Shell seeks settlement for Nigeria oil spill
Negotiations between Royal Dutch Shell PLC and the lawyers representing 15,000 Nigerians claiming compensation for two oil spills that occurred in the Niger Delta in 2008 are set to begin…Shell is facing a lawsuit in London's High Court over the two spills that affected the environment surrounding the Bodo fishing community in the country's oil-rich Niger Delta five years ago. Shell's Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, has admitted liability for the spills, but the two sides disagree on the size of the spills and how much compensation is due…"We will…ensure that Shell pay out a fair amount for the damage they have caused and put the Bodo Creek back into its pre-spill state," said Martyn Day, the lawyer…representing the claimants…. A spokesman for Shell's SPDC said the company was hopeful an acceptable settlement could be reached next week. "...[O]ur goal now is resolution, not recrimination," he said.