Shell hits over €2m per hour in profits

OIL giant Shell said yesterday it was banking over €2 million an hour in profits, as it almost bettered its record 2004 haul in the space of just nine months.

Surging oil prices helped generate profits of $17.55 billion (€14.47 billion) between January and September compared with $17.6bn (€14.5bn) in the whole of 2004.

The performance was spurred by one-off gains on assets sales and in spite of lost production and rig damage in hurricane season.