Cablegate: Nigeria: Shell's "Sea Eagle" Endangered

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS ABUJA 000824

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

CAIRO FOR MAXSTADT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV EPET NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SHELL'S "SEA EAGLE" ENDANGERED

1. April 29 local newspapers reported that Shell's newly
deployed Floating Production and Storage and Offloading
Platform (FPSO), the "Sea Eagle," had been threatened by
unidentified criminal elements in the Delta. Shell's
Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company of
Nigeria (SPDC), reportedly had asked the federal government
for protection of the giant off-shore facility, which was
deployed in October 2002 to a position some 15 miles off the
coast of Delta State. Two days earlier SPDC ran full-page
adds in local papers highlighting the threat and appealing to
"all well-meaning and law-abiding citizens" to prevent
criminals from attacking the Sea Eagle.

2. Corporate Responsibility Officer (CRO) on May 2 contacted
SPDC's Lagos-based Security Manager, who confirmed that he
had received "credible information" that militant youths in
Delta State were planning to launch a seaborne attack on the
Sea Eagle. The youth reportedly were upset at not being
offered employment or other "concessions" by Shell for the
deployment of the FPSO off the Delta State coast. SPDC
points out in its April 27 public notice that over 100 new
jobs for nearby communities were created as the result of the
Sea Eagle's deployment.

3. The SPDC Security Manager said he had assurances from the
Navy Chief of Staff that the two USG-donated coastal patrol
boats would be used to protect the Sea Eagle from attack.
The Sea Eagle serves as an off-shore oil terminal, capable of
processing 170,000 barrels of oil and 100 million cubic feet
of gas per day. It also has storage capacity of 1.4 million
barrels of crude oil.
JETER

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