Imagine a place so remote and uninviting that land ownership or property boundaries are irrelevant, the terrain so unnuturing that there are no ants, weeds, cactus or indigenous life of any kind. To the north, as far as the eye can see there is nothing but the tan and brown of sand dunes and volcanic ruble; to the south, the unbroken blue horizon of the Arabian Sea.
The project site – Yemen Liquified Natural Gas - shares a peninsula with an extinct volcanic outcrop, which is readily seen in a Google Maps search of Balhaf, Yemen. The other key feature evident in the satellite image is the crystal clarity of the water: the coral reef which surrounds the peninsula is clearly visible from space. The fenced portion of the facility extends several kilometers from the coast into climbing terrain of endless nothingness.
In contrast with the emptiness of the landscape beyond the fence, YLNG is a thriving city. As of this writing, there are 7,700 residents – all men - working 10 – 12 hours/day, 7 days/week. By the end of 2007 the number will grow to 10,000. There are 30 subcontractors from 20 different countries. The senior management of Yemgas, the prime contractor, consists of about 50 Europeans, mostly French and Brit, along with about 12 Americans, including me. Several of the specialty subcontractor firms – catering, utility management, commercial diving - are European and the managers of these firms, maybe 30 all told, are Euros. There are about 30 owner reps from the French firm, Total, verifying payment draws and monitoring the work progress. And that’s it. The balance of the population is Asian and African: mostly Arab laborers, but there are also large numbers of Chinese, Bangaldeshies, Indians and Koreans. In addition to being all men, there is another common denominator: every one of the inhabitants of this strange community – management and labor alike - are earning more money than they ever have. Another trait in common: not one of us would be here if we weren’t.
The project site – Yemen Liquified Natural Gas - shares a peninsula with an extinct volcanic outcrop, which is readily seen in a Google Maps search of Balhaf, Yemen. The other key feature evident in the satellite image is the crystal clarity of the water: the coral reef which surrounds the peninsula is clearly visible from space. The fenced portion of the facility extends several kilometers from the coast into climbing terrain of endless nothingness.
In contrast with the emptiness of the landscape beyond the fence, YLNG is a thriving city. As of this writing, there are 7,700 residents – all men - working 10 – 12 hours/day, 7 days/week. By the end of 2007 the number will grow to 10,000. There are 30 subcontractors from 20 different countries. The senior management of Yemgas, the prime contractor, consists of about 50 Europeans, mostly French and Brit, along with about 12 Americans, including me. Several of the specialty subcontractor firms – catering, utility management, commercial diving - are European and the managers of these firms, maybe 30 all told, are Euros. There are about 30 owner reps from the French firm, Total, verifying payment draws and monitoring the work progress. And that’s it. The balance of the population is Asian and African: mostly Arab laborers, but there are also large numbers of Chinese, Bangaldeshies, Indians and Koreans. In addition to being all men, there is another common denominator: every one of the inhabitants of this strange community – management and labor alike - are earning more money than they ever have. Another trait in common: not one of us would be here if we weren’t.
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