Shell Oil Evacuates Employees from

 

By Carrie Giardino

Shell oil company is evacuating¹ non-essential employees from the Niger Delta² area in Nigeria amid fears of clashes between government forces and armed bandits operating in the region.

London-based Shell spokesman Simon Buerk says recent skirmishes between military forces and armed militias³ in parts of the Niger Delta have led to the evacuation.

"There are basically reports about growing insecurity in the area and we have evacuated⁴ about 235 non-essential personnel from our facilities in the Soku and Ekulama areas which are in the eastern Niger Delta and currently there is no production impact."

Mr. Buerk stressed that the two facilities being evacuated only make up a small portion of Shell's total presence in the Niger Delta, which accounts for just over ten percent of Shell's worldwide oil production.

"We're the most widely spread oil company in the Delta and that is basically where people go in and tap into pipelines⁶ and steal crude normally at night with barges⁷. And that is a general issue."

The Nigerian government has been trying to crack down on the pirating of oil by the local militias. Last week a pipeline⁵ explosion caused by fuel thieves outside of the commercial capital Lagos led to the deaths of more than four dozen people.

Nigerian army spokesman Colonel Mohammed Yusuf says he understands the concern by Shell in evacuating its employees.

"If let's say there is an oil [company] drilling something there, of course somebody will say okay the foreign oil whatever is operating there, they will say the employees should leave the place. In Niger Delta these hooligans, we don't know what their objective is anyway and they are making life very unsafe for the people of Nigeria citizens and the foreign oil, I mean all the law abiding⁸ citizens they don't allow them to live peacefully."

He says the Nigerian army patrols the region around the clock to combat the armed gangs who steal the crude oil. In the past few weeks there have been reports of the gangs targeting police and soldiers patrolling the areas as well as an attack on civilians⁹ eating in a restaurant.

Carrie Giardino for VOA news in Abidjan.
注释：
non-essential 不重要的
Niger 尼日尔
bandit 强盗
skirmish 小冲突
insecurity 不安全
crude 原油
militia 民兵
hooligan 流氓
around the clock 昼夜不停地

1 evacuating   

撤离，疏散( evacuate的现在分词 )； 排空（胃肠），排泄（粪便）； （从危险的地方）撤出，搬出，撤空

参考例句：

• The solution is degassed by alternately freezing, evacuating and thawing. 通过交替的冻结、抽空和溶化来使溶液除气。
• Are we evacuating these potential targets? 能够在这些目标地域内进行疏散吗？

2 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

3 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

4 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

5 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

6 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

7 barges   

驳船( barge的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tug is towing three barges. 那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
• There were plenty of barges dropping down with the tide. 有不少驳船顺流而下。

8 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。