26th June 2004

Campaigners urge halt to BP "environmental timebomb"

Whistleblowers expose Turkey pipeline failings

Environment and human rights groups have called for suspension of construction on a major BP oil pipeline, following new evidence published in today's Independent of major technical failures on the project.

Four senior pipeline experts who worked on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline in Turkey have revealed a catalogue of incompetence, cost-cutting and shoddy workmanship, which raises major questions about the safety of the pipeline.

All four have successful careers of over 20 years in pipeline construction, and have said this is the worst project they have ever worked on. Their revelations include:

• not hiring proper specialists to advise on engineering, including on crossing seismic faults in the earthquake-prone region;
• using inappropriate materials and construction methods, which will not perform the function they are needed for;
• not following construction design specifications and procedures;
• failing to carry out checks or keep records on construction quality;
• using staff without proper training or qualifications;
• ignoring environmental or health and safety requirements;
• causing bankruptcy of local business suppliers along the route.

Two of the experts were sacked for raising concerns about the problems.

The Baku Ceyhan Campaign has talked to all four whistleblowers, and is now calling for an urgent halt to construction activities until the problems are resolved. The findings run counter to repeated BP promises that this would be an environmentally and socially beneficial project.

Hannah Griffiths, of Friends of the Earth, commented,

"BP and financial institutions have ignored the warnings on this pipeline. Now the extent of company failings and consequent environmental risk have come to light, work on the project must be stopped until these issues are sorted out."

Kerim Yildiz, Executive Director of the Kurdish Human Rights Project, added,

"Villagers we have interviewed have consistently told us they were not properly consulted, nor informed of the risks of this pipeline. These new findings show the risks are even greater than we had feared".

Greg Muttitt, of PLATFORM, said,

"BP has tried to create a reputation as being better than other oil companies. But, thanks to the professional integrity of these four and other experts, we now hear about the shocking reality. It is to their credit that they have taken personal risk to inform the public of these serious issues."

Anders Lustgarten, of the Baku Ceyhan Campaign, added,

"We have already heard of faulty weld coatings being used in the Azerbaijan and Georgia sections of this pipeline, which BP has tried to claim were one-offs which are now rectified. This new dossier shows that in fact the whole pipeline is rotten."

Nicholas Hildyard, of the Corner House, commented,

"We know the banks are already concerned about the risk their reputations from this project. BP has told them all is in order. It isn't, and the banks should now undertake their own investigation."

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