Rescuers "Searched an area four times the size of Britain"

Now I am second to none in the admiration of out armed forces, and of the Special Forces in particular, so I am delighted that they have been able to extract some 300 oil workers from the Libyan desert.
But I do think that the Sunday Telegraph's account is just that bit OTT!
"The rescue teams, who flew out of bases in Malta, searched an area four times the size of Britain to locate workers". Why on earth didn't they simply ask the oil companies for their locations? I'm sure they know them to the nearest yard or so - that is the accuracy I get from my GPS and I'm sure no exploration or drilling team would be without one these days!
But I do like a good adventure story, and I suppose it makes it even more exciting!