Bailiffs disrupted operations at BP's Moscow office Thursday, occupying the premises for a second day, adding to the oil producer's woes in the country.
The bailiffs, accompanied by armed men, are searching documents containing key words as broad as "oil and gas" and preventing employees from using their desks, said Vladimir Buyanov, a BP spokesman in Moscow.
Security and company lawyers have remained in the office, while most employees, including management, are staying away, Buyanov said.
The raid began a day after Rosneft replaced BP in an Arctic exploration project with ExxonMobil. The World Wildlife Fund has criticized Rosneft's selection of ExxonMobil as a partner in a statement issued Thursday.
The agreement the companies signed this week, which involves joint development of three sites on the Kara Sea shelf, brings closer the beginning of deepwater projects in the Arctic. Current technology does not allow for rapid and effective cleanup on the shelf.
(Bloomberg, Interfax)
