Victory! BP has suspended all business with Libya

Last week, I reported that it looked like BP hadn’t stopped all of its operations in Libya. And since then, another 500 signatures have piled on Change.org member Alyssa Kwan’s petition asking them to completely pull out.

When it was first announced on the 21st that they we’re shutting down operations in Libya, it came with the caveat; “offshore operations in the region were still open and the closure would not impact oil production.”

Then on March 2, concern that BP was still doing business in Libya was reinforced when Platts reported, “A vessel chartered by British major BP was being held at a jetty in Libya half-loaded, a source close to the deal told Platts, as payment concerns held up part of the cargo being supplied by Libya's National Oil Corporation.” I wrote my story right after this but was left with lingering doubts about the reality of the current situation.

Looking to get to the bottom of the story I called up the Conflict Risk Network (CRN) – a project by the Genocide Intervention Network for mitigate conflict risk through responsible investment. After double-checking with his researchers, Executive Director Sam Bell confirmed that BP had indeed stopped all business with Libya.

While we can’t know the impact the 3,000 petition signatures we sent to BP, they are increasingly image conscious after their debacle in the Gulf of Mexico last year – so a bit of public pressure on them here likely didn’t hurt.

As good as the news of this victory is, however, it is tempered by the news that Austrian oil company OMV was still buying oil from Libya. Though according to Bell, that may soon change as well since the EU expanded sanctions against Libyan financial institutions yesterday, and will hopefully make a decision on extending sanctions to cover the National Oil Company today.

As to what those sanctions ought to be, Bell said; “if the EU’s sanctions are to have real teeth, they must prohibit transactions with the National Oil Company and the Central Bank. Anything less will allow Qaddafi access to major financial lifelines with which he could continue to fund massive violence against Libyan civilians.”

For now though, we can call the BP petition a victory, and keep a watch on how the EU moves. I hope they make the right decision.

If you’re keen to take further action on Libya, please sign and share the petition to the Maltese government to grant asylum to the two Libyan pilots who defected there in late February.

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Photo credit: Flickr user grispo_banana_prune