The Royal
Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (‘Shell’) announced today that,
following internal reviews, some proved hydrocarbon reserves will be
recategorised. The total non recurring recategorisation, relative
to the proved reserves as stated at December 31st 2002, represents
3.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent (‘boe’) of proved reserves, or
20% of proved reserves at that date. Over 90% of the total change
is a reduction in the proved undeveloped category; the balance is a
reduction in the proved developed category.
There is no material effect on
financial statements for any year up to and including 2003. The
recategorisation of proved reserves does not materially change the
estimated total volume of hydrocarbons in place, nor the volumes
that are expected ultimately to be recovered. It is anticipated
that most of these reserves will be re-booked in the proved category
over time as field developments mature.
Of the recategorisation two thirds
(2.7 billion barrels) relates to crude oil and natural gas liquids,
and one third (1.2 billion boe or 7.2 trillion standard cubic feet )
to natural gas.
The recategorisation itself is not
expected to have a material impact on hydrocarbon production in the
near term. As advised in March 2003 and October 2003, the
production profile for 2003 – 2005 is expected to be broadly flat.
As of December 31st 2002, proved reserves were equivalent to 13.3
years of production.
The FAS69 standardised measure of
discounted future cashflows associated with the proved reserves will
be impacted. The estimated 10% reduction in the standardised
measure is significantly less than the 20% change to proved
reserves, as the majority of the recategorisation relates to proved
undeveloped reserves and to relatively low margin producing areas.
Further analysis is ongoing to
determine the extent to which the recategorisation will impact on
prior year reported proved reserves and the results will be
disclosed.
The figures quoted above do not
include any amounts that will be added to reserves as the result of
normal operations in 2003. On a preliminary basis, ignoring the
effect of the adjustment noted in this release, the reserve
replacement ratio for 2003 is expected to be in the range 70-90%,
representing the net addition of between 1.0 and 1.3 billion boe.
The final figures for 2003 reserve replacement will be disclosed on
February 5th 2004.
Several factors identified by
Shell’s own reviews led to the recategorisation. During Q4 2003, a
number of in depth reserve studies were completed, which prompted a
broad review of its previously booked reserves against current
proved reserves standards.
Reserves affected were mainly
booked in the period 1996 to 2002. A significant proportion of the
recategorisation relates to the current status of project maturity.
The recategorisation brings the global reserve base up to a common
standard of definition, consistent with the globalisation of
processes within the new Exploration & Production business model.
A number of countries are affected by
the change, with the largest impact in Nigeria and Australia. The
majority of the overall recategorisation will be reported under
‘Other Eastern Hemisphere’.
A teleconference with investors and
media will be held at 9.15 a.m. GMT Friday January 9th 2004 to
discuss the contents of this release. The call will be audio
webcast and can be accessed via www.shell.com/investor.
The call will be hosted by Simon Henry, Head of Group Investor
Relations, Mary Jo Jacobi, Vice President of Group External Affairs
and John Darley, Exploration and Production Technical Director.
Ends
Footnote
5,800 million cubic feet of natural
gas = 1 million barrels of oil equivalent.
All references to proved reserves
exclude oil sands.
Figures quoted in this document are
unaudited.
Standardised measure of future
cashflows
United States accounting principles
require the disclosure of a standardised measure of discounted
future cashflows, relating to proved oil and gas reserves quantities
and based on prices and costs at the end of each year, currently
enacted tax rates and a 10% annual discount factor. The information
so calculated does not provide a reliable measure of future
cashflows from proved reserves, nor does it permit a realistic
comparison to be made of one entity with another because the
assumptions used cannot reflect the varying circumstances within
each entity.
Disclaimer statement
This document contains forward-looking
statements that are subject to risk factors associated with the oil,
gas, power, chemicals and renewables businesses. It is believed that
the expectations reflected in these statements are reasonable, but
may be affected by a variety of variables which could cause actual
results or trends to differ materially, including, but not limited
to: price fluctuations, actual demand, currency fluctuations,
drilling and production results, reserve estimates, loss of market,
industry competition, environmental risks, physical risks,
legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, economic and
financial market conditions in various countries and regions,
political risks, project delay or advancement, approvals and cost
estimates.
Cautionary Note to US Investors:
The United States Securities and
Exchange Commission permits oil and gas companies, in their filings
with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has
demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to
be economically and legally producible under existing economic and
operating conditions. |
Investor Relations |
Simon Henry |
+44 20 7934 3855 |
Gerard Paulides |
+44 20 7934 6287 |
Bart van der Steenstraten |
+31 70 377 3996 |
Harold Hatchett |
+1 212 218 3112 |
|
|
Media Relations |
Andy Corrigan |
+44 20 7934 5963 |
Simon Buerk |
+44 20 7934 3453 |
Herman Kievits |
+31 70 377 8750 |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Message to staff from Sir
Philip Watts on the recategorisation of proved
hydrocarbon reserves
|
16/01/2004 |
|
Dear
colleagues, I know
that there is significant concern and, in some quarters,
outrage following our announcement last Friday of a
recategorisation of certain of our proved hydrocarbon
reserves. The purpose of my note today is to you assure you
that I am committed to the full resolution of this issue as
soon as possible, and to advise you of the process that is
underway. |
|
The scope
and timing of our announcement were determined by compliance
with regulatory requirements on disclosure. We released the
information at the earliest possible time after the
recategorised reserves had been quantified with some
certainty. A great number of people worked extremely hard
over a period of time - including right through the holiday
period - in order to make this announcement. I would like
to thank them most sincerely for this effort.
However, although we had the
required certainty on key aspects of the announcement such
as the total number of barrels by 9 January, we did not have
answers to all of the questions. The analysis continues
therefore so that we will, in time, be able to give a fuller
picture to all interested parties.
In addition, this
announcement was made during the closed period prior to the
release of fourth quarter 2003 financial results on 5
February 2004. As is always the case in such periods, our
communications must be limited. Since the announcement
involved a technical recategorisation, and we could not add
any further market sensitive information, I did not
participate in the 9 January teleconference. Given
subsequent reactions, to some this might not seem to have
been the correct decision but we did achieve the objective
of giving the facts unclouded by personality issues in the
first instance. I will of course be at the forefront when we
next meet with investors and the media on 5 February. That
said, I have great confidence in those who conducted the
teleconference, and I thought the team did a great job.
With respect to the recategorisation itself, I would just
re-iterate earlier comments that during the fourth quarter
of last year in-depth reserves studies were completed that
triggered a broad review of our previously booked proved
reserves. These studies and reviews indicated that the
proved reserves disclosed did not in all cases properly
reflect the maturity of the development projects concerned,
accounting for a significant proportion of the
recategorisation. Hence the need for immediate action.
It is important to bear in
mind that this recategorisation was the result of our own
internal processes. Based on those reviews, I believe that
individuals concerned worked in good faith to the
interpretations in use when the bookings were made,
following proper processes, and that there is no evidence of
any misconduct. The reviews, however, did identify some
potential improvements in the reserves approval and audit
processes, which we have begun to implement. Overall, it is
my intention that we learn as much as possible from
everything relating to this recategorisation.
Despite our desire and best
efforts to be as open and transparent as possible, there are
constraints on the content and timing of our disclosures.
Before the announcement, we initiated contact with the US
Securities and Exchange Commission on the recategorisation
which is ongoing, as you would expect. I hope that you will
be patient and understanding as we seek to balance the
interests of our many stakeholders against the legal and
regulatory requirements to which we must adhere.
The closed period will end
with the financial results announcement on 5 February, when
details of the fourth quarter/full-year 2003 financial
performance of the Group will be available, along with
additional information about the reserves recategorisation.
Sessions with investors and the media will be webcast at
www.shell.com/investor,
and there will be an extensive programme of internal
communications thereafter.
I wish to thank all those
who have worked tirelessly on this issue. Their commitment
and dedication, along with your support, will help see us
through these challenges.
Sir Philip Watts
Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Business - Dow Jones Business News
Shell Chairman
Criticized on Overbooking of Oil Reserves
|
LONDON -- As the Securities and Exchange Commission (news
-
web sites) looks poised to delve into a huge overbooking
of reserves by Royal Dutch/Shell (NYSE:RD
-
News) Group , the company's chairman, Philip Watts, has
come under increasing fire for his stewardship of one of the
world's largest oil producers, Wednesday's Wall Street
Journal reported.
Last week, Shell said it
erroneously overbooked reserves by 20%. Reserves are a
crucial indicator of an oil company's value. Shares in
the group's two holding companies -- Royal Dutch
Petroleum Co. of the Netherlands, and Shell Transport &
Trading Co. of London -- have fallen sharply since the
disclosure Friday.
The unprecedented size of
the overstatement makes an SEC investigation likely.
"The Shell matter seems significant," said SEC
Commissioner Roel Campos. "I am sure our enforcement
staff will look into it. It is hard to see how (Shell)
could miss so badly."
SEC commissioners
authorize requests by the agency's enforcement division
to undertake formal investigations. An SEC spokesman in
Washington declined to comment on the likelihood of an
investigation.
Sir Philip, 58 years old, led Shell's
exploration-and-production business between 1997 and
2001, the period in which much of the overbookings were
recorded. A Shell
spokesman said Sir Philip wasn't available to comment,
citing a quiet period ahead of the release of the
company's year-end results, set for early next month.
The spokesman also declined to comment on the prospect
of further regulatory action.
Shell officials have said
executives and employees acted in good faith in
recording reserves, which require judgment calls by
individual companies under SEC guidelines. The
overbooking erroneously boosted the company's widely
followed reserve-replacement rate and other important
measures that shareholders look at before making
decisions about whether to buy the stock.
Sir Philip is set to
retire in about 18 months, and there aren't any signs of
open revolt among Shell directors.
Wall Street Journal Staff
Reporters Chip Cummins in London and Michael Schroeder
in Washington contributed to this report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business - Dow
Jones Business News
|
Royal
Dutch/Shell Trims Proved Oil, Gas
Reserves
|
|
By Mark Long
LONDON -- Royal
Dutch/Shell (NYSE:RD
-
News) Group (RD, SC) stunned markets Friday
by saying it has significantly overestimated its
proved global oil and natural gas reserves.
Reserves are the
lifeblood of an oil company and fuel future
growth of its production. Any downgrade is
looked upon negatively, and shares in United
Kingdom component Shell Transport & Trading Co.
PLC sank 7.5% in early trading, all but wiping
out strong gains made during December.
In a statement,
the world's third biggest oil company in terms
of production said it would trim its proved oil
and gas reserves to 15.6 billion barrels of oil
equivalent from 19.5 billion estimated at
December 2002.
Based on current
production, Shell's move cuts its reserve life
to 10.6 years from 13.4 years, according to J.P
Morgan. Shell's production in the third quarter
averaged 3.9 million barrels of oil equivalent a
day.
The bulk of the
downward reserves adjustment stems from
overestimates on fields in Nigeria and
Australia. The pair form part of Shell's
so-called heartland regions, in addition to
Brunei, Malaysia, Oman and the Gulf of Mexico.
The
downgrade comes after a comprehensive internal
review of the company's reserve base, the
company said. A spokesman for Shell said these
reviews are conducted on a rolling basis roughly
every four years.
Shell stressed the
review wasn't prompted by any external factors
or third parties, such as the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (news
-
web sites), which sets the booking
guidelines to which oil companies adhere.
The
Anglo-Dutch oil company attempted to soften the
blow by saying the adjustment would have no
impact in the short-term on production and no
effect on profit for 2003 or previous years. It
also said that that it "anticipated that most of
these reserves will be rebooked in the proved
category over time as field developments
mature."
For the time
being, Shell has shifted 20% of its proved
reserves into a more nebulous unproved category.
But,
Shell's more conservative treatment of its
reserves failed to impress the market.
Analysts
said the adjustment implies Shell was far too
aggressive in booking proved reserves.
"They
realized they could not get the same level of
reserves that they originally anticipated," said
analyst Angus McPhail of ING Financial Markets,
who has a "sell" rating on Shell's shares.
Analysts
said the bombshell has renewed concerns about
management credibility, including that of Chief
Executive Philip Watts, and raised the
possibility that the company would buy its way
out of its reserves problem by launching a fresh
round of acquisitions.
In its
statement, Shell also warned that it will
replace only 70% to 90% of its 2003 oil and gas
with new finds, below market expectations of
100%.
The disclosure
will mean the company has failed to replace all
of its production for the third year running,
raising concerns about its ability to grow in
the future, analysts said.
"This is
a classic case of an oil company not finding
oil," Mr. McPhail said. "A company that cannot
find oil will not be respected by the market."
At 1256
Greenwich Mean Time, Shell's shares were trading
down 7.2% at 372.25 pence. The deep fall rippled
into other oil shares and helped drag the
FTSE-100 lower.
Merrill Lynch
downgraded Royal Dutch's and Shell's shares to
"neutral" from " buy" following the disclosure.
It said the
reserves reclassification will leave the
impression that the oil company is not growing
next to its peers.
Analysts said
they were particularly concerned that Shell
appears to have not been following its own
standard in booking reserves, namely by not
booking reserves before a final investment
decision on a project is made.
In a conference
call with analysts and reporters, Shell's head
of investor relations, Simon Henry, confirmed
this was the case in a number of projects,
including the ChevronTexaco Corp. (NYSE:CVX
-
News)-led Gorgon project off Australia.
"They have a
reputation as being conservative and prudent,
but this raises not only the question of whether
or not they are prudent, but whether or not
they've been following the advice they've been
touting to the market," said Canaccord Capital
analyst Charlie Sharp, who rates Shell a "hold."
Around 50% of
the adjusted reserves are in Nigeria and
Australia, with no more than 10% of reserves
from any other one country being downgraded,
Shell's Mr. Henry said.
He insisted the
people that had originally judged the downgraded
reserves as proved made their decision with
"reasonable certainty," based on the technical
and commercial conditions of the time.
Of the
downgraded reserves, more than 90% were
undeveloped, proved reserves, meaning an
estimate of the oil and gas in the ground at the
various projects was made, but work had yet to
begin. The remaining reserves reduction came
from the proved developed category.
Of the
reclassified reserves, two-thirds are of oil and
natural gas liquids, and one third are natural
gas, Shell said.
The company
reports its fourth-quarter production and
earnings results Feb. 5.
-By Mark Long;
Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9356;
mark.long@dowjones.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
Shell
chief explains silence
|
|
By Carola Hoyos and Joanna Chung
Sir Philip
Watts, the embattled chairman of Royal/Dutch
Shell, on Friday broke his silence after failing
to appear when the oil company announced that it
was slashing its proved reserves by 20 per cent. |
In a letter to
employees, he acknowledged that the unprecedented move
had caused "significant concern" and "in some quarters,
outrage".
The chairman, whose
future was put into doubt this week when some
shareholders called for his resignation, assured his
staff that he was "committed to the full resolution of
this issue as soon as possible".
He also offered a
reason for his absence during the announcement last
week, hinting that his already strained relations with
investors could have overshadowed the facts.
"Since the announcement
involved a technical recategorisation, and we could not
add any further market sensitive information, I did not
participate in the 9 January teleconference," he wrote.
"Given subsequent
reactions, to some this might not seem to have been the
correct decision but we did achieve the objective of
giving the facts unclouded by personality issues in the
first instance."
In the past,
shareholders had criticised Sir Philip for having poor
communication skills, a "brusque" manner, and a
defensive reaction to difficult questions.
He also admitted that
process of reserves accounting, one of the most
important things that an oil company does, had been
flawed at Shell.
The reviews identified
"some potential improvements in the reserves approval
and audit processes", which he said the company had
begun to implement.
Sir Philip also
emphasised that the decision to recategorise the
reserves was triggered by internal processes rather than
the US Securities and Exchange Commission (news
-
web sites). But he had "initiated" contact with the
SEC before the announcement.
Under the SEC rules,
oil companies must book their reserves once they are
reasonably certain the fields will be developed within
the foreseeable future.
The company saw a need
for "immediate action" when the reviews indicated that
the disclosed proved reserves "did not in all cases
properly reflect" the maturity of the development
projects which accounted for a significant proportion of
the recategorisation.
About half of the
reclassified reserves were in Nigeria and Australia.
In Australia, Shell's
misjudgment was amplified by the fact that the company's
two partners on the Gorgon project, ExxonMobil and
ChevronTexaco of the US, had been more cautious and had
not booked the reserves. The SEC has not ruled out
investigating Shell over the matter.
Sir Philip added that
the individuals who worked on the bookings had done so
"in good faith", had followed the "proper processes" and
that there was "no evidence of any misconduct".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aluko
Commentary
Possibly 1 billion
barrels of oil equivalent proven reserve OVER-ESTIMATED
for Nigeria by Shell? Na wa o!
One day, we might just
wake up - and all our oil is gone, because of
"over-estimation!"
Hmmmm...
Problem is: we don't
have independent confirmation ourselves!
Hmmmm....who is telling
the truth here? Who even knows really how much they are
extracting EVERY DAY, not to talk of these unproven
"proven" reserves?
Inquiring minds want to
know.
Bolaji Aluko
Shaking his head
And scratching it too
At too many apparently
crooked Western companies
Operating within and
outside their own countries!
No wonder may of them
"tolerate" Nigeria.
__________________________________________________________________________
|
LONDON -- As the Securities and
Exchange Commission (news
-
web sites) looks poised to delve into a huge overbooking of
reserves by Royal Dutch/Shell (NYSE:RD
-
News) Group , the company's chairman, Philip Watts, has come
under increasing fire for his stewardship of one of the world's
largest oil producers, Wednesday's Wall Street Journal reported.
Last week, Shell said it
erroneously overbooked reserves by 20%. Reserves are a crucial
indicator of an oil company's value. Shares in the group's two
holding companies -- Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. of the
Netherlands, and Shell Transport & Trading Co. of London -- have
fallen sharply since the disclosure Friday.
The unprecedented size of the
overstatement makes an SEC investigation likely. "The Shell
matter seems significant," said SEC Commissioner Roel Campos. "I
am sure our enforcement staff will look into it. It is hard to
see how (Shell) could miss so badly."
SEC commissioners authorize
requests by the agency's enforcement division to undertake
formal investigations. An SEC spokesman in Washington declined
to comment on the likelihood of an investigation.
Sir Philip, 58 years old, led
Shell's exploration-and-production business between 1997 and
2001, the period in which much of the overbookings were
recorded.
A Shell spokesman said Sir
Philip wasn't available to comment, citing a quiet period ahead
of the release of the company's year-end results, set for early
next month. The spokesman also declined to comment on the
prospect of further regulatory action.
Shell officials have said
executives and employees acted in good faith in recording
reserves, which require judgment calls by individual companies
under SEC guidelines. The overbooking erroneously boosted the
company's widely followed reserve-replacement rate and other
important measures that shareholders look at before making
decisions about whether to buy the stock.
Sir Philip is set to retire in
about 18 months, and there aren't any signs of open revolt among
Shell directors.
Wall Street Journal Staff
Reporters Chip Cummins in London and Michael Schroeder in
Washington contributed to this report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business - Dow Jones Business News |
Royal
Dutch/Shell Trims Proved Oil, Gas Reserves
|
|
By
Mark Long
LONDON -- Royal
Dutch/Shell (NYSE:RD
-
News) Group (RD, SC) stunned markets Friday by
saying it has significantly overestimated its proved
global oil and natural gas reserves.
Reserves are the
lifeblood of an oil company and fuel future growth of
its production. Any downgrade is looked upon negatively,
and shares in United Kingdom component Shell Transport &
Trading Co. PLC sank 7.5% in early trading, all but
wiping out strong gains made during December.
In a statement, the
world's third biggest oil company in terms of production
said it would trim its proved oil and gas reserves to
15.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent from 19.5 billion
estimated at December 2002.
Based on current
production, Shell's move cuts its reserve life to 10.6
years from 13.4 years, according to J.P Morgan. Shell's
production in the third quarter averaged 3.9 million
barrels of oil equivalent a day.
The bulk of the
downward reserves adjustment stems from overestimates on
fields in Nigeria and Australia. The pair form part of
Shell's so-called heartland regions, in addition to
Brunei, Malaysia, Oman and the Gulf of Mexico.
The downgrade comes
after a comprehensive internal review of the company's
reserve base, the company said. A spokesman for Shell
said these reviews are conducted on a rolling basis
roughly every four years.
Shell stressed the
review wasn't prompted by any external factors or third
parties, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (news
-
web sites), which sets the booking guidelines to
which oil companies adhere.
The Anglo-Dutch oil
company attempted to soften the blow by saying the
adjustment would have no impact in the short-term on
production and no effect on profit for 2003 or previous
years. It also said that that it "anticipated that most
of these reserves will be rebooked in the proved
category over time as field developments mature."
For the time being,
Shell has shifted 20% of its proved reserves into a more
nebulous unproved category.
But, Shell's more
conservative treatment of its reserves failed to impress
the market.
Analysts said the
adjustment implies Shell was far too aggressive in
booking proved reserves.
"They realized they
could not get the same level of reserves that they
originally anticipated," said analyst Angus McPhail of
ING Financial Markets, who has a "sell" rating on
Shell's shares.
Analysts said the
bombshell has renewed concerns about management
credibility, including that of Chief Executive Philip
Watts, and raised the possibility that the company would
buy its way out of its reserves problem by launching a
fresh round of acquisitions.
In its statement, Shell
also warned that it will replace only 70% to 90% of its
2003 oil and gas with new finds, below market
expectations of 100%.
The disclosure will
mean the company has failed to replace all of its
production for the third year running, raising concerns
about its ability to grow in the future, analysts said.
"This is a classic case
of an oil company not finding oil," Mr. McPhail said. "A
company that cannot find oil will not be respected by
the market."
At 1256 Greenwich Mean
Time, Shell's shares were trading down 7.2% at 372.25
pence. The deep fall rippled into other oil shares and
helped drag the FTSE-100 lower.
Merrill Lynch
downgraded Royal Dutch's and Shell's shares to "neutral"
from " buy" following the disclosure.
It said the reserves
reclassification will leave the impression that the oil
company is not growing next to its peers.
Analysts said they were
particularly concerned that Shell appears to have not
been following its own standard in booking reserves,
namely by not booking reserves before a final investment
decision on a project is made.
In a conference call
with analysts and reporters, Shell's head of investor
relations, Simon Henry, confirmed this was the case in a
number of projects, including the ChevronTexaco Corp.
(NYSE:CVX
-
News)-led Gorgon project off Australia.
"They have a reputation
as being conservative and prudent, but this raises not
only the question of whether or not they are prudent,
but whether or not they've been following the advice
they've been touting to the market," said Canaccord
Capital analyst Charlie Sharp, who rates Shell a "hold."
Around 50% of the
adjusted reserves are in Nigeria and Australia, with no
more than 10% of reserves from any other one country
being downgraded, Shell's Mr. Henry said.
He insisted the people
that had originally judged the downgraded reserves as
proved made their decision with "reasonable certainty,"
based on the technical and commercial conditions of the
time.
Of the downgraded
reserves, more than 90% were undeveloped, proved
reserves, meaning an estimate of the oil and gas in the
ground at the various projects was made, but work had
yet to begin. The remaining reserves reduction came from
the proved developed category.
Of the reclassified
reserves, two-thirds are of oil and natural gas liquids,
and one third are natural gas, Shell said.
The company reports its
fourth-quarter production and earnings results Feb. 5.
-By Mark Long; Dow
Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9356; mark.long@dowjones.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
Shell chief
explains silence
|
|
By
Carola Hoyos and Joanna Chung
Sir Philip Watts, the
embattled chairman of Royal/Dutch Shell, on Friday broke
his silence after failing to appear when the oil company
announced that it was slashing its proved reserves by 20
per cent. |
In a letter to employees, he
acknowledged that the unprecedented move had caused "significant
concern" and "in some quarters, outrage".
The chairman, whose future was
put into doubt this week when some shareholders called for his
resignation, assured his staff that he was "committed to the
full resolution of this issue as soon as possible".
He also offered a reason for
his absence during the announcement last week, hinting that his
already strained relations with investors could have
overshadowed the facts.
"Since the announcement
involved a technical recategorisation, and we could not add any
further market sensitive information, I did not participate in
the 9 January teleconference," he wrote.
"Given subsequent reactions, to
some this might not seem to have been the correct decision but
we did achieve the objective of giving the facts unclouded by
personality issues in the first instance."
In the past, shareholders had
criticised Sir Philip for having poor communication skills, a
"brusque" manner, and a defensive reaction to difficult
questions.
He also admitted that process
of reserves accounting, one of the most important things that an
oil company does, had been flawed at Shell.
The reviews identified "some
potential improvements in the reserves approval and audit
processes", which he said the company had begun to implement.
Sir Philip also emphasised that
the decision to recategorise the reserves was triggered by
internal processes rather than the US Securities and Exchange
Commission (news
-
web sites). But he had "initiated" contact with the SEC
before the announcement.
Under the SEC rules, oil
companies must book their reserves once they are reasonably
certain the fields will be developed within the foreseeable
future.
The company saw a need for
"immediate action" when the reviews indicated that the disclosed
proved reserves "did not in all cases properly reflect" the
maturity of the development projects which accounted for a
significant proportion of the recategorisation.
About half of the reclassified
reserves were in Nigeria and Australia.
In Australia, Shell's
misjudgment was amplified by the fact that the company's two
partners on the Gorgon project, ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco of
the US, had been more cautious and had not booked the reserves.
The SEC has not ruled out investigating Shell over the matter.
Sir Philip added that the
individuals who worked on the bookings had done so "in good
faith", had followed the "proper processes" and that there was
"no evidence of any misconduct".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aluko Commentary
Possibly 1 billion barrels of
oil equivalent proven reserve OVER-ESTIMATED for Nigeria by
Shell? Na wa o!
One day, we might just wake up
- and all our oil is gone, because of "over-estimation!"
Hmmmm...
Problem is: we don't have
independent confirmation ourselves!
Hmmmm....who is telling the
truth here? Who even knows really how much they are extracting
EVERY DAY, not to talk of these unproven "proven" reserves?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Bolaji Aluko
Shaking his head
And scratching it too
At too many apparently crooked
Western companies
Operating within and outside
their own countries!
No wonder may of them
"tolerate" Nigeria.
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