SEC report prepared by Stürtz GmbH

FORM 6-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington D.C. 20549

REPORT OF FOREIGN ISSUER

Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16

under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the month of May 2006

Commission File Number 1-32575

Royal Dutch Shell plc

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

30, Carel van Bylandtlaan, 2596 HR The Hague

The Netherlands

(Address of principal executive offices)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F: 

Form 20-F [X]      Form 40-F _______

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ......

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ...... 

Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information co ntained in this Form, the registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934..

Yes _______       No [X]  

If "Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to theregistrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82- _______  


Royal Dutch Shell

Summary unaudited results

 

 

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

%

Income attributable to shareholders 1

6,893

6,6 75

+3

Estimated current cost of supplies (CCS) adjustment for Oil Products and Chemicals - see note 2

805

1,220

CCS earnings 1

6,088

5,455

+12

Cash from operating activities

7,824

8,680

Cash from operating activities excluding net working capital movements and taxation paid/accrued - see note 7

9,183

9,107

Capital investment

4,230

3,240

Upstream production (thousand boe/d) 2

3,746< /p>

3,847

-3

1 including discontinued operations – see note 3

2100% of Shell companies production plus Shell share of production of equity accounted investments

Delivering good results; building the future

  • CCS earnings of $6,088 million, up 12%
  • First quarter results of $0.94 basic CCS earnings per share, u p 15% versus first quarter 2005
  • Upstream performance satisfactory, underpinned by oil and gas price increases, LNG earnings and production of 3,746 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day, up 1% excluding hurricane and pricing effects
  • Downstream earnings robust against moderated market conditions versus first quarter 2005; Chemicals earnings impacted by lower margins
  • First quarter dividend of €0.25 per share increased by 9%
  • $1.5 billion or 0.7% of Royal Dutch Shell shares bought back for cancellation during the first quarter

Chief Executive Jeroen van der Veer said: “Our overall performance was satisfactory despite a series of operational challenges in the quarter, created by external factors in Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico. Smooth star t-ups in upstream and chemicals, combined with our strengthening portfolio and project progress, underscore our confidence for the future.

We continue to focus on delivery through operational excellence in today’s portfolio, and a disciplined approach to investments in new assets for the coming years.

We are committed to delivering long-term competitive performance, both in terms of profitability, and payout. We have increased our dividend to €0.25 per share, and transacted $1.5 billion of share buy-backs in the quarter.”

Segment earnings

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

%

Segment earnings

Exploration & Production

3,743

2,955

Gas & Power

765

476

Oil Products (CCS basis)

1,333

1,880

Chemicals (CCS basis)

139

354

Other segments/Corporate

222

(125)

Minority Interest

(114)

(85)

CCS earnings

6,088

5,455

+12

 

Earnings in the first quarter 2006 reflected the following items, which in aggregate were net gains of $113 million (compared to net gains of $220 million in the first quarter 2005):

  • Exploration & Production first quarter 2006 earnings included net gains of $113 million (mainly related to the resolution of contractual issues, partly offset by a $34 million charge related to the mark-to-market valuation of certain UK gas contracts).

First quarter 2005 earnings for Exploration & Production included charges of $41 million; for Gas & Power included net gains of $48 million; for Oil Products included net gains of $427 million and for Chemicals included a $214 million charge. These mainly related to divestments and mark-to-market valuation.

 


Key features of the first quarter 2006

Basic earnings per share -
(see note 8)
  • First quarter 2006 basic earnings per share for Royal Dutch Shell (see note 8) were $1.06. First quarter basic CCS earnings per share were $0.94 an increase of 15% compared to the first quarter in 2005.
First quarter 2006
dividend
  • First quarter 2006 dividends have been announced of €0.25 per share, an increase of 9% compared to the first quarter of 2005.
Reported income
  • First quarter reported income of $6,893 million was 3% higher than a year ago. The effective tax rate increased and included a higher proportion of Upstream earnings.
CCS earnings - see note 2
  • First quarter CCS earning s (i.e. on an estimated current cost of supplies basis for the Oil Products and Chemicals segment earnings) were $6,088 million or 12% higher compared to the first quarter 2005.
ROACE –see note 4
  • Return on average capital employed (ROACE) on a reported income basis (see note 4) was 25.3% on a rolling four quarter basis in the first quarter 2006 compared to 22.2% in the first quarter 2005.
Upstream EP
segment earnings
  • Exploration & Production se gment earnings of $3,743 million were 27% higher than a year ago ($2,955 million), mainly reflecting strong oil and gas price realisations, partly offset by lower volumes and higher costs.
Production
  • First quarter 2006 production was 3,746 thousand boe per day, reflecting the partial shut-in of production in Nigeria due to civil disturbances and production deferred in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the 2005 hurricanes. Excluding the impacts of the deferred hurricane production and lower entitlements due to higher hydrocarbon prices, production was 1% higher than a year ago. In Nigeria, some 455 thousand boe per day on a 100% basis (Shell share 165 thousand boe per day) remains shut in at the end of the first quarter 2006.
Upstream
GP segment earnings
  • Gas & Power segment earnings were $765 million compared to $476 million a year ago, and reflected strong LNG results and higher marketing and trading earnings. LNG results benefited from strong prices, LNG marketing activities, increased dividends received and record sales volumes.
Upstream ( unit) earnings
  • Upstream Exploration & Production plus Gas & Power segment unit earnings, calculated as segment earnings divid ed by production for the quarter, are $13.37 per boe, 35% higher than in the same quarter a year ago and higher than the increase in marker crude oil and gas prices.
Downstream OP segment earnings
  • Oil Products CCS earnings were $1,333 million compared to $1,880 million a year ago which included net gains of $427 million. Lower refining earnings due to lower margins and reduced utilisation were partly offset by higher income from a positive trading environment and higher marketing earnings.
Downstream Chemicals segment earnings
  • Chemicals CCS earnings were $139 million compared to $354 million for the first quarter of 2005, which included $214 million charges related to divested assets. Earnings reflected significantly lower margin realisations.
Cash flow from operations
  • Cash flow from operating activities, excluding net working capital movements, taxation and taxation paid, was $9,183 million, compared to $9,107 million a year ago. The share of profit of equity accounted investments was $763 million higher than the dividends received in the first quarter 2006 and impacted this quarter’s cash flow from operating activities.
Gearing and allocation of cash
  • Gearing, including other commitments such as operating leases and retirement benefits, and net of cash holdings minus operational cash requirements, was 12.0% versus, on a comparable Royal Dutch Shell basis, 14.7% at the end of the first quarter in 2005. Total cash returned to shareholders was $3.4 billion.
Capital Investment
  • Capital investment for the first quarter 2006 was $3.8 billion (excluding the minority share of Sakhalin of $0.4 billion).
Buy back
  • Share purchases for cancellation amounted to $1.5 billion or 0.7% of shares outstanding in the first quarter of 2006

First quarter 2006 investments and portfolio developments

Upstream portfolio developments during the quarter:

Upstream:
Exploration & Production;
Gas & Power

In Brunei, oil production started from the first well from Phase III of the Champion West field (Shell Share 50%) using Smart Field Technology. Current Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) production is around 370 thousand boe per day, and over time, almost a quarter of BSP’s production is expected to come from Champion West.

In Nigeria, the first phase of t he deepwater Erha field (Shell share approximately 44%) started up in April 2006, with production to ramp up to 150 thousand boe per day over time.

In Canada, Shell acquired heavy oil acreage with an estimated 30 billion barrels of oil equivalent in place. Shell will evaluate and assess enhanced and new heavy oil technologies to potentially develop these resources.

In Australia, Shell acquired acreage in the Carnarvon Basin through offshore block (WA-374-P) in the Greater Gorgon Area (Shell Share 25%) and in the Browse Basin through the permit area WA-371-P in the Caswell Sub-basin (Shell Share 100%).

In Norway, Shell and Statoil have signed an agreement to work towards developing the world's largest project using carbon dioxide (CO2) for enhanced oil recovery offshore. The concept involves capturing CO2 from power generation and utilising it to enhance oil recovery, resulting in increased energy production.

In India, Shell signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) covering possible areas of cooperation of upstream and downstream activities in India and internationally.

Also in India, a new technology centre will be opened by Shell in Bangalore in 2006, to be staffed over time by more than 1,000 technical professionals. This centre complements the main existing centres in the USA and Europe and will deliver high-end technical studies, projects and technical services for Shell globally, as well as supporting Shell’s interests in India.

 

Downstream portfolio developments during the quarter:

Downstream:Oil Products;
Chemicals

Shell completed the sale of its Oil Products businesses in Jamaica, Bahamas, Paraguay and Rwanda.

An agreement was signed to acquire Koch Materials China (Hong Kong) Limited, a bitumen manufacturing and marketing business in China. The deal increases Shell’s bitumen production more than doubling the size of Shell’s Bitu men business in China to 6,600 tons per day, representing around 20% of Shell Bitumen global volume.

Also in China, the CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals Company Limited joint venture (Shell share 50%) started operation of its Nanhai petrochemicals complex in Guangdong. By the end of the first quarter all plants were manufacturing product as per specification and commercial operations began.

 

Earnings by indu stry segment

Exploration & Production

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

%

Segment earnings

3,743

2,955

+27

Crude oil production (thousand b/d)1

1,966

2,144

-8

Natural gas production ava ilable for sale (million scf/d) 1

10,324

9,875

+5

Total including oil sands (thousand boe per day) 1

3,746

3,847

< p style="text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-align:right;font:9pt/11pt;font-family:Garamond, serif;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;color:Black;">-3

1100% of Shell companies production plus Shell share of equity accounted investments.

First quarter segment earnings of $3,743 million were 27% higher than a year ago ($2,955 million), mainly reflecting strong oil and gas price realisations partly offset by lower volumes and higher costs.

Exploration & Production first quarter 2006 earnings included net gains of $113 million versus charges of $41 million a year ago. The net gain in the first quarter of 2006 mainly related to the resolution of contractual issues, partly offset by a $34 million charge related to the mark-to-market valuation of certain UK gas contracts.

Liquids realisations were 31% higher than a year ago, exceeding increases in marker crudes Brent of 30% and WTI of 27%. Outside the USA gas realisations increased by 30% and in the USA gas realisations increased by 40%.

First quarter 2006 production was 3,746 thousand boe per day, reflecting the partial shut-in production in Nigeria due to civil disturbances (a reduction of 110 thousand boe per day Shell share compared to last year) and production deferred in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the 2005 hurricanes (a reduction of 97 thousand boe per day Shell share compared to last year). Excluding the impacts of the deferred Gulf of Mexico production and lower entitlements due to higher hydrocarbon prices, production was 1% higher than a year ago.

Production included new volumes of 109 thousand boe per day mainly from Bonga (Shell Share 55%) in Nigeria and also from West Salym (Shell Share 50%) in Russia and acquired production Onshore Texas (Shell share 100%) compared to last year.

In Nigeria some 455 thousand boe per day operated production on a 100% basis (Shell share 165 thousand boe per day) remains shut in at the end of the first quarter 2006. The Mars platform in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to start production in May 2006, and reach pre-Katrina rates by the end of June 2006 and ahead of earlier expectations. As a result some 4 million barrels (Shell share) are now expected to be deferred in the Gulf of Mexico in the second quarter 2006.

Gas & Power

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

%

Segment earnings

765

476

+61

Equity LNG sales volume (million tonnes)

3.00

2.88

+4

First quarter segment earnings were $ 765 million compared to $476 million a year ago. Earnings in 2005 included net gains of $48 million mainly related to asset divestments. Excluding these effects, earnings were up 79%, a quarterly record and reflected strong LNG and marketing and trading results.

LNG earnings increased mainly as a result of strong LNG prices, LNG marketing activities and dividends received and also from record LNG sales volumes. LNG volumes of 3 million tonnes were up 4% compared to the first quarter in 2005 due to the start of Trains 4 and 5 at Nigeria LNG (Shell share 26%) and the new Qalhat LNG project in Oman (Shell indirect share 11%), supported by strong demand in Asia Pacific.

Marketing and trading earnings were driven by favourable conditions in Continental European markets and also in the USA, including gas storage optimization and higher prices and volumes.

Oil Products

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

%

Segment earnings

2,103

3,051

-31

CCS adjustment – see note 2

(770)

(1,171)

Segment CCS earnings

1,333

1,880

-29

Refinery intake (thousand b/d)

3,862

4,057

-5

Oil product sales (thousand b/d) 1

6,525

< /td>

7,464

See 1

1Certain contracts are classified as held for trading purposes and reported net rather than gross with effect from Q3 2005. The effect in Q1 2006 is a reduction in total oil products sales of approximately 890 thousand b/d.

First quarter segment earnings were $2,103 million compared to $3,051 million for the same period last year.

First quarter CCS earnings were $1,333 million compared to $1,880 million a year ago which included net gains of $427 million mainly related to divestments. Lower refining earnings due to lower margins and reduced utilisation, were partly offset by higher income from a positive trading environment and higher marketing earnings.

In Manufacturing, Supply and Distribution, refining margins declined in Asia Pacific, Europe and the US West Coast partly offset by higher US Gulf Coast margins. Refinery utilisation on an Equivalent Distillation Capacity basis declined to 77.1% compared to 81.4% in the first quarter of 2005, mainly due to higher levels of planned and unplanned downtime in 2006. Refinery intake declined 4.8% compared to the first quarter of 2005. In Marketing including Lubricants and B2B, earnings increased compared to the same period a year ago. The increase is mainly due to higher margins in Retail, Commercial Fuels and Lubricants. Marketing sales volumes declined 3.6% compared to volumes in the first quarter of 2005 including the impact from divested volumes of 1.4%.

Chemicals

< td valign="top" style="padding-top:2px;padding-left:3px;padding-right:3px;">

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

%

Segment earnings

183

449

-59

CCS adjustment – see note 2

(44)

(95)

Segment CCS earnings

139

354

-61

Sales volumes (thousand tonnes)

5,941

5,861

+1

 

First quarter segment earnings were $183 million compared to $449 million for the same period last year.

First quarter CCS earnings were $139 million compared to $354 million for the first quarter of 2005, which included a charge of $214 million related to divested assets. Earnings declined compared to a year ago mainly due to significantly lower margins as a result of high f eedstock cost and start-up cost related to the Nanhai complex in China, partly offset by higher trading earnings.

Operating rates were unchanged at 85% reflecting a reduction in unplanned downtime and higher levels of planned outages. Fixed costs were also in line with last year. Overall sales volumes were 1% higher reflecting lower margin trading volume increases, which more than offset lower sales of first line derivatives.

In the USA ethylene margin realisations for Shell’s oil based feedstock crackers were negatively impacted by market conditions.

Other Industry & Corporate segments

FIRST QUARTER

$ million

2006

2005

Other Industry segment earnings

(8)

(8)

Corporate segment earnings

230

(117)

Other Industry and Corporate segment earnings

222

(125)

First quarter Other Industry and Corporate segment results were a gain of $222 million compared to a loss of $125 million a year ago and included an improved net interest result from lower debt levels and capitalised interest and favourable results from currency movements.

 

Note

All amounts shown throughout this report are unaudited.

Second quarter results for 2006 are expected to be announced on July 27, 2006 and third quarter results for 2006 are expected to be announced on October 26, 2006.

In this Report “Group” is defined as Royal Dutch Shell together with all of its consolidated subsidiaries. The expressions “Shell”, “Group”, “Shell Group” and “Royal Dutch Shell” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to the Group or Group companies in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Group companies in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies. The expression “Group companies” as used in this Report refers to companies in which Royal Dutch Shell either directly or indirectly has control, by having either a majority of the voting rights or the right to exercise a controlling influence. The companies in which the Group has significant influence but not control are referred to as “associated companies” or “associates” and companies in which the Group has joint control are referred to as “jointly controlled entities”. In this Report, associates and jointly controlled entities are also referred to as “equity accounted investments”.

This document contains forward-looking statements concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ‘‘anticipate’’, ‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘expect’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘objectives’’, ‘‘outlook’’, ‘‘probably’’, ‘‘project’’, ‘‘will’’, ‘‘seek’’, ‘‘target’’, ‘‘risks’’, ‘‘goals’’, ‘‘should’’ and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this Report, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for the Group’s produc ts; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserve estimates; (f) loss of market and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including potential litigation and regulatory effects arising from recategorisation of reserves; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, project delay or advancement, approvals and cost estimates; and (m) changes in trading conditions. All forward-looking statements contained in this Report are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking s tatements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this Report. Neither Royal Dutch Shell nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this Report.

Please refer to the Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2005 for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's businesses.

Cautionary Note to US Investors:

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits oil and gas companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only proved reserves that a company has demonstrated by actual production or conclusive formation tests to be economically and legally producible under existing economic and operating conditions. We use certain terms in this announcement, such as "barrels of oil equivalent in place" that the SEC's guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575 and disclosure in our Forms 6-K file No 1-32575, available on the SEC’s website w ww.sec.gov. You can also obtain these forms from the SEC by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

May 4, 2006

 

Appendix 1: Royal Dutch Shell financial report and tables

Statement of income (see note 1)

$ million

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

% 1

Revenue2

75,964

75,496

72,156

+5

Cost of sales

61,922

63,889

58,565

___________

___________

___________

Gross profit

14,042

11,607

13,591

+3

Selling, distribution and administrative expenses

3,413

4,263

3,539

Exploration expenses

281

502

261

Share of profit of equity accounted investments

1,823

1,389

1,573

Net finance costs and other (income)/expense

(155)

56

70

___________

___________

___________

Income before taxation

12,326

8,175

11,294

+9

Taxation

5,310

3,572

4,274

___________

___________

___________

Income from continuing operations

7,016

4,603

7,020

Income/(loss) from discontinued operations

-

-

(214)

___________

___________

___________

Income for the period

7,016

4,603

6,806

+3

Attributable to minority interest

123

235

131

___________

___________

___________

Income attributable to shareholders

6,893

4,368

6,675

+3

___________

___________

___________

1 Q1 on Q1 change

2 Revenue is stated after deducting sales taxes, excise duties and similar levies of $16,709 million in Q1 2006, $17,344 million in Q4 2005 and $17,912 million in Q1 2005.

 

Basic earnings per share (see notes 1 and 8)

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Earnings per share ($)

1.06

0.67

0.99

CCS earnings per share ($)

0.94

0.82

0.82

 

Diluted earnings per share (see notes 1 and 8)

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Earnings per share ($)

1.05

0.66

0.99

CCS earnings per share ($)

0.93

0.82

0.82

 

Earnings by industry segment (see notes 2 and 5)

$ million

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

% 1

Exploration & Production:

World outside USA

2,795

2,836

2,010

+39

USA

948

725

945

-

___________

___________

___________

3,743

3,561

2,955

+27

___________

___________

___________

Gas & Power:

World outside USA

723

465

518

+40

USA

42

65

(42)

___________

___________

___________

765

530

476

+61

___________

___________

___________

Oil Products:

World outside USA

1,071

1,583

1,475

-27

USA

262

315

405

-35

___________

___________

_________ __

1,333

1,898

1,880

-29

___________

___________

___________

Chemicals:

World outside USA

173

155

249

-31

USA

(34)

(147)

105

___________

___________

___________

139

8

354

-61

___________

___________

___________

Other industry segments

(8)

(110)

(8)

___________

___________

___________

TOTAL OPERATING SEGMENTS

5,972

5,887

5,657

+6

___________

___________

___________

Corporate:

Interest income/(expense)

0

51

(70)

Currency exchange gains/(losses)

112

(145)

(40)

Other - including taxation

118

(73)

(7)

___________

___________

___________

230

(167)

(117)

___________

___________

___________

Minority interest

(114)

(279)

(85)

___________

___________

___________

CCS EARNINGS

6,088

5,441

5,455

+12

___________

___________

___________

CCS adjustment for Oil Products and Chemicals

805

(1,073)

1,220

___________

___________

___________

Income attributable to shareholders

6,893

4,368

6,675

+3

___________

___________

___________

1 Q1 on Q1 change

 

Summarised balance sheet (see notes 1 and 6)

$ million

Mar 31

Dec 31

Mar 31

 

2006

2005

2005

 

ASSETS

Non-current assets:

 

Intangible assets

4,444

4,350

4,428

 

Property, plant and equipment

88,537

87,558

85,779

Investments:

 

equity accounted investments

18,153

16,905

18,763

financial assets

3,929

3,672

3,704

Deferred tax

2,393

2,562

2,775

Prepaid pension costs

2,742

2,486

2,250

Other

4,667

4,091

6,206

___________

___________

___________

 

124,865

121,624

123,905

 

___________

___________

___________

 

Current assets:

 

Inventories

21,600

19,776

17,517

 

Accounts receivable

60,801

66,386

45,153

 

Cash and cash equivalents

12,767

11,730

10,082

  ;

___________

___________

___________

 

95,168

97,892

72,752

 

___________

___________

___________

 

___________

___________

___________

 

TOTAL ASSETS

220,033

219,516

196,657

___________

___________

___________

 

LIABILITIES

Non-current liabilities:

 

Debt

7,347

7,578

8,000

 

Deferred tax

11,061

10,763

12,625

Retirement benefit obligations

5,926

5,807

6,358

Other provisions

7,708

7,385

6,821

Other

4,550

5,095

5,788

 

___________

___________

___________

 

36,592

36,628

39,592

___________

___________

___________

 

Current liabilities:

 

Debt

5,185

5,338

5,718

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

62,350

69,013

45,820

 

Taxes payable

11,047

8,782

11,228

 

Retirement benefit obligations

289

282

308

Other provisions

1,599

1,549

1,576

___________

___________

___________

 

80,470

84,964

64,650

 

___________

___________

___________

 

___________

___________

___________

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES

117,062

121,592

104,242

 

___________

___________

___________

 

Equity attributable to Shareholders

95,501

90,924

86,738

 

 

Minority interest

7,470

7,000

5,677

 

___________

___________

___________

 

TOTAL EQUITY

102,971

< p style="text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-align:right;font:9pt/11pt;font-family:Garamond, serif;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;color:Black;">97,924

92,415

 

___________

___________

___________

 

___________

___________

___________

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

220,033

219,516

196,657

___________

___________

___________

 

 

Summarised statement of cash flows (see notes 1 and 7)

$ million

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

Income for the period

7,016

4,603

6,806

Adjustment for:

Current taxation

5,015

4,490

4,311

Interest (income)/expense

232

148

160

Depreciation, depletion and amortisation

2,812

2,787

3,155

(Profit)/loss on sale of assets

(185)

(210)

(558)

Decrease/(increase) in net working capital

(1,979)

3,295

(1,551)

Share of profit of equity accounted investments

(1,823)

(1,389)

(1,359)

Dividends received from equity accounted investments

1,060

1,441

992

Deferred taxation and other provisions

578

(869)

(392)

Other

(507)

833

303

___________

___________

___________

Cash flow from operating activities (pre-tax)

12,219

15,129

11,867

___________

___________

___________

Taxation paid

(4,395)

(6,664)

(3,187)

___________

___________

___________

Cash flow from operating activities

7,824

8,465

8,680

___________

___________

___________

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Capital expenditure

(3,819)

(5,447)

(2,934)

Investments in equity accounted investments

(231)

(138)

(188)

Proceeds from sale of assets

506

396

1,008

Proceeds from sale of equity accounted investments

8

211

50

Proceeds from sale of / Additions to financial assets

(40)

(1)

(24)

Interest received

234

245

190

___________

___________

___________

Cash flow from investing activities

(3,342)

(4,734)

(1,898)

___________

___________

___________

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Net increase/(decrease) in debt

(345)

(1,861)

(725)

Interest paid

< p style="font:11pt/12.5pt;font-family:Garamond, serif;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;color:Black;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-align:right;"> (361)

(311)

(254)

Change in mino rity interest

360

250

351

Net issue/(repurchase) of shares

(1,344)

(2,551)

(500)

Dividends paid to:

Shareholders of Royal Dutch Shell plc

(1,838)

(1,869)

(4,776)

Minority interest

(44)

(58)

(47)

Payments to former Royal Dutch shareholders

-

(1,651)

-

Treasury shares:

net sales/(purchases) and dividends received

91

52

143

___________

___________

___________

Cash flow from financing activities

(3,481)

(7,999)

(5,808)

___________

___________

___________

Currency translation differences relating to cash and cash equivalents

36

-

(93)

___________

___________

___________

INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

1,037

(4,268)

881

___________

___________

___________

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

11,730

15,998

9,201

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

12,767

11,730

10,082

 

Operational data - Upstream

< td valign="top" style="padding-top:2px;padding-left:3px;padding-right:3px;">

___________

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

%1

CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION

thousand b/d

Europe

531

510

571

Africa

336

370

379

Asia Pacific

232

227

232

Middle East, Russia, CIS

408

455

392

USA

291

243

400

Other Western Hemisphere

91

75

92

 

___________

___________

___________

Total crude oil production excluding oil sands

1,889

1,880

2,066

Production from oil sands

77

106

78

 

___________

___________

___________

Total crude oil production including oil sands

1,966

1,986

2,144

-8

 

___________

___________

___________

NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION AVAILABLE FOR SALE

million scf/d 2

Europe

5,447

4,266

4,951

Africa

444

397

387

Asia Pacific

2,488

2,436

2,369

Middle East, Russia, CIS

320

255

272

USA

1,117

919

1,385

Other Western Hemisphere

508

511

511

___________

___________

10,324

8,784

9,875

+5

___________

___________

___________

TOTAL PRODUCTION IN BARRELS OF OIL EQUIVALENT

thousand boe/d 3

Europe

1,470

1,246

1,425

Africa

413

438

446

Asia Pacific

660

647

640

Middle East, Russia, CIS

463

499

439

USA

484

401

639

Other Western Hemisphere

179

163

180

 

___________

___________

___________

Total barrels of oil equivalent excluding oil sands

3,669

3,394

3,769

Oil sands

77

106

78

 

___________

___________

___________

Total barrels of oil equivalent including oil sands

3,746

3,500

3,847

-3

 

___________

___________

___________

1 Q1 on Q1 change

2 scf/d = standard cubic feet per day; 1 standard cubic feet = 0.0283 m3

3 Natural gas converted to oil equivalent at 5.8 million scf/d = thousand boe/d

 

Operational data - Upstream (continued)

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

%1

LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG)

million tonnes

Equity LNG sales volume

3.00

2.81

2.88

+4

Realised Oil Prices

$/bbl

< /td>

World outside USA

57.67

52.74

43.85

USA

55.16

53.10

43.78

Global

57.39

52.77

43.84

 

Realised Gas Prices

$/thousand scf

Europe

7.08< /p>

5.73

5.12

World outside USA (including Europe)

4.76

4.47

3.65

USA

9.56

12.40

6.83

Global

5.64

5.78

4.33

1 Q1 on Q1 change

 

Operational data - Downstream

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2 005

%1

REFINERY PROCESSING INTAKE

thousand b/d

Europe

1,742

1,861

1,805

Other Eastern Hemisphere

813

847

868

USA

948

916

1,000

Other Western Hemisphere

359

354

384

_________

_________

_________

3,862

3,978

4 ,057

-5

_________

_________

_________

OIL SALES

Gasoline s

2,148

2,271

2,532

Kerosines

732

791

842

Gas/Diesel oils

2,196

2,154

2,443

Fuel oil

808

814

906

Other products

641

665

74 1

_________

_________

_________

Total oil products*2

6,525

6,695

7,464

See 2

Crude oil2

2,493

2,404

4,427

_________

_________

_________

Total oil sales2

9,018

9,099

11,891

See 2

_________

_________

_________

*comprising

Europe

2,021

2,119

2,127

Other Eastern Hemisphere

1,216

1,219

1,229

USA

1,477

1,551

2,416

Other Western Hemisphere

666

714

698

Export sales

1,145

1,092

994

CHEMICAL SALES VOLUMES BY MAIN PRODUCT CATEGORY3**

thousand tonnes

Base chemicals

3,714

3,455

3,513

First line derivatives

2,215

2,154

2,307

Other

12

120

41

_________

_________

_________

5,941

5,729

5,861

+1

_________

_________

_________

**comprising

Europe

2,463

2,506

2,577

Other Eastern Hemisphere

1,444

1,362

1,321

USA

1,880

1,693

1,786

Other Western Hemisphere

154

168

177

CHEMICAL REVENUES4

$ million

Europe

2,312

2,271

2,388

Other Eastern Hemisphere

1,241

1,177

1,236

USA

1,761

1,703

1,719

Other Western Hemisphere

178

192

189

_________

_________

_________

5,492

5,343

5,532

-1

By-products

857

730

751

_________

_________

_________

6,349

6,073

6,283

+1

_________

_________

_________

1 Q1 on Q1 change

2 Certain contracts are classified as held for trading purposes and reported net rather than gross with effect from Q3 2005. The effect in Q3 2005 is a reduction in total oil products sales of approximately 850 thousand b/d and a reduction on Crude oil sales of 2,000 thousand b/d; in Q4 2005 820 thousand b/d and 1,490 thousand b/d respectively and in Q1 2006 890 thousand b/d and 1,720 thousan d b/d respectively.

3 Excluding volumes sold by equity accounted investments, chemical feedstock trading and by-products.

4 Excluding revenues from equity accounted investments and chemical feedstock trading.

 

Capital investment

$ million

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Capital expenditure:

Exploration & Production:

World outside USA

2,500

3,271

1,882

USA

312

450

230

___________

___________

___________

2,812

3,721

2,112

___________

___________

___________

Gas & Power:

World outside USA

392

440

330

USA

1

2

1

___________

___________

___________

393

442

331

___________

___________

___________

Oil Products:

Refining:

World outside USA

242

359

148

USA

61

119

42

___________

_____ ______

___________

303

478

190

___________

___________

___________

Marketing:

World outside USA

189

554

133

USA

18

77

32

___________

___________

___________

207

631

165

_______ ____

___________

___________

Chemicals:

World outside USA

36

48

23

USA

50

44

57

___________

___________

___________

86

92

80

___________

___________

___________

Other segments

21

95

56

___________

___________

___________

TOTAL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE

3,822

5,459

2,934

___________

___________

___________

Exploration expense:

World outside USA

114

215

92

USA

63

143

26

___________

___________

___________

177

358

118

___________

___________

___________

New equity in equity accounted investments:

World outside USA

64

95

58

USA

5

2

1

___________

___________

___________

69

97

59

___________

___________

___________

New loans to equity accounted investments

162

42

129

___________

___________

< /td>

___________

TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT*

4,230

5,956

3,240

___________

___________

___________

*comprising

Exploration & Production

3,167

4,144

2,355

Gas & Power

396

457

336

Oil Products

518

1,127

354

Chemicals

128

118

138

Other segments

21

110

57

 

___________

___________

___________

 

4,230

5,956

3,240

 

___________

___________

___________

 

Notes

NOTE 1. Accounting policies and basis of presentation

The quarterly financial statements, including comparative data, are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the financial statements are also in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union.

The Group's accounting policies are unchanged from those set out in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements of Royal Dutch Shell plc in the Annual Report and Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2005 on pages 110 to 113.

In the third quarter 2005, under the Unification Transaction, Royal Dutch Shell plc became the Parent Company of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company (Royal Dutch) and The ‘‘Shell’’ Transport and Trading Company, p.l.c. (Shell Transport) by acquiring all outstanding shares of Shell Transport and approximately 98.5% of the outstanding shares of Royal Dutch.

The comparative periods represent information for Royal Dutch Shell as if it acquired 100% of Royal Dutch and Shell Transport. For financial reporting purposes, the 1.5% minority holders in Roy al Dutch were shown in the Royal Dutch Shell consolidated financial statements as a minority interest in Royal Dutch Shell from August 10, 2005, as prior to that time those holders had a right to participate in the Exchange Offer and receive Royal Dutch Shell shares.

The minority in Royal Dutch ceased to exist as of December 21, 2005 as a result of the merger of Royal Dutch and Shell Petroleum NV.

These Financial Statements give retroactive effect for all periods presented prior to the Unification Transaction, which has been accounted for using a carry-over basis of the historical costs of the assets and liabili ties of Royal Dutch, Shell Transport and other companies comprising the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies. The interest of the minority shareholders in Royal Dutch was accounted for using a carry-over basis of the historical costs of its consolidated assets and liabilities.

NOTE 2. Earnings on an estimated current cost of supplies (CCS) basis

To facilitate a better understanding of underlying business performance, the financial results are also analysed on an estimated current cost of supplies (CCS) basis as applied for the Oil Products and Chemicals segment earnings. Earnings on an estimated current co st of supplies basis provide useful information concerning the effect of changes in the cost of supplies on Royal Dutch Shell’s results of operations and is a measure to manage the performance of the Oil Products and Chemicals segments but is not a measure of financial performance under IFRS.

On this basis, Oil Products and Chemicals segment cost of sales of the volumes sold during the period is based on the cost of supplies during the same period after making allowance for the estimated tax effect, instead of use of the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method of inventory accounting. Earnings calculated on this basis do not represent an application of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) inventory basis and do not reflect any inventory draw down effects.

NOTE 3. Discontinued operations

Income/(loss) from discontinued operations, which comprises gains and losses on disposals and results of operations for the period, is provided in the statement of income in accordance with IFRS for separate major lines of business or geographical area of operations.

Earnings by industry segment relating to discontinued operations, included within the segment earnings on page 10, are as follows:

$ million

QUARTER

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Chemicals

-

-

(214)

Income/(loss) from discontinued operations

-

-

(214)


Basic earnings per share for the first quarter 2006 for discontinued operations were nil.

 

NOTE 4. Return on average capital employed (ROACE)

ROACE on an income basis is the sum of the current and previous three quarters’ income attributable to shareholders plus interest, less tax and minority interest as a percentage of the average of Royal Dutch Shell’s share of closing capital employed and the opening capital employed a year earlier. The tax rate and the minority interest components are derived from calculations at the published segment level.

Components of the calculation ($ million):

 

Q1 2006

Q1 2005

 

Income attributable to shareholders (four quarters)

25,529

20,515

 

Royal Du tch Shell share of interest expense after tax

576

751

 

ROACE numerator

26,105

21,266

 

Royal Dutch Shell share of capital employed – opening

99,613

92,140

 

Royal Dutch Shell share of capital employed – closing

107,124

99,613

 

Royal Dutch Shell share of capital employed – average

103,369

95,877

 

 

 

 

 

ROACE

25.3%

22.2%

 

 

NOTE 5. Earnings by industry segment

Operating segment results are before deduction of minority interest and also exclude interest and other income of a non-operational nature, interest expense, non-trading currency exchange effects and tax on these items, which are included in the results of the Corporate segment. Operating segment results are after tax and include equity accounted investments. Segment results in accordance with International Accounting Standard 14 “Segment Reporting” will be disclosed in Royal Dutch Shell’s 2006 Annual Report and Form 20-F, with a reconciliation to the basis as presented here.

NOTE 6. Equity

Total equity comprises equity attributable to shareholders of Royal Dutch Shell and to the minority interest. Other reserves comprises capital redemption reserve, share premium reserve, merger reserve, share-based compensation reserve, cumulative currency translation differences, unrealised gains/(losses) on securities and unrealised gains/(losses) on cash flow hedges.

Ordinary
share
capital

Treasury shares

Other reserves

Retained earnings

Total

Minority interest

Total equity

At January 1, 2006

571

(3,809)

3,584

90,578

90,924

7,000

97,924

Income for the period

-

-

-

6,893

< p style="text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-align:right;font:9pt/11pt;font-family:Garamond, serif;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;color:Black;">6,893

123

7,016

Income/(expense) recognised directly in equity

-

-

703

-

703

26

729

Capital contributions from minority shareholders

-

-

-

-

-

365

365

Dividends paid

-

-

-

(1,838)

(1,838)

(44)

(1,882)

Treasury shares: net sales/(purchases) and dividends received

-

91

-

-

91

-

91

Effect of Unification

-

-

154

-

154

-

154

Shares repurchased for cancellation

(9)

-

9

(1,498)

(1,498)

-

(1,498)

Share-based compensation

-

-

72

-

72

-

72

At March 31, 2006

562

(3,718)

4,522

94,135

95,501

7,470

102,971

 

< td valign="top" style="padding-top:2px;padding-left:3px;padding-right:3px;">

796

-

 

Ordinary
share
capital

Preference
share
capital

Treasury shares

Other reserves

Retained earnings

Total

Minority interest

Total equity

At January 1, 2005

584

20

(4,187)

8,865

80,788

86,070

5,313

91,383

IAS 32/39 transition

-

(20)

-

823

(7)

-

796

Income for the period

-

-

-

6,675

6,675

131

6,806

Income/(expense) recognised directly in equity

-

-

-

(1,712)

-

(1,712)

74

(1,638)

Capital contributions from minority shareholders

-

-

-

-

-

-

206

206

Dividends paid

-

-

-

-

(4,776)

(4,776)

(47)

(4,823)

Treasury shares: net sales/(purchases) and dividends received

-

-

143

-

-

143

-

143

Shares repurchased for cancellation

(1)

-

-

-

(500)

(501)

-

(501)

Share-based compensation

-

-

-

43

-

43

-

43

At March 31, 2005

583

-

(4,044)

8,019

82,180

86,738

5,677

92,415

 

NOTE 7. Statement of cash flows

This statement reflects cash flows of Royal Dutch Shell and its subsidiaries as measured in their own currencies, which are translated into US dollars at average rates of exchange for the periods and therefore exclude currency translation differences except for those arising on cash and cash equivalents.

Cash from operating activities excluding net working capital movements, current taxation and taxation paid is calculated using the following line items from the cash flow statement:

$ million

QUARTER

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Cash flow from operating activities

7,824

8,465

8,680

Current taxation

(5,015)

(4,490)

(4,311)

Increase/(decrease) in net working capital

1,979

(3,295)

1,551

Taxation paid

4,395

6,664

3,187

___________

___________

___________

9,183

7,344

9,107

___________

___________

___________

 

NOTE 8. Earnings per Royal Dutch Shell share

The total number of Royal Dutch Shell shares in issue at the end of the period was 6,652.6 million. Royal Dutch Shell reports earnings per share on a basic and on a diluted basis, based on the weighted average number of Royal Dutch Shell (combined A and B) shares outstanding. Shares held in respect of share options and other incentive compensation plans are deducted in determining basic earnings per share. Basic earnings per share calculations are based on the following weighted average number of shares (millions):

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Royal Dutch Shell shares of €0.07

6,509.8

6,563.7

6,733.9


Diluted earnings per share calculations are based on the fo llowing weighted average number of shares (millions). This adjusts the basic number of shares for all stock options currently in-the-money.

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Royal Dutch Shell shares of €0.07

6,535.3

6,586.4

6,751.7

Basic shares at the end of the following periods are (millions):

Q1

Q4

Q1

2006

2005

2005

Royal Dutch Shell shares of €0.07

6,485.4

6,525.1

6,724.7


One (1) American Depository Receipt (ADR) is equal to two (2) Royal Dutch Shell shares.

Appendix 2: Market Commentary

The average of Brent crude prices in the first quarter was $61.80 per barrel compared with $47.70 in the same quarter a year ago. WTI prices averaged $63.30 per barrel compared with $49.90 a year ago.

In the first quarter of 2006, industry refining margins averaged $12.50, $13.00, $2.35 and $1.20 per barrel in US Gulf Coast, US West Coast, Rotterdam, and Singapore, compared to $8.05, $14.25, $2.50 and $2.55 per barrel in the same period last year. The margin differential between heavy and light crude in the USGC narrowed in the first quarter with a smaller heavy crude price discount.

Petrochemicals trading conditions in the first quarter were dominated by continuing high and volatile feedstock prices. Chemicals product pr ices also came under pressure as a result of the market anticipation of significant new capacity coming onstream, mainly in China and in the Middle East.

Industry cracker margins in Europe decreased from last quarter and were substantially lower relative to last year. Margins came under pressure from higher feedstock cost. In the USA, industry ethane cracker margins improved from last quarter despite the decline in ethylene prices mainly due to a substantial decrease in ethane feedstock cost as natural gas prices declined and traded at an average of some $20 per barrel discount to oil on an equivalent basis.

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange act of1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf bythe undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Royal Dutch Shell plc
(Registrant)

< tr>

 

By: /s/ M.C.M. Brandjes

 

Name: M.C.M. Brandjes
Title: Company Secretary

 

 

Date: 4 May 2006