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Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Due to local protests going on in Tunisia near Serinus Energy’s Sabria Field, operations have been shut in. The protests have blocked the road to the CPF at the field. Serinus, through its wholly owned subsidiary Winstar Tunisia, saw production of approximately 1,550 boepd gross from the Sabria prior to the shut down.
The protests initially targeted the El Franig Field immediately to the northwest of Sabria, operated by Perenco. While the protestors concentrated on shutting-down and evacuating El Franig, Winstar staff were able to safely shut-in the wells and facilities at Sabria, preventing the potential damage that may have occurred had the shut down been effected in an uncontrolled manner.
The protesters then moved on to the Sabria property and insisted that most Winstar personnel stop work and leave the CPF. After discussion with the protestors, most staff were evacuated from the CPF, leaving three company employees to maintain watch together with a number of Tunisian military personnel.
The protests are against the lack of development, investment and job creation in the area and not specifically directed at the company. Winstar has appealed to the Ministers of Industry, the Interior, and Defense, as well as the Governor of Kebili province, the chairman of ETAP, the Direction Generale de l’Energie and the Tunisian Prime Minister requesting their assistance so that the Sabria Field can be restarted.
Sernius is not at this time able to provide guidance as to when production may resume at the Sabria Field.
Tim Elliott, president and CEO of Serinus said:“Since acquiring Winstar the Company has made significant investments in the towns neighboring the Sabria field which have included fixing local schools and medical clinics. While we understand there is a level of frustration since the revolution, forcing the closure of producing fields will in the short term not help the situation and in the long term will damage the image of Tunisia and deter much needed foreign investment. Our top priority now is the safety of our staff, the facilities and the protestors themselves, and to that end, we hope that the Tunisian authorities will move to end these occupations as soon as possible. We are also immensely proud of and grateful to the Winstar employees in Sabria who managed to safely secure the field and facilities. Their dedication and courage has helped to moderate a potentially hazardous situation.”
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