Article by Jim Snyder published Apr 4, 2014 5:00 AM GMT+0100 by Bloomberg News
A desire to avoid millions of dollars in Alaska state taxes played a role in Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s decision to move a drilling rig, which later broke free from a tow boat and ran aground on an uninhabited island in Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report.
Shell had decided to move the Kulluk drill rig to Seattle for repairs because it might have been subject to a state property tax had it remained in Alaska waters beyond Jan. 1, 2013, according to the report released yesterday that offered eight recommendations to improve safety.
“A complex series of events contributed to the error chain that resulted in the grounding,” the report states. “The most significant factor was the decision to attempt the voyage during the winter in the unique and challenging operating environment of Alaska.”
Shell has spent billions of dollars in its effort to drill for oil Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas, which are part of the Arctic Ocean. The Hague-based company hasn’t resumed work in Alaska waters, and said in January that it didn’t plan to return to the Arctic this year. The decision followed an appellate court ruling that challenged the validity of a lease sale in the Chukchi.
“We appreciate the U.S. Coast Guard’s thorough investigation into the Kulluk towing incident and will take the findings seriously,” Shell said in a statement.
A series of mishaps, including damage during testing to a containment dome that would be used to cap a spill, prompted the U.S. Interior Department to examine Shell’s Arctic operations in January 2013. The review criticized Shell’s oversight of contractors that were part of its Arctic drilling operations.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, praised the Coast Guard for the report and said energy resources in the Arctic can be developed, “but it requires that we adhere to world-class safety standards.”
Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement that the report raises “major red flags for any future Arctic drilling plans.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Jim Snyder in Washington at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at [email protected] Steve Geimann
COAST GUARD REPORT (152 PAGES)
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
