[MSN] Yemen LNG Clarifies its Position on Preservation of Cultural Heritage

[MSN]

Yemen LNG Clarifies its Position on Preservation of Cultural Heritage

On Saturday morning, some media outlets carried an article about a French expatriate employee who was caught at Sana’a Airport while allegedly trying to smuggle antiquities. Whilst this act was related only to an individual’s behaviour and decision, it provides Yemen LNG with an opportunity to confirm the Company’s position towards the preservation of the cultural heritage of Yemen:

While investigations are still ongoing (from the side of the Authorities as well as from Yemen LNG), it can be confirmed that a French expatriate working with one of the Company’s subcontractors was arrested by the authorities with items which are categorised as archaeological artefacts. The items were detected upon arrival in Sana’a Airport from Balhaf on the Company chartered flight—the local means of transportation from the field to Sana’a. Thanks to the controls which are already in place for such local means of transportation, such items were discovered and returned back to the authorities.

If it is confirmed that these pieces are genuine archaeological artefacts, this action is a violation of Yemeni law and is an act with which Yemen LNG and its subcontractors thoroughly disagree. This is such a rare occurrence compared to the scale of the Project which has involved over 22 million man hours so far. In response to this reprehensible act, the Company is increasing its security checks in Balhaf to complement the checks and controls taken by the authorities to detect such actions at an early stage. The Company will continue to stress to its contractors its unequivocal commitment to the preservation of cultural heritage—a clear evidence of which was the extensive archaeological studies and excavations whose discoveries and finds are currently being displayed at the National Museum in Sana’a.

Yemen LNG employs 4 full-time field-based archaeologists who are working to ensure that archaeological sites are protected, documented and preserved. A number of these discoveries have already been featured in a multi-sectoral cooperation between Yemen LNG, the Ministries of Oil and Minerals and Culture and the two specialised institutions, namely the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the French Centre for Social Studies and Archaeology (CEFAS).

Yemen LNG implements a zero tolerance policy with regards to such actions and continues to invest in the preservation of cultural heritage even beyond normal expectations.

http://yementimes.com