Abuja - Despite oil prices hovering above 90 dollars a
barrel, Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell declared in Lagos, south-west
Nigeria Tuesday that its Forcadoes oil export terminal will remain
shut.
Shell declared a 'Force Majeure' on the export facility on January
11, following the vandalism of two of its pipelines which carry crude
oil to the offshore facility for export.
Force Majeure allows an oil company to suspend contractual
obligations to clients following unforeseen or uncontrollable events
without incurring penalties.
Shell said in Lagos that the Force Majeure on the Forcadoes oil
export terminal would remain in operation until the host community in
the Niger Delta allows the company to effect repairs on the damaged
pipelines.
Its spokesman in Lagos, Precious Okolobo, said that the host
communities had prevented the company's engineers from repairing the
pipelines.
He explained that 'the communities were aggrieved because they
were not represented at the Delta State Oil Communities Development
Commission,' a Delta State agency charged with the responsibility of
addressing the infrastructure needs of communities in the state.
Okolobo said Shell in July 2007 lifted an earlier Force Majeure on
the terminal after more than a year.
He said that 'due to incessant attacks, the company had to cut
back 100,000 barrels out of the 380,000 barrels per day of crude oil
exports from the Forcadoes terminal.'
Okolobo said that the latest attack sabotaged Shell's operations
because the company could not convey crude to the terminal for
shipment.
© 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
Your Talkback on this Story