Japanese companies to stay in Saudi after Yanbu attack

06 May 2004 06:56  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (CNI)--Japanese engineering companies contracted to complete projects in Saudi Arabia have no plans to evacuate their expatriate employees in the wake of last weekend's terrorist shooting of five senior expat staff at ABB Lummus' office in Yanbu, three companies told CNI on Thursday.

The companies had been unavailable for comment earlier in the week due to the Golden Week holidays.

A spokesmen for engineering giant Chiyoda said 70 of its employees would stay in place to complete two major projects on the Saudi east coast - an ethlyene project for Sabic and a methanol project in which Mitsui & Co was a lead partner. He added that Japanese families, which number fewer than 10, would also stay on for the time being in the high-security compound where they live.

However, he said the company would continue to monitor the situation and might have to reassess its policy on evacuation if further outbreaks of terrorist violence occurred.

Toyo Engineering said it had no plans to pull out the 10 expatriates working at Al-Jubail. He said the company had been in touch with its employees and had been reassured to hear that they felt safe, particularly in view of the Saudi government's pledge to tighten security.

Toyo has nearly completed a polyethylene (PE) project at Al-Jubail for Sabic and is currently working on two Sabic ethylene glycol (EG) projects at the same location.

JGC Corp, which recently completed a major gas processing project in Haradh in the south of the country, said only three of its expat employees were still in the country, working at two offices the Saudi capital Riyadh. A spokesman said the company was still gathering information on the situation on the ground and had not yet decided whether or not to evacuate its staff.

The Japanese companies' unpanicked approach to the potential dangers of staying put in Saudi Arabia mirrors decisions by most US contractors in the country.

Only ABB Lummus, the company targeted in the attack last Saturday (1 May), has decided to recall some of its staff and their families.

By: James Dallmeyer
+65 6780 4359

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