Kuwait: Oilfield Fires (Hansard, 17 April 1991)

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, Her Majesty's Government have been in contact with the Kuwaiti Government to ensure that the UK plays the fullest part in extinguishing the fires and in reconstructing the Kuwaiti oil industry. Two British consortia have been formed. In addition, Bechtel, which has a key overall management role, will operate mainly out of the United Kingdom. The Offshore Supplies Office of the Department of Energy is assessing a number of innovative technical options with the advice of the industry.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that informative answer. Mr. Red Adair and American specialists have been acknowledged as the experts; but has the United Kingdom the potential to provide significant help to reduce the time in which this huge number of oil fires can be put out?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
Yes, my Lords. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry have both led missions to discuss Kuwait's needs with the Kuwaiti authorities, including the Crown Prince. Mr. Lilley was in Kuwait last week for this purpose, and these meetings are being vigorously pursued.
We can help to speed up the extinguishing of fires by providing the support which we have offered to the North American teams. In addition, we may be able to develop the capacity to put out some fires. The Offshore Supplies Office of my department is looking at proposals that we have put to it, assessing whether they are commercially and technically viable.

§ Lord Mellish
My Lords, in addition to the constant cost of putting out the fires and of rebuilding Kuwait, I hope that it is relevant to the Question to ask this. Can the Minister say whether Saddam Hussein will be made to pay for it?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, the Kuwaitis are claiming reparations and we support them. This is a complex question which is under discussion in the United Nations.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, is not the problem to cap the wells rather than put out the fires? 1474 As I understand it, it is no good putting out the fire if one then has a perpetual gush of crude oil. Therefore, rephrasing the noble Lord's question, has the United Kingdom any capability in capping wells rather than putting out fires?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, what the noble Lord, Lord Williams, said is absolutely true. There are many aspects to this. The Royal Army Ordnance Corps has already received well deserved acclaim for its work in Kuwait and it can play a part in clearing the minefields. In addition, we have tremendous strengths in the United Kingdom in many of the key areas, which include overall project management and control, support equipment and supplies generally, mine clearance, which I have mentioned, and oilfield equipment supplies and services, including pumps, valves, hoses, wellheads and control equipment. Perhaps most important, there is our expertise in oil reservoir engineering, well control and the optimisation of recovery.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, can my noble friend confirm that his answer to the noble Lord, Lord Mellish, means that the British Government intend to recover from the government of Iraq the total costs which we incur in dealing with the damage that they created?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, broadly speaking, that is true.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, last month the environment ministers of the European Community expressed the wish to help. To what extent are other European countries capable of assisting? Do they have the technical ability to carry out these specialised operations?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, I cannot be entirely precise in answer to that question. On 18th March there was a meeting of the EC Environment Council. The council asked the Commission to explore the potential assistance available within the whole European industry for extinguishing the burning oil wells. We are in close touch with the Commission in its work in following up this remit. Much of the relevant European capability is in the UK and we believe that our industry should be able to make a valuable contribution to this European initiative.

§ Lord Shepherd
My Lords, is any co-ordinating authority envisaged or being set up in order that the strengths of ourselves, the United States and the industrial world can be brought together, sharing knowledge and experience, to deal with this serious situation?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, that is largely carried out informally at the moment. Two consortia are co-ordinating this as concerns Britain and they are co-operating with other countries. One consortium is led by Wimpey and is comprised of AMEC and Taylor Woodrow. It is known as the British Kuwait Fire Group. The other is Mowlem, with W. S. Atkins and Porch. My noble friend Lord 1475 Limerick also recently made a worthwhile visit to Kuwait which helped to establish the City of Kuwait Group as a useful and supportive vehicle for the interests of the service sector.

§ Lord Shepherd
My Lords, in the light of that reply, would it be worth while the Government considering setting up a formal structure with the Kuwaiti Government to deal with the problem, instead of leaving it in an informal, commercial state, as appears to be the case at the moment?

§ Lord Cavendish of Furness
My Lords, the co-operation is progressing extremely well, but I shall certainly pass on the noble Lord's remarks to my right honourable friend.