Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:22am EST
* Statoil, Shell, BP plan evacuations as unrest spreads
* Repsol, Eni say oil production unaffected
LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – European oil and gas companies have evacuated staff and suspended drilling preparations in Libya as violence spreads across the north African country.
Norway’s Statoil, Austria’s OMV and Royal Dutch Shell have moved some staff as scores of anti-government protesters were killed in the country’s second-biggest city, Benghazi, and unrest spread to the capital Tripoli over the weekend.
Production at the Murzaq oil field run by Spain’s Repsol (REP.MC) has been unaffected so far, as has output from Eni’s operations.