Shell's Oil Products Business will be moving from the functional Cluster-based organisation to a Zonal organisation with effect from 1st April, 2001. Iain Everingham, Country Chairman for Shell in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and currently Vice President of the MESA (M.E. and S. Asia) Oil Products Cluster, says, "The major driving forces for change are simplicity, standardisation, speed and sharing. The new Zone structure will enable us to build and implement a common operational philosophy at the customer interface within local Sales organisations and to share experiences within countries. Marketing and support structures will operate across the Zone with cost and effectiveness advantages."

On the 16th December, the SITME (Shell International Trading Middle East Limited) time chartered Shell tanker, 'Euplecta', was involved in a dramatic rescue while on passage to Jubail to load a cargo for discharge at Port Rashid. An Indian registered cargo vessel, the 'Sagar Jyodi', suffered engine room flooding 50 miles off the coast of Oman at 04.40 and sent out a mayday message requesting immediate assistance as the crew of 15 were in grave danger.