Iran has threatened to sue BP, saying it believes Azeri oil platforms it operates have polluted the Caspian Sea, deputy head of Iran’s Department of Environment Abdolreza Karbasi was reported as saying by the semi-official Mehr News Agency this week. BP holds operating stakes in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (AGC) oil field (37.43%) and Shah Deniz gas field (25.5%) in the Caspian Sea, off Azerbaijan’s coast.
The official accused BP of dumping waste oil into the Caspian instead of injecting it underground, which has washed up on the Iranian coastline over the past year. “Last year, the southern coast of the Caspian Sea was covered with oily patches, and in the last such case four months ago, 25 tons were cleared from Iran’s coasts,” Mehr reported Mr Karbasi as saying. He also claimed the rise in volume of oil in the inland sea was killing off marine life. (CONTINUED - 323 WORDS)
