The main objective of the investigation is to provide the company with a basis for making further improvements to its security, risk assessment and emergency preparedness.
The board of directors of Statoil has asked former head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service, retired Lieutenant General Torgeir Hagen, to head the investigation. Hagen has accepted the appointment.
"Many people from different countries became victims of brutal international terrorism at In Amenas. In Statoil we lost five of our cherished employees. The terrorists, and no one else, are responsible for the attack. They stand guilty of causing all the anguish and suffering. Our responsibility is to learn and do what we can to further strengthen the safety of our employees for the future," says Statoil board chairman Svein Rennemo.
Statoil chairman of the board Svein Rennemo.
"We will investigate to determine the chain of events before, during and after the terrorist attack in order to learn and further improve within the areas of security and emergency preparedness. It has been important for us to obtain external expertise on terrorism and security that will contribute to this work. In addition we will utilise the investigation expertise found in the company," Rennemo adds.
The board of directors has appointed an investigation team to clarify and evaluate the facts related to the terror attack, including:
- Risk and security assessments, security arrangements and emergency preparedness, and their implementation directly related to the In Amenas gas plant prior to the terrorist attack.
- Notification of and the emergency response to the attack, including interaction with government authorities and entities and partners.
- Potential non-conformities with and areas of improvement in Statoil's existing security and emergency preparedness systems and procedures.
- Potential areas of improvement related to organisational capabilities - including competencies, roles and responsibilities, training, culture and capacity within the areas of security and emergency preparedness.
The investigation team will deliver its final report to the board of directors by 15 September 2013. The report will be made public. The investigation will, with some required adaptions, be conducted in accordance with Statoil's governing documentation for investigation of HSE accidents.
In parallel with the investigation, the board of directors has instructed Statoil's corporate audit unit to review and assess the company's overall processes and systems related to security and emergency preparedness. The purpose of the internal audit is to give the board of directors a wider basis from which to consider learning, actions and plans within the areas of security and emergency preparedness following the conclusion of the investigation.
The board of directors has appointed the following members of the investigation team:
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Torgeir Hagen, chair Hagen is a retired Lieutenant General and was the head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service from 2002 until 2010. He has broad international experience and was a member of the 22 July Commission. |
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Randi Grung-Olsen, deputy chair Grung-Olsen is senior vice president for corporate audit and internal investigation in Statoil |
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Adrian Fulcher |
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Leif D. Riis Riis is head of the analysis and security department at the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency. |
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James Bunn Statoil's internal investigation unit |
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Erling Kristian Handal Statoil's internal investigation unit |
To support the investigation team, and as a resource for the board of directors, Statoil has also set up an advisory expert group consisting of the following members:
John Hamre, Ph.D
Hamre was deputy defence minister in the US from 1997 until 2000. Today he is president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
John E. McLaughlin
McLaughlin is a former acting director of the CIA. Today he is professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Thorstein Skiaker
Skiaker is a retired Lieutenant General and former head of the Norwegian Military's Joint Headquarters, NATO's headquarters in Norway and KFOR in Kosovo.
Thomas Hegghammer
Hegghammer is a director/scientist on terrorism at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. He is currently at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.
Wolfram Lacher
Lacher is a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) in Berlin and an expert on Libya, Algeria and security dynamics in the Sahel and Sahara region.
To secure that the company's institutional knowledge and experience is made available for the investigation team, the board has established a resource group comprising representatives of Statoil management and the employees' organisations:
Arne Sigve Nylund, chair, senior vice president for processing and manufacturing in Marketing, Production and Renewables
Torgeir Kydland, senior vice president for Europe and Asia in Development and Production International
Tove Stuhr Sjøblom, senior vice president for sub-Saharan Africa in Development and Production International
Arild Litlekalsøy, employee representative from Development and Production International.
Morten Lorentzen, employee representative from Development and Production International.
Kjetil Gjerstad, employee representative and coordinating head safety delegate onshore