The Balhaf-Marib LNG pipeline was attacked for the third time
this year on 21 August, near Ataq. Some sources blame Al-Qa'ida in the
Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) but oil sector sources think the attack is
linked to a tribal dispute. This part of the pipeline runs through an area that
the military rarely enters.
Militant groups, some linked to AQAP, others not, have operated
here and the tribes have previously resisted attempts by the armed forces to
main a significant presence. When building the pipeline, Yemen LNG
Company had to negotiate passage rights with a variety of tribal
groups, with only limited support from the government, whose writ scarcely ran
beyond the bigger towns.
The company has denied reports of another attack on the line in
early September. The government, faced with continuing if lowlevel protests by
workers, has banned strikes in the vital oil and gas sector despite union
opposition. Yemen needs to extract every dollar it can get from its main exports
to make up for the losses on production during the 2011 political crisis and
sabotage of pipelines. There are promising signs that output is returning to
normal and prices remain buoyant. Fish exports are also looking up.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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