By Peter Smith in Sydney
Published: August 23 2007 02:15 | Last updated: August 23 2007 02:15
Woodside Petroleum, the Australian oil and gas producer part-owned by Royal Dutch Shell, on Wednesday said it was considering the future of its operations in Africa as it reported a 16 per cent rise in first-half profits.
Don Voelte, chief executive, said the company was exploring a range of options, including selling the assets, hiving them off into a separate businesses, or a public listing. Woodside has suffered oil-drilling setbacks at its operations in Mauritania. It also has interests in ventures in Libya and Algeria.
The company has a number of large projects closer to home, including its flagship Pluto LNG project off Australia’s north-west coast. Woodside has approved a A$12bn (US$9.6bn) development of Pluto, with first shipments expected in 2010.
The group reported a 16 per cent rise in opening-half profits to A$610m after producing 35m barrels of oil equivalent, a rise of 17 per cent.
Mr Voelte repeated guidance that output was likely to rise as much as 15 per cent to between 72m and 78m barrels of oil equivalent in the full year.
“The increase in profit was primarily a result of increased production and the sale of [Australian oil field] Legendre … which outweighed negative impacts from a stronger Australian dollar and higher depreciation [charges],” Woodside said.
The group said it was evaluating options for the proposed 10 million tonnes per annum Browse LNG project, also off Australia’s north-west coast, and had acquired two exploration blocks adjacent to the Browse fields.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
