Oil production in Gabon is returning to normal after a 6 day slump triggered by antigovernment rioting.
The fall in oil flow followed a decision by France's Ste. Nationale Elf Aquitaine to shut down all its offshore operations in response to threats against Elf personnel and installations by rioters.
Production resumed when French troops stationed in Gabon moved to protect oil installations.
Sources said Elf's decision to resume production may also have been influenced by threats of retaliation against Elf by Gabonese President Omar Bongo. He reacted to the Elf shutdown by threatening to transfer the company's concessions to new partners.
Elf's decision to shut down production came after riots in the Gabonese oil town of Port Gentil in which seven Elf employees and three employees of a Royal Dutch/Shell Group unit were held hostage for several hours.
Rioting was set off by discovery of the body of opposition leader Joseph Rendjambe in a Libreville hotel room. His death left Marc Saturnin Nan Nguema, former Elf Gabon deputy general manager, as head of the Gabonese Progress party.
In addition to halting production, Elf evacuated most of its expatriate personnel and families.
Shell also evacuated the families of expatriate workers and a number of nonessential staff but kept production flowing from its onshore Rabi Kounga field at reduced levels.
Before the outbreak of trouble Gabon was producing about 270,000 b/d, of which about 110,000 b/d came from Elf fields. Most of the remainder came from Shell's Rabi Kounga field, but the company has declined to reveal figures on production levels since the civil unrest began.
The remaining expatriate oil company personnel in Port Gentil were being guarded by the French army last week, and production facilities were no longer under threat.
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