Financial Statements

Notes to the financial statements

for the year ended 31 December 2011

39 Bank guarantees

  2011 USD’000 2010 USD’000
Performance/bid bonds 206,964 126,284
Advance payment, labour visa and payment guarantees 542,071 292,126
749,035 418,410

The various bank guarantees, as above, were issued by the Group’s bankers in the ordinary course of business. Certain guarantees are secured by cash margins, assignments of receivables from some customers and, in respect of guarantees provided by banks to the Group companies, they have been secured by parent Company and certain Group company guarantees. In the opinion of the Directors, the above bank guarantees are unlikely to result in any liability to the Group.