BG Group shareholders give Shell takeover the nod

(ShareCast News) - The second set of shareholder approvals in the mammoth Shell-BG Group merger came through on Thursday, with BG Group shareholders giving it the go-ahead.Royal Dutch Shell's £35bn takeover offer is set to create the world's largest liquefied natural gas trader.A Court Meeting and General Meeting were held early in the day, with shareholders voting whether to approve the merger, and whether to pass a special resolution to implement the scheme at the General Meeting.At the Court Meeting, 99.53% of scheme shares voted to approve the scheme, while just 0.47% of scheme shares voted against it. On a shareholder basis, 87.32% of scheme shareholders approved the scheme.The voting results of the General Meeting - which were only available on a share basis - showed 99.55% of shares were voted in favour of passing the special resolution, while 0.45% voted against.Holders of shares in Royal Dutch Shell voted to approve the takeover from their side on Wednesday, with 83% voting in favour of the deal.The takeover - which had been criticised by analysts and shareholders as no longer making financial sense given the low oil price environment - was now expected to be completed on 15 February, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain customary conditions.At 1445 GMT, shares in BG Group were up 2.28% to 1053p. Royal Dutch Shell's A shares were up 3.45% to 1513p, while its B shares were up 3.63% to 1515p.