BP's Russian venture in visa row

Last year TNK-BP sold its stake in a giant Siberian gas field

A total of 148 staff seconded to Russian joint venture oil firm, TNK-BP, have been recalled to BP offices in a dispute over visa applications.

BP says the workers are engineering and technical staff and will remain in Russia while the issue is worked on. Senior managers are not affected.

It blames changes made last year to rules governing the visa process and says it is a "bureaucratic" problem.

A week ago police raided BP's Moscow office and that of the joint venture.

TNK-BP employs 100,000 staff in Russia, who mainly work on its Siberian oil projects.

"This is a temporary issue and we're doing everything we can with the Russian authorities to resolve the issue," a BP spokesman said.

Foreign energy companies have come under increasing pressure in Russia as the government has been trying to increase control over oil and gas assets.

TNK-BP was told last year that it was in danger of losing its production licence for a Siberian gas field for not meeting production targets.

The company eventually sold its stake in the Kovykta field to Russian state-controlled Gazprom.

Also last year Royal Dutch Shell was forced to hand over part of its stake in a massive Siberian gas field.