 The Anglo-Dutch energy group Shell has reopened all its oil-pumping stations shut down last month because of community unrest in southern Nigeria, a spokesman has said. "Ekulama I is up," the spokesman said on Friday, referring to the last of several flow-stations to reopen after angry villagers from the Kula community forced Shell to shut down the facilities on 5 December. The shut-down caused a production loss of about 130,000 barrels per day of crude oil exports from the Bonny export terminal. Shell is Nigeria's biggest operator, accounting for almost half of the west African country's daily exports of 2.5 million barrels. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant has in the past week gradually reopened three other plants - Belema, Santa Barbara and Ekulama II - which led to a resumption of 65,000 barrels per day out of the 130,000 total. A spokesman could not say if the reopening of the Ekulama I plant on Friday would enable Shell to reach the peak production of 130,000 barrels per day from the protest-hit stations. |