(Reuters) – Investors are judging how well energy companies have reoriented their businesses to cut emissions as they weigh activists’ calls for divestment, climate finance specialists said on Thursday.
Growing differences between oil majors have clarified when companies are positioned to achieve “net-zero” emissions, becoming more focused on renewable power and offsetting remaining greenhouse gas emissions with measures like carbon sequestration or conservation efforts, specialists said at a Reuters Next panel held online.read more
Shell-Exxon aims at $2.5 bln in Dutch subsidies for carbon storage
Thu, January 14, 2021, 6:17 PM
AMSTERDAM, Jan 14 (Reuters) – A consortium that includes oil majors Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil has requested a total of 2.1 billion euros ($2.55 billion) in subsidies for a project to store CO2 gasses in empty Dutch gas fields in the North Sea, the Dutch Economy ministry said on Thursday.
The subsidies were requested together with industrial gas suppliers Air Liquide and Air Products for a project which aims to capture carbon dioxide emitted by factories and refineries in the Rotterdam port area in order to significantly reduce emissions in Europe’s largest sea port.read more
AskWonder.com: Research on external factors (suppliers, customers, competition, environment, etc) that are influencing Royal Dutch Shell at the moment. Delivered January 30th, 2017.
Links to royaldutchshellplc.com and royaldutchshellgroup.com as reference sources.
Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A-0.8%) says cargo shipments have resumed at its 3.6M mt/yr Prelude floating LNG offshore Western Australia, 11 months after it went offline because of technical issues.
Prelude FLNG in the Browse basin has been plagued by technical issues since it started shipments in June 2019.
The Symphonic Breeze LNG carrier is scheduled to arrive at Japan’s Himeji port on Jan. 16 after leaving Prelude on Jan. 9, and the Gaslog Glasgow is scheduled to arrive at Prelude on Jan. 21, Argus reports.
Prelude’s restart follows a spike in prices for northeast Asian spot liquefied natural gas as colder than expected weather in northeast Asia has fueled urgent demand for cargoes.
Fishermen lose out as oil giant Shell delays survey on gasfields off Whitby and Scarborough
Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell has postponed a seismic survey on two gasfields off the North Yorkshire coast, disappointing fishermen who were in line for tens of thousands of pounds of compensation.
The energy firm had been looking to conduct the 3D survey on the Resolution – first discovered in 1966 – and Endeavour gasfields in the first quarter of this year, but said it needed more time to “conclude agreements with commercial and other stakeholders in the area”.read more
Shell postpones North Sea seismic job due to fishing, environmental concerns
Shell has postponed a 3D seismic survey in the UK North Sea after weighing up the impacts on fishing businesses and the environment.By Mark Lammey: 06/01/2021, 7:45 am
Partner Egdon Resources said the survey of the Resolution and Endeavour gas discoveries would take place in February 2022, rather than in the first quarter of this year.
Operator Shell made the decision following “extensive stakeholder engagement” and the revision of the environmental impact assessment.
The oil giant concluded that the commercial impact on local fishing businesses, along with potential impacts on marine mammalian movements, the breeding season for sea birds and tourism, meant it would be better to do the work in February.
The survey had originally been scheduled for March or April 2021.read more
SHELL INVESTS IN QUEBEC’S FIRST WASTE TO LOW-CARBON FUELS PLANT
Jan. 05, 2021
Shell Canada Limited, an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“Shell”), today announced the signing of commercial agreements to invest in Varennes Carbon Recycling, the first waste to low-carbon fuels plant in Québec, Canada.
Calgary, AB – Shell will have a 40% interest in the plant using technology developed by Enerkem, a leading Canadian clean tech company. Enerkem announced the project in December 2020, subject to finalization of commercial agreements.read more
Dec 31st, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Some extracts from current customer comments posted on Trustpilot: “The broadband service is a joke. Been with them on an 18 month contract, and every single day there has been an issue. Sometimes dropping out 50 times a day. They know they are terrible but as long as they remain unpunished, they will continue their fraudulent activities. Avoid at all costs.”
Featured below are extracts from negative customer reviews about Shell Energy posted over the past few days on Trustpilot. Visit the Shell Energy page on Trustpilot to view all reviews in their entirety, positive and negative (and Shell Energy responses). Watch out for any fake reviews. Note the reoccurring themes in the negative reviews, including difficulty in communicating with the company. This article posted on 31 December 2020.read more
Shell, which started out as M. Samuel & Co. and built the first fuel depot in Singapore in the 1890s, said in November it was shutting half of its refining capacity on Singapore’s Pulau Bukom island, a move signaling the start of one era and the beginning of another for the energy hub.
Shell said Pulau Bukom will become one of its roughly six energy and chemicals parks and part of a “pivot from a crude-oil, fuels-based product slate towards new low-carbon value chains.”read more
Shell plans to begin layoffs for nearly 700 workers in March at its Convent oil refinery, which it expects to fully shut down in August.
The Louisiana subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, Equilon Enterprises LLC, previously had announced layoffs but has now filed an official notice with the Louisiana Workforce Commission outlining its plans.
Shell looks to lay off all 698 workers at the refinery, 340 of whom are represented by a union, according to the letter.read more
Dec 28th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Some extracts from current customer comments posted on Trustpilot: “Don’t buy Shell Broadband. It takes 3 days to download a game! Always buffers on Netflix and keeps stopping films”: “Zero level of customer service and massive price hikes on broadband. Steer clear.”
Featured below are extracts from negative customer reviews about Shell Energy posted over the past 4 days on Trustpilot. Visit the Shell Energy page on Trustpilot to view all reviews in their entirety, positive and negative (and Shell Energy responses). Watch out for any fake reviews. Note the reoccurring themes in the negative reviews, including difficulty in communicating with the company. This article posted on 28 December 2020.read more
Dec 27th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
2020 Was One of the Worst-Ever Years for Oil Write-Downs
Royal Dutch Shell’s Prelude floating facility has struggled to deliver income. PHOTO: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL AUSTRALIA/REUTERS
By Collin Eaton and Sarah McFarlane: Dec. 27, 2020 9:00 am ET
The pandemic has triggered the largest revision to the value of the oil industry’s assets in at least a decade, as companies sour on costly projects amid the prospect of low prices for years.
Oil-and-gas companies in North America and Europe wrote down roughly $145 billion combined in the first three quarters of 2020, the most for that nine-month period since at least 2010, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. That total significantly surpassed write-downs taken over the same periods in 2015 and 2016, during the last oil bust, and is equivalent to roughly 10% of the companies’ collective market value.read more
The government of Rivers state in the Niger Delta sealed off the Kidney Island base located in the Port Harcourt oil hub, saying the facility and Shell’s 30% stake in nearby Oil Mining Lease 11 were “lawfully purchased through public auction ordered by the court.”
Shell says the state government’s statement is “premature and prejudicial,” as the transfer of the oil license requires the approval of Nigeria’s federal minister of petroleum resources, which has not been granted.
Shell has been involved in a long-running legal battle with a local community in Rivers state which has successfully sued the company for millions of dollars in damages for allegedly polluting its land during a civil war in the late 1960s.
HOUSTON, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — As the number of COVID-19 cases surges across the country, Shell Oil Company (Shell) has announced it will contribute more than one million pieces of PPE to communities and medical care facilities from coast to coast. Extra face shields, non-medical masks and nitrile gloves are now arriving in some of the hardest hit areas of the country.read more
Dec 21st, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell warns of flaring at Dutch Pernis oil refinery due to ‘malfunctioning’ unit
By Reuters Staff: DECEMBER 21, 2020
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell warned on Twitter on Monday of increased flaring at its 400,000 barrel per day Dutch Pernis oil refinery, Europe’s largest, due to a “malfunctioning” unit which it did not name.
Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar and Shadia Nasralla; editing by David Evans
Dec 21st, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell fourth quarter 2020 update note
| Source: Shell International B.V.
The Hague, December 21, 2020 − This is an update to the fourth quarter 2020 outlook provided in the third quarter results announcement on October 29, 2020. The impacts presented here may vary from the actual results and are subject to finalisation of the fourth quarter 2020 results.
This update note is presented based on prevailing commodity prices and forward curves, further movements and volatility till the end of the year are likely to impact earnings and CFFO.read more
Dec 19th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Layoffs at shuttered Shell Convent, Louisiana, refinery to begin in late Feb -sources
By Reuters Staff: DECEMBER 18, 2020
HOUSTON (Reuters) -Layoffs of hourly workers at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s shuttered Convent, Louisiana, refinery are scheduled to begin on the last day of February, said sources familiar with plant operations.
The next round of layoffs is scheduled for March 31, the sources said.
A Shell spokesman did not reply to a request for comment.
About 350 hourly workers will leave jobs they have performed for years at the 211,146 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery located 46 miles (74 km) west of New Orleans.read more
Companies that make money selling coal, oil and gas could be held more accountable if judges in the Hague order fossil fuel giant Shell to cut its emissions.
Backed by 17,000 Dutch citizens, climate activists are wrestling fossil fuel giant Royal Dutch Shell in court over its responsibility to cut emissions to levels that comply with global treaties.
On the last of four days of hearings in the District Court of the Hague, seven environmental groups led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands pressed the court to force the oil major to commit to the Paris Agreement target of keeping warming to 1.5C. This would mean cutting net carbon emissions by 45% from today’s levels in a decade, the campaigners say, at a time where Shell is still investing heavily in fossil fuels.read more
Dec 16th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell and Equinor team up on digital collaboration project
Shell and Equinor have announced plans to team up to further the use of advanced analytics on historical data to improve operational spare part inventories.
The two energy giants will develop the next generation of the Shell Inventory Optimiser, with the goal of gaining better control over available equipment and stock levels.
Microsoft will support Shell and Equinor with the co-development of the tool, which uses the tech giant’s Azure platform.read more
Dec 12th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
TIMELINE-Nord Stream 2: Russia to Germany gas pipeline’s difficult birth
Maarten Wetselaar, Klaus Schaefer, Mario Mehren, Alexey Miller, Gerhard Schroeder, Isabelle Kocher, Gerard Mestrallet, Rainer Seele, and Matthias Warnig after signing of financing agreements for Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project on April 24, 2017
Reuters Staff: DECEMBER 11, 2020
Dec 11 (Reuters) – Russia has resumed construction of the politically-charged Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, laying pipes after a one-year hiatus prompted by U.S. sanctions, the pipeline operator said on Friday.read more
The Empire State’s pension fund is the largest to dump fossil fuel investments ― ever, in the entire world.
New York state announced plans on Wednesday to eject oil and gas stocks from its $226 billion financial portfolio, becoming the first U.S. state and the biggest pension fund anywhere to divest from fossil fuels.
By 2025, the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which disburses some $1 billion in benefits to retirees each year, will sell off its “riskiest” oil and gas stocks, following a review. The state aims to completely eliminate carbon polluters from its portfolio by 2040.read more
Employees of Shell’s Nigeria subsidiary SPDC ordered the deliberate vandalization of oil pipelines to profit from them, according to a Dutch TV documentary, done in partnership with environmentalist organization Milieudefensie.
Aljazeera reports that the program, to be aired today, cites witnesses who said pipeline leaks were caused by SPDC employees.
“According to sources, Shell employees profit from these intentional oil leaks by pocketing money from clean up budgets,” the program, Zembla, said.read more
Dec 10th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
World’s top oil trader retiring from Shell
Javier Blas and Laura Hurst, Bloomberg News: 9 Dec 2020
Royal Dutch Shell Plc is shaking up its mighty in-house trading unit, with the retirement of Mark Quartermain as head of crude — a job widely seen as the most powerful in the global oil-trading industry.
The Anglo-Dutch oil major used the reshuffle to promote at least three women to top positions in trading, a rarity for an industry still dominated by men.
Quartermain will retire in the summer of 2021, less than four years after taking the job, having led the team through one of the most turbulent and profitable periods in history. He will be replaced by Stacie Pitts, who becomes the most influential woman in the oil-trading business.read more
Dec 9th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Malabu: Eni gets green light to subpoena companies over Nigerian litigation arrangement
The Malabu scandal involves the transfer of about $1.1 billion by oil multinationals, Shell and ENI, through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by a former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete.
Italian oil giant, Eni S.P.A, has been granted approval to subpoena asset recovery and litigation finance companies that it accused of being involved in a shady deal to fund litigation relating to Nigeria’s OPL 245 scandal in Italy.read more
Dec 8th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell in talks on Post Office broadband
Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: Tuesday December 08 2020, 12.01am,
Royal Dutch Shell is said to be in exclusive talks to acquire the Post Office’s broadband business for up to £100 million.
The Anglo-Dutch oil group has emerged as the preferred bidder in the sale of the division, Sky News reported yesterday. The Post Office has about 500,000 broadband customers.
Shell emerged as a surprise bidder in October, alongside Talktalk Telecom Group and Sky.
Shell acquired the household energy supplier First Utility in 2018, later rebranding it as Shell Energy Retail. At the time First Utility had about 20,000 broadband customers, having recently entered the telecoms market to cross-sell services to customers.read more
Dec 3rd, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell to double LNG bunkering fleet by 2025
Published date: 03 December 2020
Shell plans to “more than double” its LNG bunkering vessel fleet by 2025, the firm’s executive vice-president Steve Hill said at the virtual CWC World LNG summit.
The firm has six LNG bunkering vessels already in operation or about to start service, Hill said.
LNG is set to sharply increase its share of the bunkering market in the coming years, also thanks to its global availability, he added. LNG is already available “in all major ports”, and a widespread use as a marine fuel only requires “those last mile investments” to make it available for bunkering operations, he said.read more
Dec 2nd, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Communities in oil-rich Niger Delta pin hopes on Shell climate case
By Nellie Peyton, Thomson Reuters Foundation: DECEMBER 1, 2020
DAKAR, Dec 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As a legal case over energy giant Shell’s planet-heating emissions kicked off in the Netherlands, activists said the health and livelihoods of people in Nigeria’s oil-producing region would hinge on its outcome.
Royal Dutch Shell faced its first court hearing on Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by environmental and human rights groups in The Hague, the company’s headquarters.read more
Dec 2nd, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Oil majors wipe $80 billion off books as epidemic, energy transition bite
By Ron Bousso:
By Ron Bousso
LONDON (Reuters) – The world’s top energy companies have slashed the value of their oil and gas assets by around $80 billion (60.05 billion pounds) in recent months after revising lower the long-term outlook for fuel prices in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic and the energy transition.
Exxon Mobil, the largest U.S. oil company, announced on Monday it would write down the value of natural gas properties by $17 billion to $20 billion, its biggest ever impairment following the sharp drop in energy prices this year.read more
Nov 28th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Amnesty International has been challenging Shell for decades about the devastating impact that pollution and environmental damage, associated with the company’s operation, have had on the human rights of people in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Shell has, however, tried to delegate its responsibility for the damage to its Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC, making it more difficult even for victims to seek justice. Today, there is a case pending in the UK which seeks to hold the company accountable.
Multinationals Seem Too Big For Accountability. Switzerland May Change Thatread more
Nov 24th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
SSE, Equinor sign PPA for UK Dogger Bank offshore wind farm first phases
By Reuters Staff: NOVEMBER 24, 2020
LONDON (Reuters) – SSE and Equinor have agreed 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the first two phases of the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm they are developing off the coast of Britain, the companies said on Tuesday.
Separate PPA’s totalling 2.4 gigawatts of capacity for power from Dogger Bank A and B have been reached with Orsted, Shell Energy Europe Ltd, Danske Commodities and SSE’s energy supply business, SSE and Equinor said in a statement.read more
Nov 18th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Royal Dutch Shell paid no corporation tax in Britain
Robert Miller:
The Anglo-Dutch oil major paid a total of $7.8 billion in corporate income tax globally last year, but in Britain it received $116 million from the government
Royal Dutch Shell paid no corporation tax in Britain last year, despite paying billions of dollars in other jurisdictions.
The Anglo-Dutch oil major paid a total of $7.8 billion in corporate income tax and $5.9 billion in royalties last year on a pre-tax profit of $25.5 billion, according to its annual report, which was published yesterday.read more
Nov 16th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
“Fossil fuel companies, like tobacco companies before them, have allowed governments to pay for the harms caused by their products“…
5 legal tactics environmentalists are using to fight climate change
Activists are increasingly using litigation as a tool to influence climate action worldwide. Here’s a look at some of the main tactics they’re wielding to force change on fossil fuel firms and weak government policies.
More than 700 climate lawsuits have been filed around the world since 2015, according to the Climate Change Litigation Databases. That’s a huge increase, considering there have only been about 1,700 of these types of cases since the late 1980s, most of them in the US.read more
Nov 13th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell Canada gives customers option to offset their carbon emissions for two cents per litre
ByDan Healing The Canadian Press: Posted November 12, 2020 10:03 am: Updated November 12, 2020 6:14 pmA customer fills her full-size sport-utility vehicle at a Shell station in Mississauga, Ont. in this September 28, 2004 photo. The Sobeys grocery store chain is expanding its gasoline retailing business with the purchase of 250 gas stations in Atlantic Canada and Quebec from Shell Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/J.P. Moczulski. THE CANADIAN PRESS/J.P. Moczulski
Shell Canada is letting carbon-conscious customers get their two cents in for the environment while filling up at one of its 1,400 stations across Canada.
The Canadian branch of Royal Dutch Shell is launching its Drive Carbon Neutral program on Thursday to allow customers to help it buy offset credits to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions from the production, refining and burning of fossil fuels.read more
Nov 11th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Bloomberg: Shell Wants Biden to Reverse Methane Emissions Rollback
David Wethe:
(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc will push for the reversal of President Donald Trump’s rollback of methane emissions rules and the introduction of carbon pricing when Joe Biden moves into the White House next year.
“Some of the regulatory rollbacks that we’ve seen under the current administration haven’t actually benefited our industry,” Shell U.S. President Gretchen Watkins said Tuesday on a webcast hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership.read more
Nov 11th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell: Regaining Dividend Respectability And Shifting Toward Green Hydrogen
The Daily Drilling Report: 10 November 2020
Summary
Shell is taking a healthy approach toward energy transition and balancing capital projects in terms of energy source.
It’s also forging a leadership position in two key fuels that have been identified as being crucial to meeting Paris Climate goals – natural gas and hydrogen.
Shell is back in our good grades with its recent dividend raise and strong earnings prospects going forward.
At its recent price in the mid-$20s it represents a nice risk reward profile.
The question is, is the dividend safe? The answer here is yes, as it has just been raised. It seems Uncle Ben has heard the hue and cry of outraged shareholders, and is restoring some of what he took away just last quarter.
Ben Van Beurden, CEO Shell:
So we are announcing an increase of 4% in our dividends this quarter. But we’re also announcing a target milestone for our net debt of $65 billion for the near term. And once we have achieved this milestone, we target to further increase shareholder distribution. So we are not offering the promise of future growth, but also increasing shareholder distributions for the near term.read more
The transition at Bukom has been planned in consultation with all the stakeholders including the Government and the trade union.
SINGAPORE – Royal Dutch Shell’s pivot away from crude oil towards a low-carbon slate of fuels will cost Singapore 500 jobs and half of the processing capacity on Pulau Bukom in the next three years.read more
Nov 7th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Environmental groups want Shell air permit denied
By Paul J. Gough – Reporter, Pittsburgh Business Times, Nov 6, 2020, 1:44pm EST
Environmental groups are urging the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to deny Shell Pennsylvania Chemical’s air quality permits on the basis of what they say will be too much pollution into the Pittsburgh region.
Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community’s letter is the latest volley in environmentalists’ battle against the Potter Township project, costing in excess of $6 billion, that has remade a portion of the Ohio River coastline and brought thousands of construction jobs into the region. They’ve asked for a 30-day extension for more information about the permits as well.read more
Sometimes, you just need to take a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror. We’re talking to you, Shell.
This week, oil and gas corporation, Shell, took a break from polluting the planet to ask people on Twitter how they were willing to change their individual habits to help reduce emissions. As one might expect, Shell’s Twitter poll regarding emission reduction did not go over well.read more
No, I’m not suggesting that BP and Shell are about to go broke as a result of their plans in to renewables – that’s rhetorical use of a current trope.
The move does though entirely change the way we should be viewing those stocks. They become as with other companies, things to evaluate on single year horizons.
They used to be known as “widows and orphans” stocks, regular dividend payers safe to be held for decades – this is what has changed.
Going green is just fine
The idea of the world going green is just fine. Climate change is a real problem, we’re causing it, we need to do something about it. I’m one of the few on that free market right who has been saying this for the past decade or so and don’t I get stick for it too.
The idea of companies investing in doing that going green is just fine too. As someone on that free market right I would insist that this is the only way we will go green too. The capitalist way, people making a buck out of what people desire to be done.read more
Nov 1st, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell Explores Plans for North Slope Development
01 November 2020
Dutch oil major Shell is looking to further develop its North Slope oil position in Alaska. The company’s offshore unit applied to form the West Harrison Bay Unit offshore from the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska with plans for drilling and exploration.
The proposed West Harrison Bay Unit comprises 18 leases in West Harrison Bay approximately 34 miles northwest of the Colville River Unit. Shell holds 100% working interest in those 18 leases, covering more than 78,000 acres in the proposed unit.read more
Oct 29th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell to axe refining plants and focus on dividends and debt reduction
Philip Whiterow: 07:31 Thu 29 Oct 2020
Royal Dutch Shell PLC (LON:RDSB) has unveiled a huge restructuring of its refining and chemical operations as part of a strategic overhaul that places dividends at its centre.
The Anglo-Dutch giant said its fourteen refining sites will be reduced to six integrated chemical parks, with a switch in focus to performance chemicals and recycled feedstocks.
Shell’s marketing arm will also be strengthened with the development of the integrated power business and hydrogen and biofuels.read more
Oct 26th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Shell’s decision to check in, check out unfairPhoto Credit: Borneo360.com
Published on: Sunday, October 25, 2020
SHELL announced on Oct 15, 2020 that the Plaza Shell Office in Kota Kinabalu will be closed with a relocation of all Sabah staff to Miri new Headquarters in 2021.
The Kota Kinabalu office was set up in November 2015 with promises of Shell’s significance presence, strategic partnership and offer of measurable progress for Sabah. This change of commitments, a sad truth on change of event draws much reservation, suspicion and unveils unprecedented break of promises from Shell to Sabah, its people and communities.read more
Oct 24th, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
OPL 245: Nigeria hires London-based firm to lead dispute with Eni
Nigeria has hired the services of Franklin Wyatt, a London-based consultancy company, to provide legal advice in a dispute with Eni, an Italian oil and gas company.
Franklin Wyatt, according to information on its website, specialises in dispute consultancy by providing advise beyond legal perspectives.
There is an age-long dispute between Eni and Nigeria over oil prospecting licence (OPL) 245 deal.
The oil deal dates back to 2011, when Shell and Eni acquired the massively rich OPL 245 for over $1.3 billion — paying $1.1 billion to take over 100 percent of Malabu’s interest and $210 million to the federal government as signature bonus.read more
Oct 23rd, 2020
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post
Surprise package Shell eyes Post Office broadband deal
By Mark Kleinman, City editor: Thursday 22 October 2020 15:48, UK
Shell is vying with Sky and TalkTalk to buy the Post Office’s broadband and telecoms customer base, Sky News learns.
Shell, the FTSE-100 oil behemoth, is among the bidders vying to gain control of the Post Office’s telecoms arm in a deal that would transform the size of its broadband customer base.
Sky News has learnt that Shell, which took control of the retail energy and broadband supplier First Utility in 2018, is one of three remaining bidders for the Post Office business.read more
In 2016, Shell set an ambitious goal to invest $4bn to $6bn in clean energy projects by 2020, though the Guardian recently reported that it was unlikely to meet that target. So, why is Big Oil still dragging its feet…
Every time an oil and gas major announces a major foray into renewable energy, the skeptics come out like clockwork and lambast the sector for merely trying to burnish its green credentials.read more
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has repaid most of the arrears it owes to international oil companies for joint venture operating expenses, recently repaying US$3 billion to Exxon and Shell, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing a statement from the Nigerian state oil firm.
NNPC works in joint ventures with the major international oil producers in Nigeria, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Total, and Eni. However, the stretched finances of the Nigerian company has led to arrears in its payments for contributions to the operating expenses of those joint ventures.read more
The past few years have been historic for as far as crude oil forecasts are concerned. Back in 2015 the view that crude oil demand could peak during the 2020s or 2030s was still met with disbelief (and some ridicule…). Economic growth had been pushing crude oil demand up ever year for decades already, so why would things become different, so the reasoning went. Today, however, essentially all major energy forecasters, including BP, Shell, Total, DNV-GL, the IEA and even OPEC, have come round and acknowledge Peak Oil Demand as a realistic possibility.read more
OVER 500 EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS CITING OUR SHELL WEBSITES
See our link list of 491 articles by the FT, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Forbes, Dow Jones Newswires, New York Times, CNBC etc, plus UK House of Commons Select Committee Hansard records, information on U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission websiteetc. all containing references to our Shell focussed websites, or our website founders Alfred and John Donovan. Includes TV documentary features in English and German, newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, newsletters etc. Plus academic papers, Stratfor intelligence reports and UK, U.S. and Australian state/parliamentary publications, also citing our Shell websites. Click on this link to see the entire list, all in date order with a link to an index of over 60 books also containing references to our websites and/or our activities.
John Donovan, the website owner Head-cut image of Alfred Donovan appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC FAT CAT CEO, BEN VAN BEURDEN, PAID $30 MILLION IN 2014
DISCLAIMER
This is not a Shell website, nor is it officially endorsed by or affiliated with Royal Dutch Shell.
There are no subscription charges nor do we solicit or accept donations.
SHELL PRELUDE TO DISASTER
The links below are to a series of articles, many triggered by a well-placed whistleblower directly involved in the pioneering Royal Dutch Shell Prelude project. Includes articles by Mr Bill Campbell above, the retired distinguished HSE Group Auditor of Shell International and another retired Shell guru with a track record of spotting potential pitfalls in major Shell projects.
The campaign waged on this website by John Donovan to persuade Edward Heerema to rename the worlds biggest ship, The Pieter Schelte - which he named after his late father, Pieter Schelte Heerema, a former Officer in the German Waffen-SS - has been successful. On Friday 6 February 2015, Allseas announced that it was changing the ships name, and on 9 February announced the new name - Pioneering Spirit.
GLOBAL NEWS COVERAGE: FEBRUARY 2010
MORE INFORMATION: Contact details for over 176,000 employees and contractors of Royal Dutch Shell reached John Donovan and some environmental and human rights groups, ostensibly from disaffected Shell staff calling for a “peaceful corporate revolution” at the company. The database, from Shell’s internal directory, contained names and telephone numbers for all the company’s work force worldwide, including some home numbers. It was supplied with a 170 page covering note, explaining that it was being circulated by “116 concerned employees of Shell dispersed throughout the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands”, to highlight the harm done by the company’s operations in Nigeria. John Donovan brought the leak to the attention of Shell. Tests proved that the data was authentic and he destroyed the database after being informed by Mr. Richard Wiseman, the then Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, that the confidential information if publicly disclosed, could put Shell employees and contractors in real danger.
This is not a Shell website. Click on Disclaimer link at top of page for more information.
Shell Breaking News
Trump auctions drilling rights to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on WednesdayJanuary 7, 2021 10:47The Washington PostBut with lackluster oil prices and an increasing number of banks saying they would not finance Arctic energy projects, major oil companies did not try to buy the leases. That left the state agency, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, as the …
Trump will auction drilling rights to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge WednesdayJanuary 6, 2021 18:12The Washington PostBut with lackluster oil prices and an increasing number of banks saying they would not finance Arctic energy projects, many major oil companies do not intend to buy the leases, raising questions on how much money the sale will generate for taxpayers. And …
Hurricanes add to coronavirus woes in fresh hit on Shell asset valuesDecember 21, 2020 12:59BusinessLIVELondon — Royal Dutch Shell says it will write down the value of oil and gas assets by $3.5bn-$4.5bn after a string of impairments in 2020 as it adjusts to a weaker outlook.
In an update on December 21 ahead of its fourth-quarter results on February 4, …
SHELL’S ROLE IN NIGERIAN OPL 245 BRIBERY SCANDAL
Whatever fig leaves they might be trying to use to hide the truth, Shell and Eni paid over $1bn to a company called Malabu for the OPL 245 licence. Even though the payment was channelled through the Nigerian government, it was clear that Shell knew that the ultimate beneficiary was Dan Etete, the former minister of petroleum. Etete is the owner of Malabu, to whom he awarded the licence when he was Nigerian Minister of Petroleum.
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.
MORE INFORMATION
Shell appeased and collaborated with the Nazis. The oil giant instructed its employees in the Netherlands to complete a form giving particulars about their descent, which for some, amounted to a self-declared death warrant. Shell used slave labor and was a close business partner in Germany of I.G. Farben, the notorious Nazi run chemical giant that also used slave labor and supplied the Zyklon-B gas used during the Holocaust to exterminate millions of people, including children. Shell continued the partnership with the Nazis in the years after the retirement of Sir Henri and even after his death. It was money generated on Shell forecourts around the world, profiteering from cartel oil prices, that funded the Nazi party and saved it from financial collapse. Evidence about Shell's Nazi connections can be found in extracts from "A History of Royal Dutch Shell" Volumes 1 and 2 authored by historians paid by Shell, who had unrestricted access to Shell archives. There are 67 pages in total, so takes some time to download.
Photograph (full size here) shows a Swastika flag flying at the head office of Royal Dutch Petroleum, 30 Carel van Bylandtlaan, The Hague, during the Nazi occupation of the in World War II (From Image Database Hague Municipal)
Sir Henri Deterding, the founder of the Royal Dutch Shell Group - known as "The Most Powerful Man in the World" - who became an ardent Nazi and financial supporter of Hitler and the Nazi party.
Reading between the lines in various legal documents, it seems that the allegations are that after the technology in question had been disclosed to a Shell company in the USA, the information was passed to Shell in the Netherlands in breach of confidentiality. And Royal Dutch Shell subsequently exploited the technology without payment or credit to the company holding the rights; Newton Research Partners. The inference seems to be that Twister B.V. was founded by Shell partly on trade secrets stolen from Bloom/Newton.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a Shell website nor is it officially endorsed by or affiliated with Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Originally co-founded by the late Alfred Donovan and his son John, it is now operated by John, Shell's "No.1 Enemy", aided by an expert team, with invaluable support from retired Shell senior executives and officials as guest contributors and leaked information from Shell insiders. (JOHN DONOVAN, WEBSITE OWNER) For nearly a decade, we have operated globally under the Royal Dutch Shell Plc top level domain name, dealing on Shell’s reluctant behalf with job applications, business proposals, Shell pension enquiries, shareholder enquiries, complaints, invitations to speak at conferences, an approach from the Dutch Defence Ministry and even terrorist threats. All meant for Shell. Prospect magazine has aptly described this website as being:"An open wound for Shell": WIPO proceedings by Shell to seize the domain name failed. NO SUBSCRIPTION CHARGES: All of our watchdog activities monitoring Royal Dutch Shell, including operating this website, are carried out on a non-profit basis. Any advertising revenues generated are used to recover and/or defray operational costs. We are a news aggregator and original content website. All information is available free for educational and research purposes. SHELL TACIT ENDORSEMENT: WHAT A WELL INFORMED SHELL OFFICIAL SAID ABOUT US:
"John and Alfred Donovan well known in UK/Hague. They perceive Shell played them and so have made it their mission to embarrass,belittle and criticize Shell, which they do quite well. Their website, royaldutchshellplc.com is an excellent source of group news and comment and I recommend it far above what our own group internal comms puts out."
WARNING TO SHELL EMPLOYEES: Shell Global Affairs Security "CAS") is spying on Shell employees globally trying to trace who is visiting, posting, or leaking information to this website from Shell premises. Threats, including death threats, have allegedly been made against conscience driven Shell whistleblowers supplying us with information. The worlds biggest leak of employee details as part of a claimed corporate revolution by 116 Shell employees, suggest the espionage operation, threats and draconian litigation have not been entirely successful in cutting off the supply of information to this website. The insider leaks had already cost Shell billions on the Sakhalin Energy project and the loss of SEIC Deputy Chairman, David Greer. We publish our own carefully researched articles about Shell e.g. "How Royal Dutch Shell saved Hitler and the Nazi Party". MEDIA COVERAGE: Prospect Magazine, The Sunday Times, and The Guardian, have all published major articles about us: "Rise of the Gripe Site";"Two men and a website mount vendetta against Shell' and "92-year-old's website leaves oil giant Shell-shocked”. SHELL PETROL STATION images displayed in the website header panel are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Information on copyright issues here.
John Donovan can be contacted at [email protected]
SHELL’S $500,000 WEDDING GIFT TO CORRUPT BRUNEI ROYAL FAMILY
EXTRACT FROM ASIAN JOURNAL ARTICLE IN LIST OF LINKS BELOW: "Fireworks will light up the sky for three nights. The local unit of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has donated 500,000 Brunei dollars (US$292,400; euro 243,700) for the display, and for cultural events to be hosted by popular performers from Malaysia."
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:
THIS IS WHAT IT SAID:
Subject: This could be the most important whistleblower email you have ever received.
Some unfortunate Royal Dutch Shell workers have already lost their lives. More lives are at stake.
My name is Bill Campbell. I am a former Group Auditor of Shell International. I am writing to you on a matter of conscience in an effort to avert the inevitability of another major accident in the North Sea. The consequences could potentially impact on families in many constituencies, including your own.
As Royal Dutch Shell and the Health & Safety Executive would acknowledge, I am an expert on safety matters relating to offshore oil and gas platforms. In 1999, I was appointed by Shell to lead a safety audit on the Brent Bravo platform. The audit revealed a platform management culture that basically gave a higher priority to production than the safety of Shell employees. To our astonishment we discovered that a "Touch F*** All" policy was in place. Worse still, safety records were routinely falsified and repairs bodged.
I personally brought the shocking situation to the attention of senior management including Malcolm Brinded, the then Managing Director of Shell Exploration & Production. I revealed that ESDV leak-off tests were purposely falsified, not once but many times and that Brent Bravo platform management had admitted responsibility for the dangerous practices being followed. In response to my team ringing alarm bells, management pledged to rectify the serious problems which had been uncovered.
When I later complained that the pledges were not being kept, I was removed from my oversight function.
Four years later, a massive gas leak occurred on the platform. Two workers lost their lives. I have no doubt at all that the inaction of the relevant Asset Manager, the General Manager, the Oil Director and Malcolm Brinded, contributed in some part to the unlawful killing of two persons on Brent Bravo in September 2003.
Shell subsequently pleaded guilty to breaches of the HSE regulations and a record-breaking £900,000 fine was imposed. I thought this would bring about a real change in policy to put the emphasis on safety.
Unfortunately I was wrong. Although I supplied the evidence related to 1999, and the fact that there had been a collapse in controls of integrity from 1999 to 2003 on all 16 of Shell's North Sea offshore installations covered in a post fatality integrity review to the HSE for review by the Procurator Fiscal, none of this evidence was presented before the Sheriff at the subsequent Inquiry. The situation is explained in a letter to the Procurator Fiscal and the Sheriff (on 24th February 2007).
Shell management has engaged in spin to try to pretend that it is getting to grips with its safety problem. However, its atrocious safety record - the worst in the North Sea in terms of accidental deaths and absolute number of enforcement actions – tells a different story. This fact has resulted in a number of newspaper articles.
I have had meetings with senior Shell people including its CEO Mr. Jeroen van der Veer. I regret to say that I have found him to be economical with the truth. He prefers to support cover-up and deceit rather than confronting the underlying problems. Brinded is now Executive Director of Shell Exploration & Production. He believes in burying evidence.
My family and friends would probably prefer me to give up on this matter and enjoy my retirement after so many years working for Shell.
However, by writing to every MP in the UK, no one can ever say that I did not do my best to avert an inevitable further major accident event in the North Sea. When it happens (I pray that I am wrong) I will make this warning communication available to the media together with the vast amount of evidence in my possession.
At least my conscience is clear. I have done everything possible to ring the alarm bells about Shell management and its unscrupulous attitude to the safety of its employees.
Yours sincerely
Bill Campbell
ENDS
(Malcolm Brinded and Jeroen van der Veer are no longer with Shell. The Oil Director referred to in the email is Chris Finlayson, who left Shell to become Chief Executive of British Gas before being fired - his photo immediately below)
SIR PHILIP WATTS, THE GROUP CHAIRMAN OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL GROUP, FORCED TO RESIGN IN 2004
Shell’s reputation was destroyed in 2004 after FIVE consecutive cuts to its hydrocarbon reserves covering 55% of its total reserves. US and UK financial regulators imposed $150 million in fines on Shell for securities fraud. Shell was also rocked by class action lawsuits. Sir Philip Watts
and Walter van de Vijver (whose headcut images appear courtesy of The Wall Street Journal) were among the Shell executives forced to resign. More details at the foot of this column.
MORE DETAILS: The Shell reserves scandal brought about
the end of the Royal Dutch Shell Group in its original form as an Anglo-Dutch partnership.
Shell Transport & Trading Co and Royal Dutch Petroleum were unified into a single Dutch owned company - Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
Sir Philip turned to religion and is now a very wealthy priest after receiving a payoff/pension package from Shell reportedly worth $18.5 million. Walter van de Vijver in contrast was the victim of a sadistic sacking by his Shell senior management backstabbing colleagues.
Displayed below are some of the spectacular promotional campaigns my company Don Marketing created for Shell in the 1980s and 1990s. This was before the series of SIX high court actions we brought against Shell for stealing ideas (4) and for defamation (2) - all settled by Shell. This website is a permanent response by me to the malicious underhand tactics, including treachery, espionage and intimidation, used by Shell during and after the bouts of litigation. More information is printed at the foot of this column.
MORE DETAILS: After a solicitor acting for Shell threatened to make the litigation "drawn out and difficult" with the intention of draining the resources of a financially weaker opponent, my late father (Alfred Donovan) and I decided to mount a wide-ranging campaign as a counter-measure. We jointly founded the Shell Corporate Conscience Pressure Group, which nearly 15% of Shell UK retailers joined. We regularly conducted ethical surveys involving up to 1500 Shell petrol stations. All responses were opened and authenticated by an independent solicitor who supplied Affidavits confirming the results. In whole page announcements in trade magazines (examples above) we challenged Shell to commission and publish the resuits of independent research asking the same questions and offering respondents GUARANTEED anonymity. Shell never took up the invitation. Instead it asked the UK Advertising Standards Authority to investigate our Shell surveys. No problems were found. The head-cut image of Alfred Donovan appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
SHELL CONTROVERSIES
selection of memorable warnings/articles/images associated with the controversial track record of Royal Dutch Shell.
WARNING: DO NOT DISCLOSE YOUR IDEAS TO SHELL GameChanger OR SHELL Ideas360 WITHOUT TAKING EVERY POSSIBLE PRECAUTION. Shell management has ample funds to pay for intellectual property but prefers to steal it from small businesses and in our experience, gives its full backing to dishonest managers willing to do its bidding. We have sued Shell repeatedly in the High Court for the theft of our Intellectual Property. It is doubtful if anyone can match our dire experience in dealing with this ruthless unscrupulous serial poacher of other parties ideas. Expect threats, legal machinations and sinister action from Shell and its spooks if you object to having your ideas stolen.
Some years ago extensive documentary evidence was brought to the attention of Malcolm Brinded above, when he was Chairman of Shell UK, proving beyond any doubt that Shell executives had conspired to rig a tender for a major contract. A number of innocent firms were deliberately lured into signing confidentiality agreements and disclosing Intellectual Property to Shell under false pretences, in a carefully contrived plot. The firm which was awarded the contract never took part in the tender. One objective of the Machiavellian plan was to stop/delay IP trade secrets owned by the participants in the tender from being disclosed to Shell's rivals. This was achieved by outright deception, without paying a cent to the firms involved, who wrongly believed they were participating in an honest tender. Instead of sacking the ring leader, AJL - who had a personal relationship with the firm which miraculously won the race in which it never ran - Shell senior directors, including Brinded, gave AJL their full backing. Some of the Shell executives involved, including for example, Tim Hannagan, still hold high positions inside Shell - in his case, Global Brand and Visual Identity Manager. If Shell does not accept that this is a true, provable account of what happened, then it should sue for libel. How on earth is such predatory conduct compatible with Shell's claimed business principles?