US company Momentum Engineering has launched several untrue rumours according to which a legal instance of the United Arab Emirates ordered that oil platforms Fortuna and Orizont, held by the Romanian National Company (SNP) Petrom, should be retained for the simple reason that an East European company dared to participate in tenders for the exploration of oil areas of the Persian Gulf, stated official sources within SNP Petrom.
“Momentum Engineering is drawing on a commercial dispute it has with SNP Petrom to launch untrue rumours. We have not had any kind of commercial relationship with the US company since 1998,” say official sources.
The international press published information according to which the platforms, Fortuna and Orizont, are retained in Sharjah harbour waiting for complaints filed in by Momentum to be solved. Momentum secured their management and asks SNP to pay damages standing at one million dollars.
Petrom management says in its turn that the conflict involves an older contract through which the Romanian firms delivered drilling services to Total Fina, which worked with Momentum Engineering for the contract.
“The two platforms are in Dubai-based Lamprel shipyard in the final modernisation stage. The cost of the investment, which was entirely poured by SNP Petrom amounted to 20 million dollars and the two platforms will be among the most modern in the world,” SNP sources also say.
The national oil company is currently participating in three tenders in the Persian Gulf area and there are big chances that it should conclude a contract for drilling some oil fields in Nigeria.
“This would practically be one of the greatest contracts SNP has sealed in this area. The problem is that usually, exploitation in the Persian Gulf are US companies’ monopoly,” the above-quoted sources added.
At the same time, Petrom’s image has been seriously harmed by the fact that its general manager Ioan Popa was arrested. “Companies within the Persian Gulf area are still regarding us reluctantly due to events that occurred in June,” explain sources within Petrom.