Stalemate on OPL 245
According to our sources, the arbitration proceedings that have pitted [...]
Published on 19 August 2011
Shell vs Malabu: The OPL 245 Saga
Containing nearly 9 billion barrels of reserves, OPL 245 in Nigeria's offshore has be the theatre of an epic struggle for nearly 10 years between Shell and the local Nigerian firm Malabu Oil & Gas owned by former oil minister Dan Etete. Africa Energy Intelligence has followed each turn in the discreet but hugely important battle. Ten years of reports.
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NIGERIA 08/01/2013
Raiffeisen and OPL 245
The Swiss bank Raiffeisen reportedly had a hand in the [...]
NIGERIA 28/08/2012
Verdict to fall on OPL 245
The arbitration court that is to rule on a suit by Russian lawyer Ednan Agaev against his one-time customer, former [...]
NIGERIA 10/04/2012
Setback for Russian on OPL 245
Russian lawyer Ednan Agaev, who had demanded $65 million in [...]
OPL245: What lay behind $1.3 billion deal
None of the parties involved in last year's acquisition by Shell and ENI of OPL 245 previously controlled by Malabu Oil & Gas headed by Dan Etete has said the least word in public about the deal. [...]
NIGERIA 14/02/2012
OPL 245: Middlemen pushed aside
Two consultants are demanding $289 million in commissions for arranging Malabu Oil's sale of OPL 245 to Shell. [...]
IVORY COAST 13/12/2011
End game for OPL 245
Shell has announced its acquisition of the huge oil field owned by Malabu Oil & Gas run by Dan Etete. But the operation has yet to be finalized. [...]
NIGERIA 18/10/2011
Dele Adesina & Co.
With state-owned NNPC refusing to approve the sale of Malabu [...]
Secret saga behind a 9 billion barrel block
After ten years of maneuvering and court cases, Shell ended up by offering to buy Malabu Oil & Gas’ offshore block OPL 245 (see our report in AEI 656). The stakes in the game were indeed high. [...]
NIGERIA 19/07/2011
OPL 245 saga draws to a close
After more than 10 years of squabbling and court cases, Shell and Malabu Oil & Gas owned by former oil [...]
NIGERIA 10/05/2011
New bout of arbitration
The International Center for Settlement of Investment DIsputes (ICSID) isn’t [...]
NIGERIA 19/04/2011
Nabil Elaraby
Named Egypt’s foreign minister on March 6, lawyer Nabil Elaraby [...]
NIGERIA 07/12/2010
Presidential Deal on OPL 245
Secret talks between RoyalDutch/Shell and Nigeria concerning OPL 245, which [...]
NIGERIA 26/10/2010
Stalemate in Arbitration
Arbitration proceedings pitting RoyalDutch/Shell against Nigeria over the OPL 245 [...]
NIGERIA 19/01/2010
The Fight Gets Rougher for Shell Free
No holds are barred in the battle between Shell and Abuja for the renewal of the group’s blocks. [...]
NIGERIA 30/12/2003
A Long Wait for Acreage
Petrobras and RoyalDutch/Shell have finally signed production sharing contracts for blocks which were respectively awarded to them in December, 2000 and May, 2002. [...]
NIGERIA 03/06/2003
Shell Asked to Pay $550 Mn
A report by the Nigerian parliament's Petroleum Resources Committee on the transfer of OPL 245 from Malabu Oil & Gas [...]
NIGERIA 01/04/2003
Suit Against Nigerian Parliament
RoyalDutch/Shell's lawyer in its case against the Nigerian firm Malabu [...]
NIGERIA 18/03/2003
No Negotiations with Malabu
Representing RoyalDutch/Shell in the dispute pitting it against the Nigerian [...]
Spotlight AFRICA 04/03/2003
Dr. Total and Mr. Elf
When he presented his group's results for 2002 last week, TotalFinaElf boss Thierry Desmaret said his company would be re-named Total in May. The announcement came as the ?Elf scandal,? which kept the French financial police busy over the past [. [...]
NIGERIA 05/11/2002
Shell in Secret Talks
After acquiring OPL 245 in a direct sale, RoyalDutch/Shell is now engaged in discreet bargaining with Nigeria for another block, OPL 256. [...]
Oil Putsch Against Obasanjo
An attempt to topple Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in early August stemmed largely from oil disputes. [...]
NIGERIA 27/08/2002
Banned from Representing Shell
The Nigerian lawyer chief Afe Babolala, who represented RoyalDutch/Shell during [...]
NIGERIA 23/07/2002
Arbitration Set for OPL 245
An arbitration board in London will hand down its finding on the dispute pitting Shell against Malabu on OPL 245 this summer. Some embarrassing details are expected to emerge. [...]
NIGERIA 25/06/2002
Shell's Woes on OPL 245
To try to head off a suit filed by Dan Etete on the conditions in which OPL 245 was awarded [...]
NIGERIA 28/05/2002
Obasanjo vs Etete 2nd Round
The campaign by former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete to recover OPL 245 has taken a highly political turn and triggered a counter-attack by the president. [...]
Dan Etete's Case in U.S. Court
Dan Etete, oil adviser to the late Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha, could return to his country's petroleum and political arena. [...]
NIGERIA 26/03/2002
Law Suit Filed for OPL 245
The OPL 245 block was awarded in 1998 and withdrawn in 2001. AEI understands the acreage could become the object of a law suit in the United States. [...]