French supermajor Total has told the Reuters news agency that it has suspended operations in Syria, following the latest round of sanctions imposed on the Assad regime.
“We have informed the Syrian authorities of our decision to stop operations with General Petroleum Corporation to conform to the sanctions,” the spokesman told Reuters.
The stoppage includes the firm’s assets at Deir al-Zor and the Tabiyeh. For both assets, the firm’s production was 39 kboe/d in 2010, according to Total’s website.
The news was expected, as the latest round of EU sanctions on Syria blacklist the state’s General Petroleum Corporation, through which all oil producers deal with to manage fields and export Syrian oil.
The news follows a disclosure yesterday by independent firm Gulfsands Petroleum that is is evaluating its options in Syria.
