"It could be that Duma simply got tired of waiting for the financing to emerge and intervened."
Could be I guess, STP. I can't believe it though. Kinda odd I think that first Potape, then Duma, would go nuclear and threaten/claim project cancellation beginning in July 2011 if they were 'just tired of waiting'. With so much change of heart by PNG powers in just a few months, the logical conclusion is Project Zebra was real and Shell was behind it as accused. Subsequent comments by PNG pols affirm there was obstruction by DPE.
Timeline revisit:
Duma/Somare were toasting the EWC JVOA which expanded to 3mtpa LNG in Feb 2011, as IOC was lining up FLEX. Which in Apr. 2011 FLEX agreed to join, and that FLNG was backed and guaranteed to perform by SHI. That's as good as a FLNG deal gets. Mitsui was in with a 5% E/A option, that's worth what.....a Billion$? That's about the time Somare gone missing with sad heart in Singapore and Project Zebra was said to have been implemented. Noble OT came July 4ish 2011 and Japs needed contracts in a post nuke JP. Sure looks like IOC was on the way to pulling off financing and OT sales for the project. Just doing the cash flow math from the 2 royalty deals with EWC/FLEX is astounding. Plenty of $ to attract financiers or partners if needed. After all E/A will produce 100's of Billions of LNG sales ALONE. That revenue is ample motive for an attempt to steal IOC's project by Shell.
Just seems too simple that an absent Somare coincided with all the allegations and change of heart.
Could be I guess, STP. I can't believe it though. Kinda odd I think that first Potape, then Duma, would go nuclear and threaten/claim project cancellation beginning in July 2011 if they were 'just tired of waiting'. With so much change of heart by PNG powers in just a few months, the logical conclusion is Project Zebra was real and Shell was behind it as accused. Subsequent comments by PNG pols affirm there was obstruction by DPE.
Timeline revisit:
Duma/Somare were toasting the EWC JVOA which expanded to 3mtpa LNG in Feb 2011, as IOC was lining up FLEX. Which in Apr. 2011 FLEX agreed to join, and that FLNG was backed and guaranteed to perform by SHI. That's as good as a FLNG deal gets. Mitsui was in with a 5% E/A option, that's worth what.....a Billion$? That's about the time Somare gone missing with sad heart in Singapore and Project Zebra was said to have been implemented. Noble OT came July 4ish 2011 and Japs needed contracts in a post nuke JP. Sure looks like IOC was on the way to pulling off financing and OT sales for the project. Just doing the cash flow math from the 2 royalty deals with EWC/FLEX is astounding. Plenty of $ to attract financiers or partners if needed. After all E/A will produce 100's of Billions of LNG sales ALONE. That revenue is ample motive for an attempt to steal IOC's project by Shell.
Just seems too simple that an absent Somare coincided with all the allegations and change of heart.