Shell Screen?
What is the Shell Screen?
Many broker insist it does not exist. Here is an example:
Shell Screen London…There is no such thing.
There is no website, there is no company. The “Shell Screen” is an old Joker Broker myth based on a very thin application of truth. There are certain internal computer systems in place used by traders in certain markets. However there is no “Shell Screen Company” in London run by Lloyds of London or the NNPC, (Nigerian National Petroleum Company) or anyone else. The “Shell Screen” doesn’t exist, it is a complete myth….. A oil scam.
This database is totally useless to the following people:
brokers, intermediaries, commodities houses, whale buyers – thus the total frustration with any comment on an offering indicating, “Verifiable anywhere in the world via the shell screen.”
Frankly if it is of no use to any of these people it might as well not exist because these people will never be able to verify documents using it.
Here is what the Shell Screen is:
It is a tool provided by Shell Oil to allow refineries to verify the particulars about a scheduled product set to be lifted from a Shell managed terminal.
It is a data base where refineries (only refineries) can look up the numbers on a Proof of Product document (POP) and verify that the product has actually been allotted and given the Authority to Sell, (ATS) to be sold. This allows principals in a primary oil transaction to be certain they are going to get product before they issue their bank undertaking. They can do this verification from any computer in the world as long as they are registered as a paid client to get access (upwards of $25,000 annual registration – small change in the oil industry). If a refinery has bought crude oil that was lifted via a terminal operated by Shell Oil then they may have an account. Those refineries that have not purchased via a Shell Oil terminal may not have an account.
People in the secondary market don’t like to see this because it means they can not pre-verify
the legitimacy of an offering before presenting it to the end buyer. That puts intermediaries at risk of loosing a relationship if it turns up fraudulent.
The frustration brokers have with this is because Shell Oil will not even allow a buyer or a broker without a refinery license number to get access to the registration page.
It was set up for the benefit of the primary market. In this way the majors are attempting to keep all of the mess with brokers out of their business.
It is part of the “old boys club” so as a broker or a commodities house buyer/seller you will not be able to get access.
I know because I tried to get access to just the registration page and I was told, “Proprietary, not allowed.”
In a contract you might see this passage:
Seller provides to buyer all programming details for information purposes including stem and window.
A POP is provided with information that will be verifiable to any refinery that has an account. This is the information that an account holder can verify on the Shell Screen.
Now, just stating “verifiable on the Shell Screen” is actually more trouble than it is worth because nobody in the secondary market can use this information and there are a lot of people that use this phrase fraudulently because no broker can verify. So it is a pain even talking about this.
So you might ask, then why are you talking about it?
We have a Shell Screen offering. It is actually an OPEC offering direct from the NNPC and the only way the product can be verified is by a refinery that has a Shell Screen account. The NNPC only does FOB type transactions.
If you have a relationship with a refinery that has access to this data base we can help your vessel load. You will need to ask your end buyer (refinery) if they have shell screen access.
If they do then we can send you the POP– mind you, it is not the document that is verified it is the numbers on it. We will be completing our first delivery using this NNPC project manager just before the terminals shut down for the holidays.
Please just go to this form and fill in your details and we will give you the preliminary procedures to get you to a contract and then lift shortly after agreement and POF.
Jeff Scott – CFO Author: Google
Nigerian Oil Services LLC (USA)