Minister of Petroleum, Puot Kang/photo credit: UNDP-South Sudan.

The Ministry of Petroleum and its investment partners have set up an emergency response team to ensure the smooth operation of the oil fields amid the war in Sudan.

The decision comes as the fighting, according to the ministry, has mildly affected the logistics and transportation of critical materials and equipment through Port Sudan to the oil fields in South Sudan.

This team is being guided by a well-defined and structured contingency plan that will proactively mitigate the severity of the impact of fighting in Sudan by re-rerouting all the logistics and transportation through other safer routes,” said Puot Kang, the Minister of Petroleum in a press conference in Juba on Thursday.

The Minister says the oil field facilities which include the pipelines, pump stations, field processing facilities, and the export Marine terminal are intact and well protected from any collateral damages.

Mr.Kang says production and export of the proceeds have not been affected and there are yet materials and equipment enough to support the activities in the next three months.

” We continue to produce and export an average of 169,140.81 barrels of crude oil per day from all oilfields in the Republic of South Sudan as I speak, ” he said.

According to him, the Emergency Response Team will ensure continues communication and cooperation with the Sudanese counterparts on the production and exportation of crude oil.

The contingency team will also coordinate with Kenyan and Djibouti authorities to ensure timely clearance and transportation of materials and equipment needed for the activities at the oil fields.

It is also to ensure expeditious evacuation and relocation of the personnel and asset in case to safe locations in case they face any threats.

The Ministry has called on the warring parties to cease hostilities and return to negotiations to resolve the crisis.

Mr. Kang warns that prolonging the war will directly affect the economy and Social Welfare of the two countries.