Royal Dutch Shell said on Friday it had completed the sale of its 30 percent stake in a Nigerian oil field for $737 million as the Anglo-Dutch oil major nears the completion of a strategic asset review in the West African country.
Oil and Mining Lease (OML) 18 and "related facilities in the Eastern Niger Delta" were sold to Eroton Exploration & Production Company Limited.
Eroton is a a special purpose company owned directly or indirectly by a consortium. Eroton also acquired French oil major Total's 10 percent stake and Italy's Eni's 5 percent stake in OML 18, giving it a total 45 percent holding, Shell said in a statement. The remaining 55% is owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The total purchase price for the interest was US$1.1 billion, not including acquisition costs. All approvals required for the completion of the acquisition of OML 18 have been received from the relevant authorities of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
