Why Shell should sell off its offshore site
Irish Independent; May 11, 2006
BELATED political leadership is turning sentiment against the Rossport Five.
But there are doubts about Shell's competence to resolve the Corrib development: Last week Shell bosses seemed to say that they would move gas processing offshore – before reneging on this soon afterwards.
The real reason is that would cost 300m and the original gas sale deal did not extract the highest price from Bord Gais.
Suggestions that alternative pipeline routes would be considered do not get much support from a cursory perusal of Google Earth. Only four alternatives from Shannon to Sligo were identified in the original survey, of which the chosen route was best. Altering the route at this stage would incur extra cost and planning delays. But the perception of corporate duplicity is as damaging as its reality.
Soft PR regrets for past arrogance clashed with legal tactics – as if one corporate hand doesn't commune with the other. Logically, the Rossport Five were committed for contempt by a no-nonsense High Court judge. In theory this has nothing to do with Shell.
In practice the link was clear and damaged Shell's brand. Apologies for past arrogance clashed with moves this week for a permanent injunction that – logically – would commit the Rossport Five aris.
With the narrow moralism of a reformed drunk, Shell has written down its assets and apparently written off the gas reserves – in line with a general requirement for an immediate gas market. But this makes it easier to exit gracefully.
Having sold its petrol stations – an example which Statoil is now following – why does Shell need the hassle? It has attracted adverse publicity which is nonetheless damaging, though largely ill-informed. Shell needs to boost reserves with major projects, as with Canadian tar sands.
Corrib is a small project in difficult, frontier conditions that makes no material contribution to the group.
Majors are not good at going native.
They should sell the project off to an Irish-fronted group better able to work with the locals. Fresh faces will help.
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
