OIL COMPANIES EVACUATE DEPENDENTS IN WAKE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 001441

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DOE FOR GPERSON, CGAY
TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS
COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS
STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR SLISER
STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD
STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART
STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT
STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER
STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2016
TAGS: EPET ENERG ASEC PTER NI
SUBJECT: OIL COMPANIES EVACUATE DEPENDENTS IN WAKE OF
BOMBINGS

REF: LAGOS 1432

Classified By: Consul Alan Latimer for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) Summary: In the wake of two car bombs, one that
exploded outside a club on the Shell residential compound and
a second that exploded along a perimeter fence ringing the
Agip compound in Port Harcourt, some international oil
companies and oil service companies, including Shell, Eni,
Total, Schlumberger and Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas
Company, are moving the dependents of expatriate employees
out of the area. Of the companies polled, only Agip has
chosen to close its Port Harcourt office through January 2, a
move which affects expatriate and Nigerian employees alike.
The company will also move Port Harcourt office expatriate
employees to Lagos through January 2. End Summary.


2. (C) In the wake of two car bombings, one that exploded
outside a club on Shell's Port Harcourt residential compound
and a second that exploded along a perimeter fence ringing
the Agip compound in Port Harcourt, some international oil
companies and oil service companies have decided to evacuate
expatriate employees' dependents from their Niger Delta
facilities. Shell's MD Ann Pickard told Emboffs and others
that the company will evacuate dependents from the company's
Warri, Port Harcourt, and Bonny Island facilities. Many of
the 700 dependents living at the three Shell Oil Company
facilities had already departed on holiday travel, leaving
180 dependents to be evacuated, according to the company's
security officer. Dependents will not be allowed to return
until August 2007. (Note: Press reports indicated a total of
400 Shell dependents in the Delta area. End Note.)


3. (C) The Italian firm Agip, which currently has four
expatriate employees in captivity following a December 7
attack on its residential facility near its Brass tank farm,
has chosen to close its Port Harcourt office until January 2,
a move which affects both expatriate and Nigerian employees.
Agip's expatriate staff are being moved to Lagos through
January 2. The company's Managing Director for Public
Affairs Fidelis Anju indicated that the office closure
affects 100-150 persons. The company's oil field operations
are not affected and will continue to be staffed. Eni has
evacuated dependents of expatriate employees.


4. (C) Total's Public Affairs representative Michael Anju
said that, at the present time, the company is evacuating
only the families of expatriate employees working in Port
Harcourt and Warri, where the majority of the company's
expatriate workers are located.


5. (C) The Managing Director of oil services company
Schlumberger Steve Fulgham said that the company is
conducting an orderly, phased departure of expatriate
employees' dependents over the next two weeks. The company
is not requiring dependents to depart, and in a few cases,
spouses have chosen to remain behind with the employee.


6. (C) The Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas company, of which
Shell is a 25.6 percent owner, has also decided to evacuate
dependents of expatriate employees. NLNG has facilities on
Bonny Island in Rivers State.


7. (C) Chevron has only one expatriate employee in Port
Harcourt, with the bulk of its employees in Escravos,
according to Femi Odumabo, General Manager for Public
Affairs. The company is monitoring the situation and beefing
up security, but currently has no plans to evacuate
dependents of expatriate employees.



BROWNE