Landslide Halts Work at Papua New Guinea LNG Site

A massive landslide has hit the ExxonMobil-led LNG project in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The landslide struck at 7a.m. (AEDT) near the Nogoli base for the liquefied natural gas plant site, north-west of Port Moresby.

An ExxonMobil spokesperson told reporters that work has stopped at the site and all its staff have been accounted for.

"The landslide took place on the side of the Hides mountain, between the Hides operations and the main LNG construction sites," Peter Botten, Oil Search's managing director, said in a separate statement. No damage occurred at the site.

Local news media is reporting that this was one of the worst landslides in Papua New Guinea, with a main road in the area blocked. Disaster management teams are moving into the area to assess the extent of damage.

The landslide is not expected to delay the project’s completion, which is scheduled for 2014.