Shell Offers $51M to Settle Nigeria Oil Spills
Royal Dutch Shell is ready to pay up to 30 million pounds ($51 million) in compensation for two oil spills in Nigeria in 2008 after a London court rejected a larger claim, sources involved in the case said on Friday. Around 11,000 residents of the Bodo community in the Niger Delta represented by law firm Leigh Day appealed in 2011 to a London court for more than 300 million pounds in compensation for the spilling of 500,000 barrels of oil. The sources said a Shell offer from September 2013 to settle the case for 30 million pounds remained on the table. The lawyer representing the claimants on Friday rejected the sum. "Shell have consistently sought to underestimate the damage whilst paying only lip service to an apology.
Shell: Bonga Oil Leak Largely Dispersed
SNEPCo confirmed the oil leak from the Bonga facility off the coast of Nigeria has largely dispersed. The news comes five days after less than 40,000 barrels of oil leaked during a routine operation to transfer of oil from Bonga’s floating production, storage and offtake (FPSO) vessel to an oil tanker. Since the leak, teams from SNEPCo have worked around the clock with international oil spill experts, using a combination of dispersants and booms to tackle the leaked oil. SNEPCo will continue to monitor the area, including using radar satellite, and take appropriate steps to disperse any further persistent oil sheens. SNEPCo's robust response and the natural weathering process, has helped bring a swift end to this incident.
