Russia's largest privately held oil company LUKoil and independent gas producer Novatek both operating in Egypt have started to evacuate their staff from the riots-hit North African country, a source in Cairo told RIA Novosti on Sunday.
LUKoil's staff will be evacuated on Sunday and Novatek's employees on Monday, the source said.
Anti-government protests started in Egypt on January 25, with crowds of tens of thousands demanding President Hosni Mubarak step down after three decades in power.
LUKoil is implementing several projects in Egypt. The largest of them is the development of the West Esh El Mallaha (WEEM) oilfield on the coast of the Red Sea near the resort city of Hurghada. The company is also implementing jointly with Italy's ENI-Agip the Meleya project in the Libyan Desert and operating the West Geisum and the North-East Geisum blocks in the Gulf of Suez in Egypt.
Russia's Novatek has set up a joint venture with Egypt's Sarva to extract gas at gas fields in the northern city of El Arish.
MOSCOW, January 30 (RIA Novosti)
