荷兰皇家壳牌的一份内部备忘录警告称，因为尼日利亚政府未能拿出足够资金，作为壳牌非常重要的业务之一，其尼日利亚业务前景岌岌可危。
The future of one of Royal Dutch Shells most important businesses is at risk because the Nigerian government has not funded it properly, an internal company memo1 has warned.
壳牌尼日利亚公司负责人巴兹尔?奥米依写作的备忘录称，尼日利亚政府未能拿出资金，为其在壳牌石油开发企业的多数股权认缴资本，从而给这家企业的存在带来了巨大风险。壳牌石油开发公司负责壳牌在尼日利亚的全部陆上油气业务。
The governments failure to finance its majority share in the Shell Petroleum Development Company, which is responsible for Shells onshore business throughout Nigeria, posed a big risk to its existence, according to a memo by Basil Omiyi, Shells country chair in Nigeria.
依据可以找到的距今近期的数据显示，2006年，尼日利亚是壳牌在石油生产方面第二要紧的国家，仅次于美国。壳牌石油开发公司一度是壳牌在尼日利亚显赫地位的象征，尼日利亚国家石油公司拥有其55%的股权。但，据奥米依给职员的备忘录称，该公司现在面临紧急的筹资问题。这份备忘录是去年11月14日通过邮件传达的，英国《金融时报》看到了备忘录的内容。
Nigeria was Shells second most important country for oil production in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, exceeded only by the US. The SPDC, 55 per cent owned by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, was once a symbol of Shells pre-eminent position in Nigeria. But according to Mr Omiyis memo to staff, circulated in a November 14 e-mail and seen by the Financial Times, it now faces a severe under funding problem.
这份备忘录指出，今年的产量仍将低于产能，打消了大家对这家公司达成先前诺言的期望。这家公司曾保证，将飞速恢复2006年以由来尼日尔三角洲武装暴力冲突而致使的减产。当壳牌和所有西方大型石油公司一样，在提升产量方面无计可施时，武装袭击更是让壳牌在尼日利亚的油气生产降低了三分之一左右。
The memo also dashed hopes the company would keep previous pledges to quickly restore production lost through militant3 violence in the Niger Delta4 since 2006, saying output would remain below capacity this year. Militant attacks have cosplayt Shell about a third of its oil and gas production in Nigeria, adding to its problems when, like all large western oil companies, it is struggling to increase output.
壳牌昨日拒绝对这份备忘录置评。这份备忘录是要向职员讲解，公司计划重组在尼日利亚的三家主要的开采与生产分公司，以削减本钱。备忘录警告称，裁员不可防止，壳牌石油开发公司2008年的预算或许会大幅降低，将来年份也有这种可能。
Shell yesterday declined to comment on the memo, which was circulated to staff to explain plans to cut cosplayts through a restructuring of its three main Nigerian exploration and production businesses. The memo warned job losses were inevitable5 and that SPDC was likely to face a much-reduced budget for 2008 and possibly beyond.