Goldman hires MS energy banker Maxwell -sources

LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs (GS.N: Quote) has hired Alastair Maxwell, Morgan Stanley's (MS.N: Quote) head of energy investment banking in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Maxwell will join Goldman in London in October, the people said. He will be a partner and managing director focusing on international resources and energy deals, one of the people added.

Sources familiar with the matter have said both banks are among those advising BP Plc (BP.L: Quote), alongside others including the Blackstone Group, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.

BP is seeking to sell $10 billion of assets to help pay for costs from the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. It said on Tuesday that talks on the sales were "going well".

Energy and power is this year's busiest industry for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), according to Thomson Reuters data. Its $217 billion of announced deals make up nearly one-fifth of overall M&A.

Goldman Sachs declined to comment. Morgan Stanley had no immediate comment.

(For full coverage of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, see: link.reuters.com/hed87k) (Reporting by Quentin Webb; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)