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Tony Hayward Heading For TNK-BP in Siberia

By Ian Brockwell  

Tony Hayward has been criticised for his handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, following an explosion in April that killed 11 workers. BP faces claims that will cost the company many billions of dollars.

Many expected Hayward to resign (be sacked) from BP, but he will remain with the company, or at least a part of it.

Later this year, or the early part of the next, he is reportedly joining the board of TNK-BP (a 50/50 joint Russian venture) in Siberia, Russia. It doesn't look as if he will play a very active role in this new position, but the Russian partners are hardly likely to allow him (or any other foreigner) the opportunity of having that.

BP had much stronger control of this venture in the past, but it was inevitable that this situation would change in time. The Russian partners effectively gave BP an ultimatum, in that they could share the profits equally, or lose the deal completely. Seeing as it was Russian oil that was being drilled, an equal partnership was not unreasonable.

The man who is replacing Hayward, Bob Dudley, was previously chief executive at TNK-BP in 2003, but was apparently forced to flee the country some 5 years later in fear of his safety, after falling out with the Russian authorities. It is quite likely that Bob Dudley made the mistake of believing that he could dictate terms to his partners.

Having spent many years in Russia, I found out very quickly that Russian bosses dislike taking orders from foreigners, even if your efforts produce successful results and profits. Tact is an essential skill when working with Russians and foreigners are only tolerated if they have a use and remember whose country they are in.

It seems that Tony Hayward has a "good standing" in Moscow and his love for life should go down well with his Russian partners (provided he follows some simple rules). I feel sure that Hayward will probably enjoy his new role and location, even if he feels some anger at the moment about the decision.

Whilst the oil fields are in Siberia, TNK-BP has a very nice office in Moscow and Hayward will probably spend a fair bit of his time there.

Some years ago I worked for a short time in Siberia (Nefteyugansk), which is north-west of where Hayward will be going and had quite a good time. I left in October before the winter really set in, but I still witnessed temperatures of minus 30 degrees. The tap water in the region where I was staying seemed to be heavily tainted with oil and would stain the sink bright orange within minutes! The smell was also quite strong and difficult to get used to when you were taking a shower.

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Thankfully, I spent most of my time in Moscow, and strangely enough taught a couple of students who worked at the TNK-BP office there.

Tony Hayward should consider his move to Siberia as a kind of "escape" from the real world and remember that it could have been worse. He will have the good fortune of being far away from the troubles that still face BP, not just from the thousands of claims that are sure to be filed, but from the accusations of BP's involvement in putting pressure on the government to release the Lockerbie bomber.

Was BP involved in the release of the Lockerbie bomber? Only an investigation will confirm that, but if BP are to be blamed, we should also investigate the many other oil companies (including the US owned ones) who benefited from the war in Iraq! Despite what the public may think, most of the conflicts (involving the US and Britain) can be connected to countries that have oil, or are locations for oil pipelines.

Oil is a messy business in every respect, whether we are talking about oil spills, or the deals that go on behind the scenes. The sooner we start to use alternative energy sources the better for everyone!

Ian Brockwell writes straight talking, honest stories that engage readers. Contact Ian through NewsBlaze.