OSLO, July 24 (Reuters) - Norway's Statoil has sentup to 10 workers to Algeria's In Amenas gas plant to review newsecurity measures after a militant attack last year, and coulddecide within weeks whether to permanently return staff to thesite, the firm said on Thursday.
Statoil has kept permanent workers away from the plant sinceIslamist militants, operating from Libya, raided the site deepin the Sahara desert in January 2013, taking foreign workershostage in a four-day siege that ended when Algerian forcesstormed the facility.
Forty staff, including 39 foreigners, died.
"In June we returned five to 10 people on a temporaryrotation," Statoil spokesman Knut Rostad said, confirming areport in daily Dagens Naeringsliv. "Their task is to ensurethat the new security measures are implemented."
Rostad said the firm could make a decision in "some weeks"on the quality of the new safety and security systems andwhether it would return permanent gas workers.
Statoil and BP operate the facility jointly withSonatrach.
In Amenas produced about 11.5 percent of Algeria's naturalgas output before the attack and the North African state hasbeen steadily bringing the plant back to full operation, whichfrees up more of the fuel for export to Europe. (Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by David Holmes)
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