May, 2014:
Energy sanctions aim to hurt Russia more than the west
Shell Credits IT With Early Deployment of Deepwater Platform in Gulf of Mexico
Extract from a Wall Street Journal article by Steve Rosenbush published 16 May 2014
Royal Dutch Shell says it began production at its Olympus deepwater drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico in February, six months ahead of schedule. Arjen Dorland, the executive vice president who runs the company’s Technical and Competitive IT unit, says Shell’s multidisciplinary approach to technology helped move the project along.
Garda concerns at whistleblower plan
Some allegations against the Garda, including from whistlerblower company OSSL, have arisen from the Shell led Corrib Gas Project
Extracts from an RTE News article published Friday 16 May 2014 under the headline: “AGSI admits concerns at whistleblower plan“
The President of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has said it is concerned by the decision to assign the role of receiving confidential information from garda whistleblowers to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. The decision was made by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald yesterday.
Tim Galvin said people would be very nervous about going to GSOC and then whatever issues they might have would not come out into the open. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Galvin also said he believed more garda whistleblowers would come forward. He said: “If we have skeletons in the cupboard, let’s bring them out. Get them out into the open.
US protection for whistleblowers fearing retaliation from employer
RECEIVED FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR
As a service to any Shell US whistleblowers fearing some sort of retaliation from Shell you might want to post this information about employee legal protections against employer retaliation.
The following two articles may help:
Employee Retaliation Claims Play Big Before the High Court: www.abajournal.com Magazine June 2011 Issue
Extract
• Robinson v. Shell Oil Co. (1997). Title VII’s retaliation clause protects former employees as well as current employees from unlawful retaliation.
Kazakh Minister: All Kashagan Pipelines To Be Replaced
Extracts from a Reuters article by Olesya Astakhova published 15 May 2014
MOSCOW, May 15 (Reuters) – The consortium developing the giant Kashagan oilfield will have to replace the entire pipeline system at the deposit, Kazakhstan’s oil minister said on Thursday, confirming that output there would not resume this year. The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) developing Kashagan said last month that it did not expect to produce oil this year due to the leaks. NCOC includes Eni, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, China’s CNPC, Japan’s Inpex and Kazakh state-run company KazMunaiGas.
Centrica JV Buys Canadian Assets From Shell for C$50M
Extract from a Wall Street Journal article by Ian Walker published 15 May 2014
LONDON–Natural gas firm Centrica PLC (CNA.LN) said Thursday that its joint venture with Qatar Petroleum International is buying a package of natural gas assets in the Foothills region of Alberta from Shell Canada Energy for 50 million Canadian Dollars ($45.85 million).
Shell to Sea calls for whistleblowers to ‘expose malpractice and corruption’ at gas project
Extracts from an article published 15 May 2014 by the journal.ie
THE SHELL TO Sea campaign has made fresh calls this morning for whistleblowers in to come forward to “expose malpractice and corruption” in the Shell gas project in Corrib, Co Mayo.
Shell to Sea’s Terence Conway said the group is asking whistleblowers from within the ranks of An Garda Síochána, Shell, Shell contractors and any State agency involved in facilitation the project to come forward.
One former Shell subcontractor alleged last year that it was tasked with providing local residents with items like tennis courts and television sets on behalf of Shell to keep them on side. The company also claimed it had delivered €35,000 worth of alcohol to Belmullet Garda Station in December 2007. The Garda Ombudsman is now investigating these allegations.
Oil And Gas Giants Continue To Shrink In 2014
Extract from an article by Zoltan Ban published 14 May 2014 by Seeking Alpha
Last year was not a good one for global oil and gas giants. Royal Dutch Shell reported a year-on-year decline of 10% in liquids production and an 8% decline in gas production (link). There are many reasons why these oil and gas giants are now shrinking. One of the main reasons being that they have many old depleted and declining fields in their portfolio, while there are also fewer and fewer opportunities to tap new fields. Shell abandoned its attempts to produce oil out of kerogen in the Powder River Basin. It also abandoned Arctic exploration in Alaska. It announced a massive $2 billion loss on its Eagle Ford operations as part of its recent divestment program.
Convulsions in Irish Justice Dept and Policing
The creators of the mould-breaking TV comedy Seinfeld adopted two rules: no hugging, no learning. We need to apply those rules to our current episode of the dark farce of Irish “reform”. Of course, the details should be properly investigated but on the larger scale, there is nothing new to be learned here. The new inquiries will find what the old ones found: a culture in the Garda, Department of Justice and in the State as a whole of burying unwanted truths.
By John Donovan
The convulsions in Ireland arising from the resignations of the Police Commissioner and the Justice Minister continue, with the Irish Cabinet discussing terms of reference for an inquiry into Garda cases.
Extracts
The Minister said the external review of the Department will be completed before the Dáil and Seanad rise for the summer recess. “I have committed to root and branch reform of the administration of justice in this country and this includes the Government Department responsible for this area.” In addition, the Cabinet resolved to urgently bring forward new legislation to strengthen the operation of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. Ms Fitzgerald further said that the new Independent Garda Authority will be up and running by the end of the year.
Big oil firms pay big bucks to settle US charges of royalty fraud
Extracts from a Reuters article by Big oil firms accused of cheating on royalties lead fight to limit US disclosure rules
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Oil companies have paid $3 billion over the past 15 years to resolve a range of charges including that they regularly cheated the U.S. government and Native American communities out of royalties on oil and gas leases, raising concerns they use similar techniques to rob citizens in poor countries of resource wealth.
Royal Dutch Shell plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. are among the energy companies that have paid penalties and back payments on their U.S. energy leases and settled lawsuits accusing them of fraudulently underestimating the value of oil and gas to lower their royalty payments, research by Thomson Reuters Foundation shows.
Shell Oil sues developer of Carousel tract in Carson for contamination cleanup
Extracts from an article by Sandy Mazza, published by the Daily Breeze on 12 May 2014
Everyone agrees that Shell Oil Co. left masses of waste petroleum just beneath the surface of a residential Carson neighborhood for decades, but the company now says it shouldn’t be held responsible for cleaning the mess. In a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, Shell points the finger of blame at the developers of the 50-acre tract of single-family houses that was built in the mid-1960s. Shell officials believe the developers assumed responsibility for the property’s waste oil and tank debris when they bought the land. The developers have argued they never touched the tarnished soil and have nothing to do with it. …residents are seeking payment for decades of poor health and declining home values due to the contamination. They claim they and their pets have been made sick with ailments such as headaches, cancer, blood disorders and many other conditions.
Oil prices poised to tumble
Extracts from an article by By Andrew Critchlow, Business News Editor of The Telegraph, published 12 May 2014 under the newspaper headline: “Oil prices poised to tumble as US toys with opening reserve stocks”
Oil prices are on the brink of possibly their biggest correction since the global financial crisis after Vladimir Putin’s gamble to use Russia’s crude as a political weapon backfired spectacularly on the Kremlin. A potent energy superpower, Russia had thought that it could use its status as the world’s largest oil producer and biggest exporter of natural gas through cross-border pipelines to intimidate and quite literally bully Western powers into submission over Ukraine. Regardless of the fracking revolution in the US, the world appears to be flooded with crude. Putin appears to have forgotten the lesson of his fallen Soviet comrades of the old communist order, and in meddling with world oil markets, he may have laid the foundations for his own economic demise.
Investigators seek breakthrough a year after EU raided Big Oil
By Gaspard Sebag, Lananh Nguyen and Andy Hoffman: Bloomberg News 12 May 2014
Twelve months after raiding oil companies and Platts in a hunt for evidence of possible manipulation of price benchmarks, European Union officials are looking for a breakthrough. On May 14 last year, EU investigators had to leap into a taxi cab to Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s trading floor on the Strand in central London after arriving at the wrong destination — the company’s London head office on the opposite side of the River Thames – according to one person familiar with the antitrust raids on that day. Lawyers say such mishaps are common during so-called surprise inspections — especially where officials lack the guiding hand of an immunity applicant. “All Shell companies fully cooperated with the EU commission during the inspection at our offices and will continue to do so as the commission’s investigation proceeds,” Ross Whittam, a company spokesman said.
Will Russia Be Royal Dutch Shell’s Savior?
Extract from an article by
Russia’s acquisition of Crimea has Germany uneasy about its dependence on Russian natural gas. Now Royal Dutch Shell can pat itself on the back for deciding to acquire significantly more LNG liquefaction capacity than its big oil peers by 2017. Europe’s gas situation is very complicated, but Shell is shaping up to be a big beneficiary of the current German-Russian angst.
Royal Dutch Shell employees warned about giving perjured testimony
Shell staff were reminded recently of the obligation to be truthful if called upon to testify under oath. They were also reminded that even when testifying as a Shell employee on behalf of Shell, they were personally liable for the consequences of any untruths or misleading statements that they made.
DEFINITION OF PERJURY: The deliberate, willful giving of false, misleading, or incomplete testimony under oath.
From a Regular Contributor
I heard on the grapevine that Shell staff were reminded recently of the obligation to be truthful if called upon to testify under oath. They were also reminded that even when testifying as a Shell employee on behalf of Shell, they were personally liable for the consequences of any untruths or misleading statements that they made.
It may seem surprising to some people that senior Shell staff needed to be reminded of their legal obligation to be truthful when testifying. I also understand that some Shell employees were surprised to learn that they were personally liable for the consequences of any misleading statements they made when testifying on behalf of their employer.
Kuwait signs $12bn LNG supply deal with Shell
Extract from a Reuters article published Sunday 11 May 2014
KUWAIT May 11 (Reuters) – Kuwait’s state oil group said it signed a six-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal with Royal Dutch Shell on Sunday, worth an estimated $12 billion, as the major oil exporter seeks to meet energy demands for the hot summer months.
Reputation of Irish Justice Dept and Police in Catastrophic Meltdown
Most visitors to this website are probably fed-up with our coverage of events in Ireland stemming from allegations made against Shell and the Garda by a whistleblower company – OSSL – that worked as a Mr Fixit for Shell.
However, remarkable related events continue to unfold.
OSSL says that it purchased and distributed free booze at Christmas time to Irish police officers on behalf of Shell. As part of a cover-up, Shell issued a press statement several months ago (above) denying OSSL allegations.
Institutional corruption in the Gardaí
Shell to Sea notes the resignation of Alan Shatter and his replacement by Frances Fitzgerald as Minister for Justice as a long overdue development. Terence Conway, Shell to Sea spokesperson, says “Alan Shatter showed contempt for everybody who raised issues of wrongdoing in an Garda Siochána and it was clear he never had any intention of dealing with institutional corruption in the Gardaí. We ask that his successor takes immediate action to deal with the blatant abuses of power that, unfortunately, are rampant within the force.”
News Release – Issued by Mayo Shell to Sea
May 8th , 2014 – For immediate release
Shell to Sea notes the resignation of Alan Shatter and his replacement by Frances Fitzgerald as Minister for Justice as a long overdue development. Terence Conway, Shell to Sea spokesperson, says “Alan Shatter showed contempt for everybody who raised issues of wrongdoing in an Garda Siochána and it was clear he never had any intention of dealing with institutional corruption in the Gardaí. We ask that his successor takes immediate action to deal with the blatant abuses of power that, unfortunately, are rampant within the force.”
Mark Moody-Stuart a critic of Shell crash diet
Extracts from a Reuters article by Alex Lawler and Dmitry Zhdannikov published 7 May 2014 under the headline: “After crash diet, oil majors may need new growth”
LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) – The global oil majors’ crash diets may be going too far. That at least is the view of a small number of critics who believe sweeping programmes of asset sales and the trimming of investment plans risk doing longer-term damage. Such projects are important both for the companies’ future, a retired top executive said, as well as the wider world. “It would be a pity if they got put off the larger projects,” said Mark Moody-Stuart, who was Shell chairman from 1998 to 2001. “They are capable of doing it and the world in supply terms needs large projects.” Moody-Stuart is also questioning the reasoning behind the sale of mature oil and gas fields by the majors. “I can see there are some assets you should probably dispose of in order to concentrate your capital, but I would be cautious of divesting oneself of fields whose ultimate recovery can probably be increased by technology,” he said.
Irish Minister for Justice Alan Shatter resigns
By John Donovan
The Irish Times has tonight reported the sudden resignation of Alan Shatter, the Irish Minister of Justice with whom I have corresponded in relation to OSSL allegations concerning Shell sponsored corruption involving hundreds of Garda officers, including senior officers such as Supt Joe Gannon.
The findings of an investigation – the third by the Irish police authorities, is imminent.
The Garda Commissioner has already resigned in connection with other allegations against Irish cops.
Irish Justice Minister confronted over Shell Corrib Alcohol Bribery Scandal
Justice Minister Alan Shatter was confronted days ago in the Irish Parliament over the Shell Corrib Alcohol Bribery Scandal. Clare Daly TD pointed out to him during a heated debate, that the Garda has already carried out two internal investigations into the allegations that OSSL distributed alcohol to Garda Cops on the orders of Shell. Clare Daly also said that the only reason that the Garda Ombudsman is currently investigating the matter is because of an external intervention by an English journalist. (A reference to Ed Vulliamy, senior correspondent of the Guardian and Sunday Observer.)
Sales Promotions, Competitions and Lottery Disasters
*LEARNING THE RIGHT RULES OF THE GAME (ARTICLE BY JOHN DONOVAN PUBLISHED BY MARKETING WEEK MAGAZINE IN OCTOBER 1985)
Promotional games can be a powerful friend to today’s marketer – or a deadly enemy if mishandled. John Donovan picks his way carefully through a potential minefield
Games are one of the most powerful promotional weapons available.
But when they make headlines, it is no always good news – as the Mirror Group Esso, Asda and Cadbury Typhoo found to their cost recently when their games had to be curtailed or withdrawn. The media take a disproportionate interest in such disasters, often giving them front-page coverage to the exclusion of more important events.
It is still not clear what went wrong with Esso’s Noughts & Crosses game, but reports indicate that too many prizes, big and small, were claimed in the first days of the launch, and a printer’s error is thought to be responsible.The AsdaCash game seemed to have a flaw on the Cashcards, and syndicates of competitors ”broke” the Typhoo Cashpot game.
Manipulations by Shell and Exxon?
Shell and Standard Oil have been engaged in manipulating governments for over a hundred years.
The joint self-explanatory letter Shell and Exxon sent to the US Securities & Exchange Commission on 1 May seems to have good intentions – concerning the timetable for implementation of transparency legislation – but the past track record of both oil giants brings to my mind, for more than one reason, the phrase “beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”
Suspicion as to their real motive is heightened by the following extract from a related Reuters article published today.
timeandgems.com fake Rolex scam artists
On 16 December 2011, a relative purchased from a US based Internet website timeandgems.com what was described on the website as “A Ladies’ Rolex Stainless Steel Black Diamond Lug Oyster Band Datejust.”
On the Order Confirmation from the company, also dated 16 December 2011, the watch was described by Time & Gems as “Ladies’ Rolex Stainless Steel Black Diamond Dial Channel Set Bezel Diamond Lug Oyster Band Datejust.”
“Your luxury watch is guaranteed to be genuine for the life of the watch. If for whatsoever reason you ever find it to be otherwise, you can return it for a full refund, or exchange, for as long as you own the watch.”
TIME & GEMS, TIMEANDGEMS.COM, WATCH EMPIRE LLC – INTERNET FAKE ROLEX SCAM ARTISTS
By John Donovan
Many well known highly desirable global brands are targeted by counterfeit activity.
Because of the high value of each watch, Rolex is a prime target.
Its relatively easy to spot a fake Rolex as they weight much less than a genuine Rolex.
It becomes more tricky if some parts are genuine and others fake.
On 16 December 2011, a relative purchased from a US based Internet website timeandgems.com what was described on the website as “A Ladies’ Rolex Stainless Steel Black Diamond Lug Oyster Band Datejust.”
SHELL KINDLE PR DEBACLE IN GERMANY
Shell Germany had offered a free Kindle e-reader for 999 points to be earned when filling up. But also when buying a chocolate bar of € 1.29, this gave 100 points…. Buying 10 bars of chocolate and you had an e-reader. They ran out of Kindles after 3 hours!!! Their website collapsed due to 40-fold traffic increase. Big disaster. Many people pissed off.
FROM AN OLD EP HAND
Shell Germany had offered a free Kindle e-reader for 999 points to be earned when filling up. But also when buying a chocolate bar of € 1.29, this gave 100 points…. Buying 10 bars of chocolate and you had an e-reader. There were ‘only’ 10.000 e-readers so they soon ran out, Germans are not crazy and can calculate. Now many disgusted customers. Shell offered excuses to customers.
Good idea, not thought through and blind to an error of giving many points for a chocolate bar.
From their website:
http://www.shell.de/products-services/on-the-road/card-services/clubsmart/informationen-zum-neuen-shell-clubsmart-praemienprogramm.html
They ran out of kindles after 3 hours!!!
Their website collapsed due to 40-fold traffic increase.
Big disaster. Many people pissed off. If only Shell would admit they screwed up people would understand. Now lot of wishy washy language.
Dear old Chris Finlayson
“With hindsight you should revisit his CV printed out by the BG Group at the time of his appointment, a work of fiction that Hans Christian Andersen would have been proud of. You are right, your web site warned the World about his previous track record but such foresight is often ignored.”
Comment received from Bill Campbell, Retired HSE Group Auditor, Shell International
John
There was many years ago a principle put forward by LJ Peter in his 1969 book as to why things always go wrong in organisations. Peter espoused that managers were oft promoted into positions that they were incompetent to handle. So it was with Chris Finlayson who was tracked up through the ranks holding on to the coat tails of his mentor TFA Brinded. I used to call it the parasitical approach to development and promotion through attachment to a big powerful animal who was on an accelerated promotion curve the employee could avoid the normal HR assessment process safeguarded by his powerful mentor. In return Brinded had a set of disciples who would be loyal and unquestioning and whom he could micromanage as he saw fit.
Shell’s planned asset sale in Nigeria may take up to a year: CFO
Extracts from a Reuters article by Simon Falush published 30 April 2014
LONDON (Reuters) – Oil major Shell may take up to a year to complete a planned sale of assets in Nigeria, and the process may be complicated by an election, the oil major’s chief financial officer said. Shell is looking to make $15 billion in disposals worldwide this year and next, including the sale of its stake in four oil blocks in the Niger Delta…
International outcry as Brunei introduces sharia law and takes country back to the dark ages
Royal Dutch Shell, an Anglo-Dutch multinational, runs two major operations in Brunei as a joint venture with the Brunei government. A spokesman, Jonathan French, said the company would not comment on the possible impact on its employees.
Extracts from an article by Andrew Buncombe published 30 April 2014 by The Independent
The Sultan of Brunei, an absolute monarch who pays for a garrison of British troops to be stationed is his oil rich nation, will on Thursday dismiss the concerns of human rights campaigners and start imposing sharia law. Many of the laws, which include the dismemberment of limbs and stoning to death, will apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Royal Dutch Shell, an Anglo-Dutch multinational, runs two major operations in Brunei as a joint venture with the Brunei government. A spokesman, Jonathan French, said the company would not comment on the possible impact on its employees.
Sanctions fear forces Shell to end all new Russian investment
Extract from an article by Ben Hoyle and Lily Hyde published May 1 2014 by The Times
Europe’s biggest oil company froze all future investment in Russia over the Ukraine crisis yesterday as the IMF said that the Kremlin faced an imminent recession because of Western sanctions. Royal Dutch Shell, one of the biggest foreign investors in Russian energy, warned that it would not “be jumping into new investments anytime soon” because sanctions beefed up by America and Europe in the past week could curtail its own operations.
Big Oil dollars flow into Ukraine, despite conflict
Extracts from a CNBC article by Dina Gusovsky published 1 May 2014
Yuriy Boyko, an ethnic Ukrainian and former energy minister under ousted President Viktor Yanukovich, told CNBC that he has met with senior executives of Royal Dutch Shell about investments or potential investments in the country. Royal Dutch Shell is currently the biggest player in the Ukrainian market. The company declined to comment on specific dollar figures, but said that it has ongoing operations in the region. Shell spokesman Curtis Smith told CNBC that it employs about 2,500 people in Ukraine, many as contract workers. The company is involved in two exploration projects, both in eastern Ukraine, including in the Donetsk and Kharkov regions, the most troubled in the country. To date, the company said operations have not been affected despite rising tension in those areas. “We continue to prepare for exploration activities on Yuzivska area,” Smith told CNBC. “We monitor trade controls and sanctions closely and will respond appropriately to ensure that we comply with all applicable international sanctions and related measures.”
Did Vince Cable recuse himself from Kiobel v Shell controversy?
Vince Cable Described As ‘Minister For Shell’ In Letter From Oil Giant
By John Donovan
Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills was formerly a senior Royal Dutch Shell executive.
It has recently come to light that Shell successfully lobbied his department to intervene on Shell’s behalf in a case being heard by the US Supreme Court: Kiobel-v-Shell.
The UK Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has just released its decision in regard to a complaint:
Extract
Documents show UK Government caved in to Shell lobbying
Graphics from The Guardian article Unloveable Shell, the Goddess of Oil by Andrew Rowell, published 15th Nov 1997
“Are there any principles that the UK government is willing to stand up for in the face of business lobbying? Apparently not, if documents released through a Freedom of Information request are anything to go by. These show, in detail, how the UK intervened to support Shell and Rio Tinto in high-profile US human rights court cases, following requests from the companies. The Kiobel case was brought against the oil giant by communities from the Niger Delta, who accused Shell of helping the Nigerian military to systematically torture and kill environmentalists in the 1990s.”
Shell-led proposal for Kitimat LNG plant incorporates its joint venture
Extract from an article by Derrick Penner, published by The Vancouver Sun on 30 April 2014
VANCOUVER — Partners in the Shell Canada-led proposal for a liquefied natural gas plant at Kitimat have formally incorporated their LNG Canada Joint Venture, the companies announced Wednesday, although they remain a long way from making a final investment decision on the potentially $12-billion project. The consortium, which includes PetroChina, Korea Gas (Kogas) and Mitsubishi Corp., has already optioned a possible site in Kitimat…