Oil assets must be shielded from terror

ABU DHABI // The rise of regional terrorism means that GCC countries must work harder to protect their oil and gas assets, a former Nato commander says.

Sir Richard Shirreff, deputy supreme allied commander at Nato Europe from 2011 to 2014, said that since 2013 there had been an increased number of terror attacks on the energy sector in the Middle East.

“Energy is an instrument of war but also a direct target,” Mr Shirreff said. “And the vulnerability of the oil sector and the whole energy sector is the Achilles heel of the developed world.”

He said energy grids and refineries in other countries were also at risk.

“So the physical security of your infrastructure is fundamental but the challenges of providing some protection or even surveillance are vast,” Mr Shirreff said.

Risks in the Middle East, including terrorism and transnational crime, were not new but they had evolved in recent years, he said.

Conflict in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and the rise of groups such as ISIL had shattered the Middle East order.

“There is no purely military solution to the problem,” Mr Shirreff said.

“It is a generational challenge and needs a combined regional and international strategy if it is to be conquered.”

It was in the GCC’s interest to help build stability in the region as other countries tried to reduce reliance on oil imports from a region widely seen as unstable, Mr Shirreff said.

He said the GCC should support weaker governments in fighting extremism through “a genuinely integrated approach across political, military, civilian and commercial interfaces to help train local security forces, modernise administrations and stabilise economies.

“It’s all about stabilising the unstable and removing the soil in which terrorism flourishes.”

Mr Shirreff was speaking on Tuesday at the opening of the Security in Energy Conference, which is running alongside Adipec.

Dr Jamal Al Hosani, director general at the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management, agreed that threats had increased in the past couple of decades.

“We’re seeing an unprecedented wave of threats, from cyber-security to terrorism,” Dr Al Hosani said. “Such threats demand of us to be prepared by devising sound plans and countermeasures to ensure continuity of operations.

“The energy sector is the heart of all sectors. You stop it and all the others will shut down, so the consequences of any event will have devastating effects on other sectors.”

Osama Salah, head of information security planning and governance at Adgas, said the UAE was working hard to protect itself.

“But with the digital transformation, we have to get the balance right,” Mr Salah said. “We can’t rely on old plans, especially with the economic conditions.

“We have to be more efficient but there needs to be more data available on cyber-risks to learn from failures.”