking very seriously the incidents which involved the recent significant vandalism of assets associated with the Angore pipeline tie-in construction project. All work at the Angore well pads and pipeline has been suspended. All impacted personnel are in the process of being demobilised or reassigned,” the spokesman said.