12 July 2009
Yemen LNG Company has been monitoring recent media articles that have raised concerns regarding shrimp and fish mortality in the vicinity of the Yemen LNG plant in Balhaf. The articles have also alleged that crude oil spills from local companies operating from the Yemen LNG site in Balhaf had killed many shrimp and fish and had adversely affected the local shrimp fishery in the Bir Ali region. In this regard, Yemen LNG Company would like to clarify the following:

- Yemen LNG does not produce crude oil.

- This incident is the result of a well-known natural phenomenon that occurs in many parts of the Indian Ocean, including southern Yemen, and is not related in any way to any human or project activity.


- Yemen LNG confirms that the shrimp and fish dying off along the coast in Bir Ali and Balhaf is due to a naturally occurring monsoon-related bloom of harmful algae and plankton. Algae and plankton in the sea locally increases when strong monsoon winds drive a cycle of surface water migration and upwelling of cold and deep nutrient rich water to the surface. The species-specific algal blooms which are harmful are known as HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) and they occur widely at this time along the East African coast and cause subsequently a sudden increase in fish mortality. HABs produce toxins which impact the invertebrates and the fish feeding on them, hence the cause for the high mortality observed.

In compliance with international environmental management and monitoring standards and requirements, Yemen LNG undertakes on a regular basis a set of water quality analyses in the project area to monitor environmental health and to identify potential threats to the marine environment around the Yemen LNG plant in Balhaf.


For additional information, please contact the Public Relations team at: pr@yemenlng.com or at 735222444