WATCHING THE WORLD TERRORISTS TARGET U.K. STORAGE SITES

With David Knott from London On a visit to the British Petroleum Co. plc Cusiana oil field project in Colombia, I naively asked a British expatriate based in Bogota if he felt nervous working in a city targeted frequently by terrorists. He said the situation was much the same as in London. Just before I arrived in Bogota a shopping mall was blown up by guerillas and several people killed. After I returned home the Irish Republican Army (IRA) blew up offices in London and a West London shopping

June 21, 1993

3 min read

On a visit to the British Petroleum Co. plc Cusiana oil field project in Colombia, I naively asked a British expatriate based in Bogota if he felt nervous working in a city targeted frequently by terrorists.

He said the situation was much the same as in London.

Just before I arrived in Bogota a shopping mall was blown up by guerillas and several people killed. After I returned home the Irish Republican Army (IRA) blew up offices in London and a West London shopping precinct. People were killed in both incidents.

In Colombia, oil and gas installations are a regular target for guerillas, to such an extent that some sites are permanently guarded by the Colombian army.

STRING OF ATTACKS

A string of recent explosions at U.K. oil and gas terminals has inspired press speculation that a terrorist campaign is aimed at the British oil and gas industry.

In February the IRA blew up a British Gas plc gas storage tank at Warrington and almost immediately afterwards set off a bomb in a Warrington shopping mall, killing two children.

An Esso U.K. plc oil storage tank at North Shields terminal was damaged by an incendiary device in April, again the IRA's work. This was followed closely by discovery by police of 12 incendiary devices in a nearby shopping mall at Gateshead.

On June 8 another British Gas storage tank, this time at Gateshead, was blown up by the IRA. Next night the Esso oil terminal at North Shields was attacked again, but again little damage was caused.

RESPONSIBILITY

A British Gas official said the level of security at all its storage points was agreed with security forces and police. However, if somebody is determined to get into a site, it is possible he will succeed.

The company is avoiding speculation about whether the terrorists are orchestrating a campaign against the oil and gas industry. Instead it is concentrating on its responsibility to communities near storage depots and taking advice from security forces professionals.

The British police have learned to accept that the IRA works out its plans carefully. But the police say little about the IRA, with the aim of depriving the terrorists of the publicity they crave.

A police spokesman told journalists after the June 8 blast he did not think the aim of the oil and gas storage plant bombs was to cause injury. The nature of the targets, however, meant a successful hit could have tremendous implications.