Workers at a gas drilling installation for Total gas company in Rivers State in Nigeria
French multinational integrated oil and gas company Total has since inauguration in 1924 secured a position among the supermajors. Supermajors is an industrial name used to refer to the six largest Oil and Gas Industry players.
These six include; BP plc, Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell plc, Total, ConocoPhillips Company.
Total started as Compagnie française des pétroles (CFP) in 1924. The company was founded after World War I, when the then French Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré rejected the idea of forming a partnership with Royal Dutch Shell in favour of creating an entirely French oil company.
After establishing itself as a public entity, the company renamed itself Total CFP in 1985, to build on the popularity of its gasoline brand on realizing the profit potential of the gasoline section which it wanted to sell to the outer world.
According to Wikipedia, as of 31 December 2013 Total S.A. had 898 subsidiaries consolidated into the group results, together with significant affiliate investments and joint ventures, mostly in LPG.
In addition Total had other significant equity holdings amounting to about 3bn euros, treated as investments and was involved in a number of significant joint ventures, mostly relating to LPG and LNG exploration, production and shipping