RD Royal Dutch Petroleum Company

Shell - Disposal of Sinopec Shares LONDON, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies announced today the placement of its holding of approximately 1.9 billion shares in China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec). The sale was achieved through a bookbuilt placing of shares on public markets achieving HK$3.125 per share and raising approximately HK$5.8 billion (US$742 million) before fees and expenses. Sinopec remains a valued partner of Shell and we are jointly developing a number of projects under a Strategic Alliance Agreement signed in 2000. These projects include: - A coal gasification joint venture in Hunan Province, which is now under construction. - Five PSCs signed last year with Sinopec, CNOOC and Unocal for the exploration and production of natural gas in the East China Sea. - A 500-station retail joint venture, which is now awaiting final government approval of a joint venture contract. DATASOURCE: Shell Transport & Trading Company CONTACT: Investor Relations contacts: Simon Henry, +44-207-934-3855, Gerard Paulides, +44-207-934-6287, Bart van der Steenstraten, +31-70-377-3996, Harold Hatchett, +1-212-218-3112. Media Relations contacts: Andy Corrigan, +44-207-934-5963, Simon Buerk, +44-207-934-3453, Herman Kievits, +31-70-377-8750

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