THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Shut-In Nigeria Oil Flow Stations Restarted –Shell: “Royal Dutch/Shell has reopened the last of five oil flow stations in the Niger Delta shut-in during a dispute with local villagers, a company spokesman said Friday.” (ShellNews.net) 15 Jan 05

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

LONDON -- Royal Dutch/Shell (RD, SC) has reopened the last of five oil flow stations in the Niger Delta shut-in during a dispute with local villagers, a company spokesman said Friday.

Production is now at 67,000 barrels a day versus 70,000 b/d before the shutdowns, the spokesman said.

"The last and fifth flow station is being opened today," he said

Shell still has a force majeure in effect on 114,000 barrels a day of Nigerian oil affected by the shut-in declared Dec. 22.

Unarmed villagers overran the oil facilities Dec. 5 at the Ekulama and neighboring Egbema fields.

Impoverished locals frequently clash with local authorities over demands for a bigger share of the country's oil wealth.

-By Shai Oster, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0)20 7842 9357; shai.oster@dowjones.com