London (CNN Business)Royal Dutch Shell is making a bet on home battery storage as it tries to boost its sustainable energy business.
The oil giant announced Friday that it has purchased Sonnen, a German startup that makes residential battery systems that store energy generated from solar panels.
The move puts Shell in direct competition with companies such as Samsung (SSNLF), LG (LPL) and Tesla (TSLA), which makes a home battery system called the Powerwall.read more
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to buy German residential solar battery maker sonnen, as the oil and gas major expands its electricity business in its bid for a bigger role in the global transition to low-carbon energy.
Sonnen, which has 40,000 battery systems worldwide and in 2017 had sales of 65 million euros ($73 million), is the German market leader in home storage batteries and has expanded into electric vehicle charging systems.
Regulatory approval and completion of the transaction, involving Shell New Energies, was expected in the first quarter of 2019, a sonnen spokesman said, without giving a value.read more
Singapore — Shell’s first condensate cargo from the Prelude FLNG project in Australia has been delayed further from its original February load date and possibly to March, due to production issues, trade sources said Friday.
Shell did not immediately respond to an email query seeking comment.
The first Prelude condensate cargo was originally scheduled to load over January 31-February 2, shipping reports showed at the start of January. Later reports subsequently showed this was delayed to February 12-14, and then to February 24-26.read more
The Australian arm of global oil major, Royal Dutch Shell, has firmed up plans to build a 120MW solar farm in Queensland’s Western Downs region, which it describes as one of many “great opportunities” to evolve and grow the business in the Australian market.
In an address to the Melbourne Mining Club on Wednesday, Shell Australia chair Zoe Yujnovich said the “well-advanced plans” for the company’s first solar farm proposed building the 400,000 panel project on land adjacent to its QGC onshore natural gas business near Wandoan.read more
Royal Dutch Shell will join forces with renewable energy developers to build an €18m (£15.7m) floating wind project off the coast of Norway by next year.
The Anglo-Dutch fossil fuel giant will take a majority stake in the development company that hopes to prove that the cost of floating wind projects could fall significantly using innovating approaches.
Shell has increased its share of the project from an initial one third stake to almost two thirds, alongside German renewables company Innogy and Denmark’s Stiesdal Offshore Technologies.read more
Shell and its joint venture (JV) partners are officially seeking approval to develop the Crux gas field off the coast of Western Australia.
With JV partners Seven Group and Japan’s Osaka Gas, Shell has submitted a proposal – estimated to be worth more than $2 billion – to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority to develop the field, located approximately 160 km northeast of the Prelude field in WA’s Browse Basin.read more
Energy giant Shell has bought a controlling stake in a floating wind project planned for 2020.
Originally investing 33% in the ‘TetraSpar’ floating foundation demonstrator turbine last year, Shell will now own 66% of the project.
The development project is a partnership between Shell, Innogy and Stiesdal Offshore Technologies (SOT).
It has a project budget of almost £16 million.
The demonstrator will also utilise a Siemens Gamesa 3.6 megawatt (MW) direct drive turbine.
Testing is due to begin in 2020 at the Marine Energy Test Centre (Metcentre) near Stavanger in Norway.
James Cotter, project manager at Shell, said: “Shell is working to grow our renewable power business and sees great promise in floating wind technologies that could change the face of the offshore wind industry over the next decade.read more
Energy giants Shell and Innogy have teamed up with Stiesdal Offshore Technologies (SOT) to invest in an €18m demonstration project they hope could slash the costs of installing floating wind turbines.
The trio yesterday announced the final investment decision on the TetraSpar floating wind project, firing the starter gun on work to install a turbine with a floating foundation off the Norwegian coast.
The plan is to create a turbine foundation featuring a modular structure, which would be constructed from tubular steel and incorporate a suspended keel. The companies said that because the design can be assembled on land and towed fully constructed out to sea, it should deliver significant cost savings compared to current designs for floating turbines.read more
Alphabet is turning yet another one of its X projects into a business, but this time it’s enlisting the help of an unusual ally. Makani Power, a venture making electricity-generating kites (see above), has become a full-fledged subsidiary of Alphabet thanks in part to a minority investment from Shell — yes, the fossil fuel giant. The two hope to shift the technology from the land to offshore, where winds are stronger. They’re betting that the kites will be easier to deploy than conventional wind farms, since they could deploy with floating buoys instead of requiring platforms that reach down to the ocean bed.read more
Shell Australia has “well advanced” plans for a 120 MW utility scale PV array to supply its QGC onshore gas operations in northern Queensland. The announcement was made Shell Australia Chairman Zoe Yujnovich during a speech today, in which she pointed to an Australian “energy transition” in which “electrons will play a bigger role”.
The QGC operations sprawl across a landmass the size of Belgium and is Shell’s largest LNG project globally. Image: Shell
Fossil fuel giant Shell’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations globally is set to be partly supplied by PV power. Shell Australia announced the move today, which will come in the form of a 120 MW solar farm to be developed on land that forms some of its QGC fracking operations in Queensland. The gas is liquefied, in an energy intensive process, at the 8.5 million tonne Curtis Island export facility near Gladstone – the company’s biggest LNG operation globally.read more
Shell Australia chairman Zoe Yujnovich said industry must help to direct government to create a durable energy policy after more than a decade of failed energy and climate policies.CREDIT: BEN RUSHTON
Shell has blasted the federal government over climate and energy policies saying business needs to take the lead on climate action, and the Coalition blaming high gas prices on exports “cannot go unchallenged”.
In a speech, Australia chief Zoe Yujnovich lashed the government’s performance on climate change and threats to cut off gas exports, saying industry needs to take the lead on climate and energy as governments are unable to “sell” their constantly changing policies.read more
Shell aims to increase LNG exports from Egypt -executive
FEBRUARY 12, 2019
CAIRO, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell aims to increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Egypt this year as it ramps up production from a West Delta field, the company’s country chairman Gasser Hanter said on Tuesday.
The company shipped 12 LNG cargoes from the Idku plant last year and is “hoping for more” this year, Hanter told reporters in Cairo, adding that the West Delta Deep Marine field Phase 9B project should be completed by the end of this year.read more
Shell, Eni, Exxon among winners in Egypt’s oil and gas exploration tender
FEBRUARY 12, 2019
CAIRO (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell, Eni, BP and Exxon Mobil were among winners of Egypt’s international tender for oil and gas exploration on Tuesday, with 12 concessions awarded in total.
It marks Exxon Mobil’s entry into gas exploration in Egypt, while Shell was awarded the most concessions in the tender – three for oil and two for gas.
Neptune Energy, Merlon, Shell, Eni and state-controlled Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) were awarded seven oil exploration concessions in total in which 39 wells will be drilled, Egypt’s petroleum ministry said in a statement.read more
Royal Dutch Shell has fuelled the world’s first cruise ship powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Trend reports citing the company’s Twitter page.
Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with an average of 86,000 employees in more than 70 countries. Its operations are divided into the company’s businesses: Upstream, Integrated Gas and New Energies, Downstream.read more
The tender marks XOM’s entry into gas exploration in Egypt, while Shell is awarded the most concessions – three for oil and two for gas.
Egypt expects investments of at least $750M-$800M in the first stage of exploration in the 12 concessions, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla says.read more
London (CNN Business)Climate activists are preparing legal action aimed at forcing Royal Dutch Shell to exit the oil business.
A coalition of environmental groups in the Netherlands said Tuesday that they will hand over a court summons on April 5 if Shell does not change its business model to comply with the Paris climate accord.read more
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Brazil’s private equity group Pátria Investimentos and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, on Monday said they would invest $700 million to build and operate a gas-fired power plant in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The joint venture will build the Marlim Azul thermal power plant with capacity of 565 megawatts (MW) in Macaé, along Rio’s coast, and will use natural gas supplied by Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda. Pátria will have 50.1 percent of the venture, with 29.9 percent held by Shell and 20 percent by Mitsubishi.read more
AMSTERDAM, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Gas production at the Groningen field in the north of the Netherlands is falling faster than planned, the Dutch government said on Friday.
Output at the field will fall to 15.9 billion cubic metres (bcm) in the year ending October 2020, the government said, which is 1.5 bcm lower than originally planned.
The Dutch government last year said it would end production by 2030 and lower it as quickly as possible in coming years, as decades of extraction have led to a series of damaging earthquakes in the region.read more
The Prelude project will be fired up 475 kilometres north-east of Broome, ready to liquefy natural gas straight from the ocean floor and ship it around the world.
Peter Milne: The West Australian:
Shell has struggled through a series of safety missteps as it readies its cutting-edge Prelude floating LNG vessel for production.
Shell reported 17 incidents to the offshore safety regulator NOPSEMA between May and October 2018 that the regulator classified as dangerous occurrences.
The reports, obtained by WestBusiness through a freedom of information request, show the challenges facing hundreds of WA workers that have helicoptered about 500km back and forth between Broome and the 488m-long giant since it arrived from South Korea in July 2017.
One difficulty with floating LNG vessels is that an LNG carrier must berth alongside as the two vessels bob about in the sea, unlike floating oil production facilities that offload oil to a tanker a safe distance away through long flexible hoses.
In early May 2018 Shell tried to bring the LNG carrier Gallina alongside.
A tow rope to a tug failed when the 290m-long carrier was just 50m from Prelude and the operation had to be aborted.
That problem was caused by a tow rope that was incorrectly assembled.
Nine days later something as trivial as wrongly shaped plastic thwarted another attempt to load LNG on to Prelude.
It was thought the Gallina was safely secured to the Prelude by 16 mooring lines that ran through guides on the Prelude called fairleads. As the crew prepared to connect the LNG loading arms a mooring line failed and the Gallina was released and pulled away.
Afterwards it was found that all 16 lines had been significantly damaged by rubbing against sharp edges of nylon liners in the fairleads.
This seemingly trifling detail could have caused a “complete mooring failure” with “potential for serious consequences” if it had occurred later while LNG was being transferred.
Two weeks later the Gallina successfully offloaded its LNG and Prelude had gas to power itself and test its processing plant.
However, having gas on board the Prelude increased the risks Shell had to manage.
A flange leaked near the LNG loading arms as super-cold -162C LNG sitting at the bottom of a pipe caused it to contract and bend.
Another type of gas, hydrogen sulphide, was released when construction debris from the Korean shipyard was being removed from a tank and the area was evacuated.
In July a fire damper intended to keep gas from entering the air-conditioning system for the accommodation quarters failed to close when tested but was repaired quickly.
In August, Prelude lost all its power supply when a pump sending water to a gas-fired boiler tripped.
All workers on the Prelude and the attached 750-bed Posh Arcadia floating hotel went to their muster stations as the diesel emergency generators powered up to supply essential services.
But a transformer failed and the system to cover the deck with firefighting foam was left without power and unable to operate.
Other problems included a test of a system to cover the top of LNG tanks with a deluge of water in an emergency that found it delivered only half the planned amount of water as the system used undersized valves.
There was a small fire when dust in an oxygen cylinder valve ignited, leading to a muster of all personnel.
Newly installed insulation on a hot high-pressure steam line was seen smouldering and when the insulation was pulled away it caught fire. The insulation had been secured by combustible tape.
A Shell spokeswoman said the company had a rigorous program on Prelude to identify and manage risk in a controlled way.
“It is not unexpected for issues to arise during this phase of a project and it is standard practice to notify NOPSEMA,” she said. “We are proud of our safety and reporting culture.”
She said Shell encouraged workers to raise safety concerns.
TEETHING PROBLEMS
2017
July: Prelude arrives from Korea
2018
May: Tow line to tug fails, mooring lines fail
June: LNG loaded onto Prelude, gas leak, flood detection not working
July: Hydrogen sulfide leak, flooded machinery room, fire dampers did not close
August: No power to fire-fighting foam
September: Smouldering insulation
October: Small fire
December: 750-bed accommodation vessel for additional workers leaves, wells opened and gas flows to Prelude.
2019
February: Preparing for first export of condensate
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, 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.read more
The chief executive of Cluff Natural Resources (CLNR) has said the company’s farm-out deal with Shell will be “transformational” in its North Sea growth plans.
Yesterday CLNR announced it will farm-out 70% of its P2552 licence to Shell, along with the option for the energy giant to acquire a 50% stake in the P2437 licence.
CLNR saw its share price surge following the announcement, and CEO Graham Swindells said it gives them “clear line of sight” with Shell set to bear most of the costs.
He believes the deal will raise the profile of the company and offers a platform for growth as it aims to take on more licences in the next round from the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA).
He said: “This takes us from a company with a portfolio of highly prospective assets to a company that’s trying to position ourselves as one of the leading independent exploration and appraisal-focussed companies in the North Sea.
“A big part of this is it provides a platform for us from which to work and build on these assets that we have farmed out.
“We have the intention to further expand and diversify our portfolio when the 32nd licensing round is opened up, hopefully in the summer of this year.”read more
Cluff Natural Resources (CLNR) has announced it will farm-out a southern North Sea licence to Shell, with the possibility of an agreement on a second.
The deal will see CLNR farm-out 70% of its P2252 licence to the energy giant, which contains the Penascola prospect estimated to hold around 100 million barrels of oil equivalent.
Cluff will retain the remaining 30% non-operated interest and the costs will be “satisfied by each party in proportion to their working interests”.
The agreed work programme includes shooting of at least 400km2 of new seismic data over the Penascola prospect this summer to support a well investment decision before the end of 2020.read more
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell widened its lead over Exxon Mobil as king of cash among the world’s top oil and gas companies last year but its U.S. rival could catch up with its investment drive in new production.
The five leading firms, known as oil majors, more than tripled profits and doubled cash generation since 2016 as deep cost cutting bore fruit after an industry slump.read more
Shearwater plays a key role in the energy giant’s “Central Graben Strategy”, making the platform the main production site for nearby fields like Arran and Fram.
Speaking at the Subsea Expo today, UK Commercial Manager Nina Holm Vista said Shell is eyeing more opportunities to tie-back to Shearwater as part of the plan to prolong the installation’s life.read more
WOOD has won a multi-million dollar contract to work on the development of an Australian gas field.
The Aberdeen engineering giant will complete design work in connection with Shell’s Crux field, which lies around 115 miles off Western Australia.
The award provides a vote of confidence in Wood on the part of Shell, which describes Crux as an important part of its Australian gas portfolio.
Wood stepped up efforts to win business overseas in response to the crude price plunge, which took a heavy toll on the North Sea oil services business on which it used to focus.read more
PERTH, Australia – Shell Australia has contracted Wood and KBR to undertake integrated front-end engineering design (FEED) for the Crux gas project, 600 km (373 mi) north of Broome, offshore Western Australia.
The main facilities will comprise a remotely operated, not normally manned platform and a gas export pipeline.
Shell will use these as a source of backfill gas supply to the Prelude floating liquefied natural gas vessel, with the platform drying the gas and exporting gas/condensate to Prelude via a new 160-km (99-mi) multi-phase pipeline.
Wood and KBR’s engineering and project management teams in Perth will manage the program over 18 months, supported by Wood’s Kuala Lumpur division, providing integrated FEED for the topsides, jacket, export pipeline and subsea pipeline end manifold.read more
MELBOURNE, Feb. 5, 2019: By Rick Wilkinson OGJ Correspondent
The Perth-based Australian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC has begun the approval process for a potential $2-billion (Aus.) development of its Crux natural gas-condensate field in the Browse basin license AC/L9 offshore Western Australia as a tie in to the company’s Prelude floating LNG (FLNG) facilities.
Crux has long been considered a likely second phase to Shell’s $16.6-billion (Aus.) Prelude development that has recently been brought on stream via the world’s largest FLNG vessel permanently moored in the field.
Initially the hook-up was not envisioned for many years, as a back-fill when production of gas from Prelude began to decline late next decade. A development plan recently submitted to Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety & Management Authority (NOPSEMA), however, outlines the start of front-end engineering and design work for Crux later this year leading to a final investment decision in 2020.read more
Doha: Shell Qatar Chairman and Managing Director Andrew Faulkner (pictured) said the Pearl Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) project is operating efficiently and achieving the business objectives for which it was founded.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency, Faulkner said Pearl GTL, which is the largest of its type and managed by Shell Qatar is benefiting the economic performance in the State of Qatar and is achieving strong financial returns that contribute to the sustainable development it seeks, and represents a serious opportunity for professional development as there are more than 300 Qataris occupying different positions. He added that the project also represents investment opportunities for many local companies through its operational and supply opportunities.read more
Royal Dutch Shell has inked a long-term deal to purchase renewable diesel from a proposed $1 billion renewable project in Oregon.
Shell Trading Co. said it would purchase renewable diesel from NEXT Renewable Fuels Inc.’s proposed 12.3 million barrel (600 million gallon) project in Port Westward on the Columbia River in northern Oregon, according to an announcement from NEXT. The company will supply Shell and other partners with its alternative liquid fuels once the project opens in 2021.read more
Shell Offshore Inc. has agreed to pay a $2.2 million civil fine to the federal government to settle charges that the company violated the Clean Water Act by spilling 1,900 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in May 2016 when a subsea pipeline cracked at the company’s Green Canyon oil field.
The fine, announced in the Federal Register on Friday (Feb. 1), will be paid after the expiration of a 30-day comment period. The money will be deposited in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is used to pay for oil spill cleanups.read more
Energy giant Shell has brushed off persistent talk about technical problems dogging the start-up of the huge Prelude floating LNG project off Australia’s far north-west coast but has signalled the first LNG cargo from the closely watched venture may still be several weeks away.
Feb 1st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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ROYAL Dutch Shell boss Ben van Beurden has underlined the fact the company wants to grow in the UK North Sea even as he expressed concern about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
Speaking after Shell posted a 36 per cent increase in annual profits to a four year high of $21.4 billion (£16.3bn), from $15.8bn, Mr van Beurden said the oil giant believed a no deal Brexit would be “a very bad outcome” but had prepared for the possibility.
Indicating that even a messy Brexit would have limited impact on the company’s plans, he said Shell was very pleased with its UK business.read more
Executives at the British-Dutch company were jubilant after reporting a £4.3billion surplus for the final quarter of last year. But critics pointed out that the “strong financial performance” came at the expense of millions of drivers. Campaigners are demanding a new watchdog for pump prices after they rose more than 11 percent year-on-year.
They pointed out that profits made by fuel retailers on every unit of petrol have rocketed by 60 percent to 13p per litre.
Howard Cox, founder of pressure group FairFuelUK, said: “Greedy oil companies continue to ride roughshod over hard-working, low income families and small businesses.read more
Feb 1st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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By Marissa Luck, Staff Writer
Shell has named Gretchen Watkins as the new president of its North American operations in Houston. Watkins is the former CEO of Maersk Oil. Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, in Houston. Photo: Marie D. De Jesús, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Gretchen Watkins’ family was living an idyllic life in Copenhagen, where bicycles outnumber cars on many the city’s roadways. The oil industry veteran said it was the norm for her kids to take public transportation to commute.
That was less than a year ago. Now her family has moved from one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world to a city dominated by highways and traffic congestion. Watkins, 50, went from living in a country whose leaders are debating ambitious new climate laws to a city whose fate is tied to the proliferation of fossil fuels.
It’s been almost a year since Watkins relocated her family to Houston so she could prepare to take over in one of Shell Oil Co.’s most iconic positions: She officially started as Shell’s president of U.S. operations in January, the first female in a position typically filled internally by longtime male employees.read more
Feb 1st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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Shell open to carmaker partners in EV charging expansion
FEBRUARY 1, 2019
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Shell is open to partnerships with carmakers to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging beyond its petrol stations, one of the oil major’s executives said on Friday.
As part of efforts to compete with rival BP in the growing EV sector, Shell this week bought U.S. charger provider Greenlots – a supplier for Volvo and Volkswagen’s U.S. subsidiary as well as for utilities and residential sites – for an undisclosed sum.read more
Feb 1st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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Marissa Luck, Houston Chronicle
Royal Dutch Shell says it has reached a tentative deal with the union impacting 30,000 refinery workers and a consortium of Big Oil majors and energy companies nationally. The deal affects 5,000 refinery, chemical and pipeline workers in the Houston area.
Royal Dutch Shell – representing several energy companies including Exxon Mobil, Shell, PBF Energy, Valero, Phillips 66, Chevron, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LyondellBasell and Marathon Petroleum – said it has struck a tentative deal with the United Steelworkers union just hours before a 12:01 a.m. deadline.read more
Resurgent oil and gas prices helped Royal Dutch Shell to double its profit to almost $24 billion last year, the highest since 2012.
Ben van Beurden, chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch energy group, said it was “delivering on pretty big promises” to investors as it embarked on the latest tranche of its $25 billion share buyback.
Mr van Beurden, 60, also became the latest voice in big business to warn against a no-deal Brexit, saying that it would be “a very bad outcome”.
Shell employs about 80,000 people worldwide, primarily in the production and sale of oil and gas. It produced the equivalent of 3.7 million barrels of oil per day last year and benefited from the rise in prices after supply curbs by Opec…read more
Jan 31st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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Shell sticking with spending discipline as 2018 profits soar
Ron Bousso: January 31, 2019
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell said to would stick to spending discipline this year after 2018 profits jumped by more than a third to $21.4 billion, their highest since 2014.
The Anglo-Dutch oil company also reported a sharp rise in cash generation, in a further sign that cost savings since the 2014 oil market downturn are filtering into its operations.
Its shares were up by more than 4 percent at 1120 GMT.
A strong performance in the fourth quarter was driven by higher oil and gas prices, year-on-year, as well as a stronger contribution from crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading.read more
Jan 31st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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The oil giant is finally making enough cash to pay its dividends and cut debt. But it’s yet to show that it can boost returns while shifting to renewables.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc appears at first glance to have arrived at its destination. The Anglo-Dutch oil major made enough cash last year to pay its dividends and cut debt, seemingly confounding skeptics who feared the payout would need to be cut. But this isn’t yet a sustainable performance. Shell is still traveling.
The company’s dividend yield hit about 9 percent in 2015 as falling oil prices and the acquisition of BG Group, funded partly by debt, sowed doubts over whether the payout was affordable. Shell has since cut costs and capital expenditure and brought new production on stream. Add an oil price recovery and the group generated $53 billion of operating cash flow last year. That left it able to fund $14 billion of capital spending and other investments, net of disposals, and a $20 billion bill for interest payments and dividends.
Shell has used the surplus cash to cut debt and buy back its own shares. Net borrowings of $51 billion at the end of the fourth quarter are down from nearly $80 billion in the aftermath of the BG takeover and stood at 20 percent of total capital, Shell’s target.
Job done? Not so fast. This is still only a snapshot, rather than sustained proof. The debt reduction was aided by a huge boost from working capital movements in the last three months of 2018. The volatility in Shell’s working capital as inventories jump around is one reason why investors can’t be sure just yet that the company’s leverage will stay at or below the threshold.
The average price for Brent crude in the fourth quarter was about $69 per barrel. It is around $62 currently. While Shell could have afforded its cash dividends for 2018 had the oil price averaged out at that lower level over the whole year, it’s hard to be confident about crude’s buoyancy right now.read more
Shell said it would start setting targets for shorter periods in an effort to cut the net carbon footprint of its energy products by around half by 2050, and 20% by 2035.read more
Royal Dutch Shell PLC RDSB on Thursday reported a rise in profit for the fourth quarter of 2018, saying it had benefited from high prices in oil, gas and liquid natural gas.
The British-Dutch oil giant said its profit for the three months ended Dec. 31 on a net current cost-of-supplies basis–a number similar to the net income that U.S. oil companies report–was $7.33 billion compared with $3.08 billion in the year-earlier period.
Adjusted CCS earnings–Shell’s preferred metric–came to $5.81 billion in the fourth quarter, beating a consensus estimate from Vara Research that forecast $5.28 billion in adjusted CCS earnings.read more
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell reported better-than-expected full-year earnings on Thursday, as deep cost cuts introduced after the 2014 energy market downturn filtered through.
Full-year profits jumped 36 percent to $21.4 billion in 2018 — with cost savings helping the Anglo-Dutch company record its highest annual profits since 2014.
Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, used as a proxy for net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at $5.7 billion. This compared to a company-provided analyst consensus of $5.28 billion for the final three months of 2018, according to Reuters.read more
Jan 31st, 2019
by John Donovan.
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Royal Dutch Shell plc Fourth Quarter 2018 Interim Dividend
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Jan. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ —
The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“RDS” or the “Company”) (NYSE: RDS.A) (NYSE: RDS.B)today announced an interim dividend in respect of the fourth quarter of 2018 of US$0.47 per A ordinary share (“A Share”) and B ordinary share (“B Share”), equal to the US dollar dividend for the same quarter last year.
Details relating to the fourth quarter 2018 interim dividend
It is expected that cash dividends on the B Shares will be paid via the Dividend Access Mechanism from UK-sourced income of the Shell group.read more
The Anglo-Dutch firm wants to “reset” the way it works with suppliers and will look to cement “fewer, but deeper” relationships, said Neil Gilmour, vice president CP integrated gas, projects and new energies.
Mr Gilmour said more benefit could be extracted from longer-term relationships were operators and suppliers “keep each other on their toes commercially”.
Speaking at BHGE’s annual meeting in Florence, Mr Gilmour said: “It’s a pivotal moment for the energy industry. It’s a pivotal moment for Shell and also for its relationships with suppliers.read more
Jan 30th, 2019
by John Donovan.
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Union says time running out for new refinery contract: sources
JANUARY 29, 2019
HOUSTON (Reuters) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) warned on Tuesday that time was running out to reach a new national agreement for U.S. refinery and chemical plant workers before the current pact expires on Friday, sources familiar with the talks said.
The USW and Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, have been in talks since Jan. 16 for an accord on wages, benefits and safety covering 30,000 refinery, chemical plant and pipeline workers.read more
Royal Dutch Shell is set to unveil its highest annual profits for four years next week, but fourth-quarter figures are expected to take a hit from recent oil price falls.
Results on Thursday are expected to reveal a 39% surge in underlying earnings to £16.8 billion for 2018, up from £12.1 billion in 2017.
This would mark its highest profits since 2014 and comes after Shell hailed one of its “strongest ever quarters” for the three months to September as higher oil prices drove earnings up 37%.
But fourth-quarter results may take the shine off the performance after oil prices went into reverse since reaching a heady high of nearly $87 per barrel in October.read more
Jan 26th, 2019
by John Donovan.
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Union says Shell dragging feet in refinery contract talks: sources
JANUARY 26, 2019 / 3:05 AM
HOUSTON (Reuters) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) said on Friday Shell Oil Co is delaying progress on important issues in negotiations for a new national agreement covering 30,000 U.S. refinery and chemical workers, according to sources familiar with the talks.
Shell spokesman Ray Fisher declined to discuss specifics about negotiations.
“We look forward to the bargaining process working through to its completion and a conclusion that can be satisfactory with all parties,” Fisher said.read more
VANCOUVER, Jan. 21, 2019 /CNW/ – Today, LNG Canada announces the value of contracts and subcontracts approved as of December 2018, following the first three months of the construction phase of the large-scale LNG export project near Kitimat, British Columbia.
LNG Canada has thus far approved over $937 million (CAD) in contracts and subcontracts with First Nations enterprises and other businesses across Canada. This includes $175 million (CAD) to local First Nations businesses and, with the addition of contracts awarded to local Kitimat area businesses, including First Nations businesses, that total increases to $330 million (CAD) and $530 million (CAD) with the addition of BC businesses outside the local area.read more
Shell to develop $10b Bonga field 13 Feb 2019 02:51 Nation OIL giant Shell’s Bonga South West/Aparo (BSWA) deepwater project, located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118 in the Niger Delta, is set for development, it was learnt yesterday.
This is coming on the heels of the output of 200,000 barrels per day from …
How a ‘Monster’ Texas Oil Field Made the U.S. a Star in the World Market 03 Feb 2019 23:48 The New York Times Mr. Wilkinson has reason for enthusiasm, given the giant new investments that Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP and Shell have begun to make here despite all the price uncertainty.
With a major acquisition in New Mexico last year, Exxon Mobil became the most active …
Shell Pledges To Do It All 02 Feb 2019 01:30 Rigzone by Bloomberg
|Kelly Gilblom
|Thursday, January 31, 2019
Shell delivers a 'do it all' message.
(Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc came through a quarter of volatile oil prices to beat earnings estimates, delivering a surge in cash flow the …
Shell posts $21bn profit haul for 2018 02 Feb 2019 00:59 Irish Independent 0 Comments
Shell posts $21bn profit haul for 2018
Independent.ie
Royal Dutch Shell has notched up a 36pc hike in annual earnings thanks to higher oil prices.
https://www.independent.ie/business/world/shell-posts-21bn-profit-haul-for- …
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This is not a Shell website. Click on Disclaimer link at top of page for more information.
500 EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS CITING OUR WEBSITES
See our link list of 477 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 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.
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?
By Ivana Kottasová, CNN Business
The Prelude project will be fired up 475 kilometres north-east of Broome, ready to liquefy natural gas straight from the ocean floor and ship it around the world.
Peter Milne: 
Shell Offshore to pay $2.2 million fine for 2016 Gulf spill
ROYAL Dutch Shell boss Ben van Beurden has underlined the fact the company wants to grow in the UK North Sea even as he expressed concern about the prospect of a no-deal 
The oil giant is finally making enough cash to pay its dividends and cut debt. But it’s yet to show that it can boost returns while shifting to renewables.
Head-cut image of Alfred Donovan appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
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: 
MORE DETAILS:
