Royal Dutch Shell Group is an Integrated oil company. The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies consists of the upstream businesses of Exploration & Production and Gas & Power and the downstream businesses of Oil Products and Chemicals. It also has interests in other industry segments such as Renewables and Hydrogen.

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Reuters - Fri Oct 6, 2006 1:44 PM

Fighting forces Shell to shut Nigeria pump station


ABUJA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Gun battles between Nigerian militants and troops in the Niger Delta have forced Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) to shut a 9,000 barrel-a-day oil pumping station, company sources said on Friday.

The closure of the Ekulama I flow station was the first impact on oil output from a surge in violence in the eastern part of the Niger Delta this week, and adds to almost 500,000 barrels a day shut since February in the west.

"The recent attacks in the east around Cawthorne Channel have led to a further shut-in of 9,000 barrels per day," a Shell source said, asking not to be named.

Fighters with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) stormed an oil workers' houseboat at Ekulama on Wednesday in one of two confrontations with the military in which the militants said 17 soldiers were killed.

Fighting continued in the area on Thursday and industry sources said there were 35 militant speed boats full of fighters cruising around the creeks.

These sources said the militants had been shooting rifles at pipelines, but a MEND spokesman said the pipelines were damaged by fire from the military's helicopter gunship.

"The helicopter gunship punctured most of the pipelines in several areas causing crude oil and possibly refined products to seep out. That chopper fires .50 calibre rounds," the spokesman said in an email to Reuters.