Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group Corporation (ZPEC) said that all of the company’s projects in Iraq are operating normally, and the attack will not affect the normal construction and operation of the company’s projects in Iraq, according to an announcement released by the firm on website, after some media outlets reported a rocket attack on the company’s offices in Iraq on Tuesday.
In the announcement, ZPEC, responsible for drilling wells in the Al-Gharraf oilfield in Iraq, said that despite the attack, the company had organized field staff to take emergency action, and the attack did not lead to any casualties or property damage.
The announcement came after a number of media outlets reported that a rocket and gunfire targeted the premises of the company in southern Iraq at dawn on Tuesday allegedly to put pressure on the company and secure jobs for locals, and six people have been arrested as part of the investigation into the attack.
ZPEC said that the rocket attack was 200 meters away from the company’s project base of Al-Gharraf oilfield, which did not target the base where the company’s project is located.
According to the ZPEC, since the company entered Iraq in 2011, it has actively fulfilled its social responsibility and promoted local employment, creating 320 local positions.
All the workplaces are in the safe areas of southern Iraq and the company has conducted security assessment for each project in accordance with the relevant requirements, formulating security and emergency plans for each project so as to deal with various unexpected situations.
Moreover, alongside local police located within the oil zone, the company has also hired a professional security company to provide professional security services for each project.
In the future, the company will strengthen communication with the local security authorities to raise the security level and ensure the safe operation of the Iraqi projects, the announcement said.
A man looks around at the ravaged coronavirus isolation ward of Al-Hussein hospital after a massive fire overnight engulfed it in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, on Tuesday. At least 52 people died and 22 were wounded in the fire. Photo: AFP
