According to Schlumberger Oilfield Services Executive Vice President Chakib Sbiti, “The Company has changed the assignment type to be voluntary and, in fact, we are having a few people who have asked to leave, so we have actually moved on that. We are lucky in a sense that the schools [in Saudi Arabia] have actually closed because of the end of the term and people have sent all their dependents out. So that gives us time to think and actually manage the situation of security without the pressure of families and dependents.”

“Schlumberger has a security group that is separate from its field management to ensure that all decisions taken are not influenced by wrong business drivers. Now, with regards to Saudi Arabia, we have actually mobilised those individuals. The company has also reduced the number of sites where Schlumberger is present in order to ensure safety measures,” added Sbiti.

The company’s CEO, Andrew Gould, is also taking the necessary precautions to ensure his workers’ safety in Iraq. According to Gould, “The head of [our] independent security organisation travels to Iraq regularly to assess the situation there.”

“He reviews the situation on the ground, which means he goes to the well site, he goes everywhere that we would need to put Schlumberger people. And when he comes back and says the circumstances exist or the security exists for us to go back into Iraq, we will go back, but not before,” he added.