Royal Dutch Shell Group .com Rotating Header Image

May 6th, 2010:

Shell To Court: Ready To Drill Arctic Ocean

ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 6, 2010 1:53 pm US/Mountain

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Shell Oil says it’s ready to drill in the Arctic Ocean and has plans to deal with any problems if a federal appeals court allows it to begin its exploration project on schedule in July.

Shell told a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Portland on Thursday it has met nearly all the government requirements for test drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off the northwest coast of Alaska.

Lawyers for a coalition of environmentalists and Alaska Native groups argue more study is needed, especially after the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill showed the risk of a catastrophe. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Nigeria: Fire hits Shell pipeline; Eni fixes flow

LAGOS, Nigeria — Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Thursday that a fire struck one of its major crude oil pipelines running through Nigeria's southern delta, cutting into production.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

New Petroleum Minister Represents Shell’s Interest — Rights Group

In a statement issued in Warri, Delta State, ERA/FoEN said that the appointment of Alison-Madueke, a former Director of Shell, is not only a 'slap' on the face of Nigerians combating oil companies impunity in the Niger Delta, but also rubbishes government's sincerity to bringing about transparency and accountability in the oil sector as espoused in sections of the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell reports record oil spillages in Nigeria

guardian.co.uk home

Oil giant blames thieves and militants for the spilling of nearly 14,000 tonnes of crude oil into the Niger Delta last year

Associated Press
Wednesday 5 May 2010 10.57 BST

Niger Delta residents pass a burning Shell oil pipeline as they evacuate their homes by boat in December 2005. Photograph: George Osodi/AP

Royal Dutch Shell plc spilled nearly 14,000 tons of crude oil into the creeks of the Niger Delta last year, the company has announced, blaming thieves and militants for the environmental damage.

The amount of oil spilled by Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was more than double the amount poured into the delta in 2008, and quadruple what was spilled in 2007 – highlighting the worsening situation the oil company faces in Nigeria. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Arctic Drilling Plans: Email to Kim Murphy at LA Times

To our astonishment we discovered that a “Touch F*** All” policy was in place. Worse still, safety records were routinely falsified and repairs bodged.

From: John Donovan <[email protected]>
Date: 6 May 2010 08:53:33 BST
To: [email protected]
Subject: What if an oil spill happened at an Arctic well?

Hello Kim

What your article does not mention is Shell’s notorious “Touch F*** All” safety culture in the North Sea oil rigs, which led to an explosion and deaths on the Brent Bravo platform.

Basically, production and profits were given a higher priority than the safety of offshore employees.

The truth was exposed by Bill Campbell, the HSE Group Auditor of Shell International.  This was his self-explanatory letter to UK Members of Parliament which led to a criminal investigation by Scottish Police and legal authorities currently underway. It would be equally relevant to substitute the Arctic Ocean for the North Sea. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

What if an oil spill happened at an Arctic well?

latimes.com By Kim Murphy and Jim Tankersley, Los Angeles Times

May 6, 2010
Reporting from Seattle and Washington

Environmental groups oppose a plan to drill three exploration wells, saying harsh conditions could make an accident much worse.

A coalition of some of the nation’s most influential environmental groups launched an 11th-hour challenge Wednesday to halt the next frontier in offshore drilling — the July start of Shell Offshore Inc.’s plan to drill three exploration wells in the Arctic.

The groups —the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society and the Natural Resources Defense Council — appealed to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to suspend the drilling plan at least until a cause can be determined for the disastrous blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.

They warned that the challenges of coping with an oil rig blowout in remote Arctic waters “would far surpass those related to BP’s Deepwater Horizon explosion,” which is estimated to be gushing oil into the gulf at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day. They said Shell’s emergency plans are weak and there is a lack of sufficient support crews and emergency equipment to respond quickly to a significant oil spill. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Salazar Urged to Bar Shell’s Plans For Oil Drilling in Arctic

BusinessWeek Logo

By Kim Chipman

May 5 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s plans to drill in the Arctic Ocean should be halted by the U.S., because the BP Plc incident in the Gulf of Mexico shows that companies aren’t capable of handling big oil spills, environmental groups said.

Oceana, Pew Environment Group and Audubon Alaska asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today to reconsider approval of Shell’s plans to drill exploration wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off Alaska’s coast. The risk is too great, the groups said in a letter sent to Salazar, citing the incident that has led to the leaking of at least 5,000 barrels of oil a day into waters off the Louisiana and Mississippi coast. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.