News & Media releases

Shell announces two discoveries in Nigeria Big Cat prospects

28/07/2005

Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration Properties Alpha Limited, companies of the Shell Group, today announced they have made discoveries in two 'Big Cat prospects'. Further appraisal is required to determine the discoveries' resource potential.

The wells, in blocks OPL 322 and OPL 245, were both in frontier areas.

Bobo -1X was drilled in block OPL 322, to a total depth of 5,173 metres in 2,479 metres of water, the second deepest well in offshore Nigeria. Drilling was completed on 16 July 2005, under budget, and found over 140 meters of hydrocarbon bearing sands. Shell Nigeria Exploration Properties Alpha Limited has a 40 per cent shareholding in OPL 322.

Etan -1X was drilled in block OPL 245 to a total depth of 4,574 metres in 1,720 metres of water. The well logged 120 metres of hydrocarbon bearing sands. OPL 245 is 100 per cent held by Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited. Drilling was completed on 20 February 2005.

The wells were drilled by Transocean's rig, the Deepwater Pathfinder, under a unique rig sharing initiative with other Nigeria-based operators, fully supported by the Nigerian Government through its National Petroleum Investment Management Services. The rig sharing arrangement enabled operators to achieve improved synergy, delivery time and cost efficiency. 

Chima Ibeneche, Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, an affiliate of the companies, said today: " We are naturally thrilled by these exploration successes in deepwater Nigeria, which could add new material oil to Shell's portfolio. These recent discoveries have been made in a difficult geological frontier setting, and are the fruit of significant investments in local geological knowledge and application of Shell's deepwater technology. Shell is proud of the contribution it is making towards the realisation of the potential of Nigeria's frontier deepwater hydrocarbon province."

Notes to editors
 
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges.  Shell companies have operations in more than 145 countries with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of Liquefied Natural Gas and Gas to Liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects including wind and solar power.

Disclaimer statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements, that are subject to risk factors associated with the oil, gas, power, chemicals and renewables business. 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, trends or reserves replacement 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, risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets and the successful negotiation and consummation of transactions, the risk of doing business in developing countries, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves, economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions, political risks, project delay or advancement, approvals and cost estimates.

Please refer to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2004 (as amended) for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect the Shell Group's  businesses.  Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any member of the Shell Group undertakes any obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or other information.

Cautionary Note to US Investors 
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (‘SEC’) 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.  We use certain terms in this presentation, such as “expected producible resources” and “amount of reserves we expect to produce”, that the SEC’s guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC.