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Article

19 Jun 2013

Author:
Tom Bawden, Independent (UK)

Shell 'uses sabotage claims to avoid blame for Nigeria oil spills'

Shell's persistent claims that theft and sabotage are responsible for almost all the oil spills at its operation in Nigeria could have been exaggerated, an international watchdog has found. The National Contact Point (NCP) agency…set up to oversee OECD guidelines on multi-national companies, said: "…Shell management should have had a more cautious attitude about the percentage of oil spills caused by…sabotage,"…NCP…reached this conclusion following an investigation into accusations by Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International that Shell…exaggerated the proportion of spills caused by sabotage to avoid paying compensation and to reduce damage to its reputation. A Shell spokesman said: "SPDC [Shell Development Petroleum Company of Nigeria] has been found to be in compliance with the OECD guidelines for multi-national enterprises…and is open to working with others that want to help address the challenges faced in Nigeria."