ORENBURG, Russia, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A subsidiary of Russian energy company TNK-BP had emergency drills with Russian first responders to practice dealing with oil spills, the parent company said.
More than 100 employees with TNK-BP subsidiary Orenburgneft took part in exercises with the Russian Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief. The exercises dealt with handling emergency spills, model fires and other emergency response operations.
TNK-BP, in a statement, said the model emergency was caused by saboteurs trying to steal oil from the pipeline.
Energy companies working in Nigeria blame bandits for a series of spills in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Meanwhile, more than 100 people were killed last week in a pipeline blast in Kenya last week. Some of the victims may have been trying to siphon oil from the pipeline when the fire started.
TNK-BP said the measures implemented during the safety exercise were enough to eliminate the spill and fire.
TNK-BP accounts for about 16 percent of the oil production in Russia.
