Royal Dutch Shell has initiated plans to divest its interests in the Al-Omar oilfield in eastern Syria, the country’s single largest producing asset. The field, which has averaged production of approximately 100,000 barrels per day over the past year, came back under full government control in December following a security operation. Shell is in talks with a consortium of U.S. energy companies, including preliminary discussions with Delta Oil and Mathey Petroleum, both of which have expressed formal interest in acquiring field operatorship. The negotiations cover transfer of the existing facilities—four production wells and two central processing units—and include provisions for ongoing maintenance obligations over a five-year transition period. Shell expects to complete the exit agreement by the end of Q2, subject to regulatory approvals in The Hague and Brussels.

On January 20, Shell PLC confirmed that Robin Mooldijk, president of projects and technology, will step down effective February 28. Mooldijk, who joined the executive committee in 2018 and oversaw delivery of five major liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains with combined capacity of 14 million tonnes per annum, will be succeeded by current head of upstream operations, Claudia Hernandez. Hernandez brings 25 years of project management experience and has led two $12 billion deepwater developments in the Gulf of Mexico. The company said the executive reorganization also includes promotion of chief financial officer Taro Suzuki to deputy chief executive, reflecting Shell’s focus on capital discipline and global expansion into renewables.