Heritage Oil
Angola
In 1991, Tony Buckingham reached a deal with Angolan state oil company SONANGOL and Ranger Oil, which gave him a 10 per cent share in the Ranger-operated Block 4 oilfield off the Angolan coast. The 10 per cent was originally assigned to Branch Energy Ltd, which turned it over to Heritage Oil and Gas, which was registered in the Bahamas.
A separate agreement provided for the creation of Ranger Oil West Africa Ltd, which would be 51 per cent owned by Ranger Oil and 49 per cent owned by Heritage Oil and Gas. The new company was intended to provide technical and advisory services to SONANGOL.[1]
In January 1993, UNITA over-ran Soyo, an imporant supply base for Ranger and other oil companies. UNITA refused requests for access. Buckingham discussed the issue ith other oild companies, and his associate Simon Mann suggested an approach to approach to Eeben Barlow's private military company Executive Outcomes for help. A proposal to retake Soyo was agreed with the Angolan Government.[2]
Executive Outcomes began its assault on Soyo on February 16 1993, and succeeded in taking the town, which as however, retaken by UNITA after EO's withdrawal some six weeks later.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
References
- ↑ Making a Killing: How Corporations Use Armed Force to Do Business, by Madelaine Drohan, Random House Canada, 2003, p200.
- ↑ Making a Killing: How Corporations Use Armed Force to Do Business, by Madelaine Drohan, Random House Canada, 2003, pp205-207.
