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Каспинфо май 2003 |
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Название: Нефть и газ в мире (на англ. яз.) Главные Пункты: * Нарастает социальный кризис в районе нефтяных месторождений в дельте Нигера. Национальная армия, защищая интересы Шеврон, Шелл и других нефт. кампаний применила оружие против граждаского населения. Имеются убитые. * На встрече с ЕБРР в Ташкенте активисты группы "Экозащита!" призвали Банк "заморозить" финансирование займа компании ЛУКОЙЛ по проекту Д6 в Балтийском море. Президент ЕБРР Ж. Лемьер разделяет озабоченность экологов. (05.05.2003) Полный Текст Нефть и газ в мире (на англ. яз.) Нефть и газ в мире (на англ. яз.) *** Nigeria's Ijaw group alleges killings by army LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian political activists said Monday soldiers and marines killed 14 people from the ethnic Ijaw group in the oil-rich south over the week-end but the army denied the allegations. The Ogele Club, an Ijaw cultural and political organization, said in a statement: "Nigerian army and navy oil warriors deployed to defend Chevron, Shell and other oil companies ... opened fire on civilians, killing 12 and injuring 18 others in Warri and the Ogbogbene community." Another two women were killed in a separate attack by the navy Sunday, according to an Ijaw spokesman. But an eyewitness told Reuters Ijaw militants attacked a naval base in the oil city of Warri Friday, contradicting Ijaw activist accounts that they were simply holding peaceful protests. The eyewitness, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the violence began Friday morning when Ijaw militants arrived in 10 speedboats and attacked soldiers and marines at a port in Warri. "Two of the boats had machine-guns and the others had AK47s," he said. "The shooting lasted for about an hour." Army spokesman Emeka Omeamegwa denied soldiers had clashed with Ijaws at all. "As for the army, we have not had any skirmish with them in the past few days," he said. "To the best of my knowledge, we have not killed anybody." A navy spokesman said he could not yet comment on the matter. Ijaws launched a violent protest in mid-February, demanding greater political power in and around the Niger Delta city of Warri, and greater benefits from the lucrative oil industry. Scores of soldiers and civilians were killed in the violence, which forced multinationals to shut down around 40 percent of Nigeria's oil production. Most of the oil from OPEC member Nigeria comes from the Niger Delta, and the competition for oil revenues there has fueled political violence. 05/05/03 14:57 ET OilResistance-Africa information & strategies to support African oil struggles *** Nigeria oil rig crisis unresolved Deployment of the Nigerian navy has failed to resolve a standoff in which angry oil workers have seized control of four rigs with nearly 100 foreign workers aboard. Talks to end the occupation ended in deadlock on Wednesday. Ninety-seven foreign workers, including some 20 Americans and 30 Britons, have been trapped on the platforms since 19 April, but parties on both sides of the dispute have been reluctant to describe them as hostages. The workers say they are protesting against working conditions and the sacking of five colleagues. Oil prices rose slightly on Wednesday as talks failed to resolve the crisis in one of the world's largest oil-exporting nations. The standoff "clearly demonstrates that the situation in Nigeria is anything but calm yet," Commerzbank analyst David Thomas told the French news agency AFP. Oil exports from Nigeria are interrupted regularly by instability in the country. Landing pads blocked The rigs' operators say strikers have blockaded helicopter landing pads, so preventing anyone from leaving. As the stalemate continued, the Nigerian navy moved two ships to the area. Navy spokesman Captain Sinefi Hungiapuko told the BBC he hoped to end the siege through dialogue but that the navy had been authorised to use force. Conditions on board the rigs are worsening and some of the trapped foreigners are afraid for their safety. "If these people start to think they have lost everything, then they will no longer see a need to keep us alive," one worker wrote to his family. Another e-mail said that the strikers had threatened to blow up the oil rigs if their demands are not met. Argument against force A representative of those held hostage, Jake Molloy from the OILC in Aberdeen, said if Transocean, the Houston-based company which owns the rigs, forcibly removed the strikers, the situation would worsen. The union and company representatives held four hours of talks in Lagos on Wednesday to try to resolve the stand-off. But Peter Akpatason, president of the largest oil workers union, said the rigs' owners were insisting that everyone leave the platforms without firm guarantees they would not lose their jobs. He also expressed concern that the navy's involvement could raise tensions. The navy spokesman said the force's mission was just the opposite. "We are trying to make sure things are settled peacefully," Captain Hungiapuko said. But when asked what the navy would do if it encountered resistance, Captain Hungiapuko replied: "What action would you expect military men to take?" Reassurance A UK Foreign Office spokesman in London said they had been assured by the Nigerian Navy that reports it was moving immediately to take control of the rigs were untrue. Transocean spokesman Guy Cantwell insisted the situation was under control. "Everything remains relatively calm and safe on the rigs. "We are working to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible." Such disputes are not uncommon and usually end peacefully after a protracted period of negotiation. It is rare for hostages to be harmed. Nigeria is the world's sixth largest oil exporter, with an Opec export quota of more than two million barrels per day. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2989119.stm *** A MESSAGE TO ECA GLOBAL! To post a message to eca-global, send to eca-global@topica.com EBRD PRESIDENT AND ACTIVISTS CONCERNED OVER ACTIVITY OF RUSSIA'S LARGEST OIL COMPANY RosBusinessColsulting (RBC), 08.05.2003, Moscow 10:22:01 At a meeting with EBRD President Jean Lemierre in Tashkent at the beginning of May ecologists expressed their concerns about LUKoil plans aimed at producing oil at the D6 field near the Curonian Spit National Park, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Ecodefense organization told RBC. Ecodefense submitted a new report to Lemierre about this project of the Russian oil giant. Ecologists pointed to the violations of the law on organizing public discussion of the project D6, restrictions imposed on citizens' access to information about ecological danger of the project and activities aimed at hindering the organization of a public ecological examination of the project. The EBRD President noted that the raised questions were serious and assured ecologists that he shared their concerns. Lemierre said that EBRD representatives would discuss these questions with LUKoil management as soon as possible. The oil deposit D6 (Kratsovskoye) is situated 22 kilometers away from the coast in the Kaliningrad region, close to the Lithuanian-Russian border on the Baltic Sea shelf. In May 2000 the EBRD allocated a $150m credit to LUKoil. In August 2000 LUKoil President Vaghit Alekperov announced the beginning of activities at the D6 field. Ecodefense has urged the EBRD to stop financing LUKoil. |