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June, 2006:

Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell L.A. refinery flares on unit upset -reports

From Reuters

Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:25pm ET

HOUSTON, June 26 (Reuters) – A unit at Shell Oil Products U.S. 156,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in the Los Angeles suburb of Wilmington, California, was flaring on Monday afternoon because of a breakdown, according to reports filed with state and local public safety agencies.

A refinery spokeswoman declined to discuss the situation at the refinery.

One report said the flaring may have been caused by a crack in a weld on the unit.

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Rosneft pushes on towards London

Terry Macalister
Tuesday June 27, 2006
The Guardian

Russian group insists there is plenty of interest in its controversial listing

Rosneft swept aside mounting concerns about its controversial float on the London stock market yesterday and unveiled a premium price for its share sale, which would value Russia’s state-owned oil group at up to $80bn (£44bn).

A 500-page outline prospectus from Rosneft admitted that potential investors faced at least four serious cases of litigation and arbitration as well as political risks from policy shifts or other “instability” in Russia. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell May Sell Remaining Sakhalin Gas in Asia, Chadwick Says

From BLOOMBERG

June 27 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s third-largest oil company, may sell the remaining liquefied natural gas from its Russian Sakhalin-2 project to buyers in Asia, said John Chadwick, Shell’s top gas executive in Asia.

Sakhalin, located close to Japan in Russia’s Far East, now has 90 percent of its LNG under contract and will soon sign agreements for the remaining 10 percent, Chadwick, 49, said in a June 22 interview. Shell last month agreed to sell as much as 420,000 metric tons of LNG a year to Tohoku Electric Power. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: An article by MOSOP Coordinator, Dum-ale Tanee: No to Shell!

By Dum-ale Tanee
MOSOP Coordinator

The recent statement published by Bussinessday Friday June 8, 2006, credited to Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Edmund Daukoru that Shell Petroleum Development Company will soon resume oil exploration and production activities in Ogoniland is very disturbing. I considered such statement from Edmund Daukoru, reckless, irresponsible and out of place.  There is no way we will let Shell into our land under any name or pretext. This is because Shell had every opportunity to make peace with the Ogoni people before the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa the great, and 8 other activists but it chose not to do so, therefore it remains “persona non grata” in Ogoni forever.                                                       
 
Ogoni people do not want Shell, rather it is Shell that needs Ogoni and the entire Niger Delta for its continues existence in Nigeria, and that is why the company should put on a human face while dealing with its host communities. Shell, one of the main financiers of apartheid in South Africa and the killing of Ogoni people in Nigeria has no respect for human rights and lives.  The company may have been responsible for more deaths in the Niger Delta than every other known disease in the area combined, that is why it continues to stand on the way of any environmental impact assessment study.     
 
Despite billions of dollars that Niger Delta has produced to the government and the oil companies, the region has yet to see any development. Could Edmund Daukoru point to any successful development programmes that has been undertaken to address the needs of Niger Delta?  The answer is NO.                  
 
Therefore, if denying the Ogoni people a fair share of their oil revenue after over $30b dollars worth of oil revenue have been taken from their land and killing them for demanding it is not evil, then according to President George Bush, “evil has no meaning.” read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell to Sea Statement

STATEMENT BY “SHELL TO SEA” CAMPAIGN

26 June 2006

Thursday marks the first anniversary of the imprisonment of the
Rossport Five. The issues that led to the men’s jailing remain as unresolved
as ever. Despite their claims, Shell, Statoil and Marathon continue to
refuse to listen to the demands of the communities directly affected by
their proposed project in North Mayo. It is now clear that Shell has
refused the compromise solution of an off-shore processing of the Corrib
gas. The consequence is that, because they do not have the consent of
those communities for their present proposal, Shell’s project cannot
proceed. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: The energy debate hots up

From The Guardian – United Kingdom; Jun 26, 2006

The energy debate hots up: Turkey bridges the petroleum-rich countries of the Caspian and the Gulf, and the energy-consuming markets of continental Europe, making it a strategic centre for the oil trade. But what of its own internal energy security?

A country that has little in the way of its own natural resources and has to import three-quarters of its energy needs is an unusual one to be at the centre of a global energy debate. Yet Turkey is a key nation in the increasingly politicised sector because it stands close to the biggest oil and gas deposits in the world with Russia, the Caspian and the Gulf region all on its doorstep. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Oil groups still struggling to repair Katrina damage

From The Financial Times

Oil and gas companies are still scrambling to repair billions of dollars worth of hurricane-related damage to Gulf of Mexico energy infrastructure, even as this year’s hurricane season gets under way.

Last season’s triple hit – from hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma – cost the industry an estimated $31bn in damage, some of which will never be fixed. Chevron, for example, recently sank its Typhoon platform instead of investing in costly repairs.

The result is that 15 per cent of daily oil production in the Gulf remains offline, as does 11 per cent of daily gas production. It could take years to restore all the production companies plan to bring back online. Indeed, companies are still fixing damage from Hurricane Ivan two years ago. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Louisiana still in shock from hurricane as start of storm season raises new fears

From The Financial Times
By Sheila McNulty

Published: June 26 2006 03:00 | Last updated: June 26 2006 03:00

On Highway 23, a Chevron sign beckons motorists. Under the sign, a steady trickle of drivers fill up at a dilapidated pump that Jody Guilbeau brought from Alabama. His four pumps – and the rest of his station – were washed away in Hurricane Katrina last year.

Nearby, Mr Guilbeau has set up a metal shed, with vending machines, an ice chest and a cooler of beer. Packages of pecan pies, pain relievers and cigarettes line the shelves. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Anadarko deal heralds beginning of the end

FROM THE FINANCIAL TIMES
By Carola Hoyos in London

Published: June 26 2006 03:00 | Last updated: June 26 2006 03:00

Anadarko Petroleum has taken a big bet that oil and gas prices are going to stay at their record highs with the acquisition last week of Kerr-McGee, a smaller rival.

In so doing the fifth-largest US oil and gas company contributed a brush stroke to the changing landscape of the mid-sized US energy industry.

If 1998 marked the birth of the super major as Exxon merged with Mobil, BP with Amoco and Total with PetroFina, then the past 12 months appear to haveheralded the beginning of the end of the US mid-tier oil companies. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell to open filling stations in India, China, Indonesia

From DailyIndia.com, NY
By DPA

Singapore, June 26 (DPA): As demand for fuel grows strongly in Asian markets, petroleum major Shell plans to build a filling station a week in India, China and Indonesia, said an official of the Anglo-Dutch company. 

Unlike the mature retail markets of Europe, the potential in some Asian markets is limited only by how fast petrol stations can be built and staff recruited and trained, said Leslie Van de Walle, executive vice-president of the company, in a report published Monday. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc. com: 2 Filipino Oil Workers Freed in Nigeria

From The NEW YORK TIMES
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 25, 2006
Filed at 8:10 p.m. ET

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (AP) — Two Filipino oil workers kidnapped in Nigeria’s southern oil delta were released Sunday after five days in captivity, a state government spokesman said.

The freed hostages were brought to Port Harcourt — the hub of Nigeria’s oil industry — Sunday afternoon and handed over to a Philippines embassy representative by Nigerian officials.

”We thank God you were released to us unconditionally and unharmed,” state government representative Odein Ajumogobia told the men. The hostages looked tired but relieved. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Oil giants beating a path to Downham Market

The oil giants are beating a path to Downham Market as Norfolk enters the alternative fuels rush

From The Daily Telegraph
By Tom Stevenson (Filed: 26/06/2006)

In Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film classic Local Hero, a Scottish fishing village is turned upside down by the arrival of a Texan oil giant with a lorryload of cash and blueprints for a refinery.

Wissington, near Downham Market in Norfolk, finds itself in a similar position after being singled out by the combined forces of BP, American chemicals giant DuPont and Associated British Foods as the shop window for their latest combined foray into the fast-growing biofuels market. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Rossport Five deny claims of split in group

From unison.ie (Ireland):
Sunday June 25th 2006 

A spokesman for the Rossport Five is denying there is any split in the group.
Reports today suggest the five men jailed over their protest against Shell’s proposed gas pipeline in Mayo, has lost one of their members.

They claim that Brendan Philbin is pursuing his case against Shell separately from the others.

But a spokesman for the group, Dr. Mark O’Garavan, said today that the reports were exaggerated, and the group is functioning as usual. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Port authority lawsuit dismissed

Judge finds authority’s antitrust allegations inadequate; Alaska Gasline Port Authority does not have legal standing to pursue action; Whitaker disappointed, but undeterred, deciding on next steps

By Alan Bailey
From Petroleum News

A federal judge has rejected the Alaska Gasline Port Authority’s antitrust lawsuit against Exxon Mobil and , in response to a June 2 request by the oil companies for dismissal of the case.

On June 19, Judge Ralph Beistline of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska granted the motion of dismissal, because the port authority “has not pleaded adequate facts to show that it is authorized, and has antitrust standing, to pursue this action.” read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Clark: Some contract renegotiation possible

Governor’s chief of staff said comments received so far will be evaluated, taking of gas in kind remains core of proposal

By Kristen Nelson
Petroleum News

Officials from Gov. Frank Murkowski’s administration said June 16 that, despite critiques from consultants working for the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, the core of the proposed gas pipeline fiscal contract — the state taking its gas in kind — is not subject to change.

Jim Clark, the governor’s chief of staff and the lead negotiator on the contract the state negotiated with BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil, said the administration believes that the state taking its gas in kind is necessary and the core of the contract. It is not, he said, an area where the administration intends to propose contract changes. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: More twists in Arctic gas contest

Oil sands trust sees assets as ‘cheap insurance’ against rising gas prices; Petro-Canada extends offer without sweetening terms; Coutu says Arctic Islands likely need LNG project

By Gary Park
For Petroleum News

The tussle over natural gas assets in Canada’s Arctic Islands won’t hear the final bell for at least another month.

In an unexpected development, Canadian Oil Sands Trust (COST) apparently trumped two earlier bids for Canada Southern Petroleum, but Petro-Canada has kept itself in the mix by extending its unsolicited offer for another two weeks. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: And then there were four as Rossport protesters split

The Sunday Times
June 25, 2006

Stephen O’Brien, Political Correspondent
 
THE Rossport Five has become the Rossport Four. Differences among the men jailed last year over their protest against Shell’s proposed gas pipeline in Mayo have resulted in a split in the group.

One of the five, Brendan Philbin, has not taken any active part in the group’s discussions for about two months and is now pursuing his case against Shell through a separate legal strategy. 
 
Tensions also exist within the remaining four, according to local sources, but they survived a falling-out last month over their response to an “apology” issued by Shell following the release of a safety review by Advantica, consultants hired by the government. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell targets hike in oil sands output

Having locked up 92.8 percent of BlackRock Ventures and completed its C$2.4 billion takeover of the company, Shell Canada has its eye on boosting production from the junior producer to 30,000-50,000 barrels per day.

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: That was the week

From The Times
June 24, 2006
 
Thursday

North Sea oil and gas unions call for a government investigation into Shell’s North Sea safety record after revelations that an internal audit found widespread violations of safety procedures and the alleged falsification of compliance documents.

The Bank of England is to review the future of its final salary pension arrangements for staff after the emergence of a £299 million shortfall in the fund, forcing it to increase its contributions to the scheme. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, the investment and corporate banking arm of Dresdner Bank, which is part of Allianz, will drop Wasserstein from its name from June 29. The move will allow Bruce Wasserstein to reclaim his name from Allianz, the German insurance giant that became the ultimate owner of the firm he founded with Joe Perella. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Energy: PetroChina will work with Royal Dutch Shell…

From The Daily Telegraph
(Bloomberg)

• Yukos Oil is asking Britain’s Financial Services Authority to block the initial public offering of Russia’s state oil company, Rosneft, which acquired Yukos’s largest production unit 18 months ago.

• BP, Europe’s biggest oil company, said its natural-gas project in Algeria started production.

• PetroChina will work with Royal Dutch Shell, Europe’s second-biggest oil company, to double the capacity of a plant in the north-eastern coastal city of Dalian, making it China’s largest refinery.
read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Andarko Spends $21B to Grow Gas Ops

From The New York Times
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 23, 2006
Filed at 5:48 p.m. ET

HOUSTON (AP) — Anadarko Petroleum Corp. on Friday announced plans to acquire two smaller competitors in a $21.1 billion deal that will create the nation’s largest independent exploration and production company.

Anadarko’s plan to buy Kerr-McGee Corp. and Western Gas Resources Inc. in separate all-cash transactions is just the latest example of industrywide consolidation that reflects the large sums companies have at their disposal amid record profits, as well as the difficulty they face in getting bigger simply through more drilling. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: More questions than answers are left hanging in the air by BA price-fixing affair

From The Independent
By: MICHAEL HARRISON
Published: Jun 24, 2006

“When Royal Dutch Shell went into melt-down two years ago after admitting that its oil reserves estimates had been concocted, the shock to the business, though traumatic at the time, ultimately proved therapeutic. Faced with its biggest corporate scandal in a century, Shell ditched its twin listing, its dual board, and, along with it, the bureaucratic management structure which had earned the company’s South Bank headquarters the title of the Kremlin.” read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Union calls for safety probe at Shell UK North Sea operations

From MarketWatch
Last Update: 3:40 PM ET Jun 23, 2006

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Amicus, one of the U.K.’s largest trade unions, is calling for a public review of Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s (RDSA) U.K. North Sea oil platforms after new allegations over safety surfaced this week, a union official said Friday.

A Shell spokeswoman on Friday denied reports that the company had compromised safety to pursue higher production at the facilities.

But Graham Tran, a regional officer at Amicus who represent oil workers, said “we are calling for an independent government review” on the conclusions of a 1999 report in which senior engineer Bill Campbell, at the time a consultant for Shell, warned safety measures had been overlooked. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell denies safety lapses allegations, says investing $1 bln

From MarketWatch
Jun 23, 2006

LONDON (MarketWatch) — A Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) spokeswoman Friday denied reported allegations that it had compromised safety to pursue higher production in its U.K. North Sea platform.

She added that Shell has launched $1 billion worth of programs to improve safety.

In a 1999 report seen by The Times and The Guardian newspapers, senior engineer Bill Campbell, at the time a consultant for Shell, issued warnings on safety which he reiterated in 2004.

According to The Times, U.K. North Sea oil and gas trade unions are calling for a public inquiry into the matter. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell Touts Fuel Quality This Summer Through Multi-Million Dollar Marketing Campaign

From Forbes/PRNewswire 

HOUSTON, June 22 /PRNewswire/ — Shell Oil Products US, the marketer of the No. 1-selling gasoline brand in America, launched a $30 million marketing campaign on June 19 to communicate that all gasolines are not the same.

The summer campaign builds on the company’s commitment to provide high quality fuel to consumers by touting that Shell gasolines exceed government standards as well as meet standards introduced by top automakers. The standard, to which the campaign alludes, is the voluntary TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standard introduced by BMW, GM, Honda and Toyota. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell rejects claims of lax North Sea safety standards

From Forbes/AFX News Limited
 
06.23.2006

LONDON (AFX) – Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC has rejected claims by one of its former engineers that safety standards at its North Sea operations are lax.

‘Safety is Shell’s foremost priority at all times and we absolutely reject any suggestion that we would compromise safety offshore,’ a Shell spokesperson said.

The Times and the Guardian today reported claims by former Shell engineer Bill Campbell that the group failed to respond adequately to a 1999 review which warned that safety procedures were not being properly enforced at its North Sea platforms. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc.com: Shell accused of safety scandal

From Monsters and Critics.com
Jun 23, 2006, 14:39 GMT

Major oil firm Shell has failed to maintain its North Sea oil rigs as safely as they should have been, media reports have quoted a senior official within the company as saying.

Both the Times and the Guardian quote Bill Campbell, an ex-engineer for Shell who performed an audit of the company’s safety features in 1999, as claiming that senior Shell managers summed health and safety policy as the acronym TFA – Touch F*** All.

He alleges that the TFA philosophy encouraged a culture of non-compliance with health and safety regulations, which were covered up by the wilful falsification of regulatory documents relating to safety. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell under fire over North Sea rig safety

FROM REUTERS

Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:07am ET
By Tom Bergin

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) – Oil workers’ unions have demanded a safety investigation of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) facilities in the North Sea, following allegations Shell deferred maintenance and falsified maintenance reports.

The Oil Industry Liaison Committee (OILC) and Amicus, trade unions that represent offshore workers, said Shell’s shortcomings showed the need for tougher regulation in the mature oil province — which could boost costs for operators. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell plc .com: Gazprom Neft Abandons Allotment in Sakhalin

From www.kommersant.com

June 23, 2006

Gazprom is ready to part with its sole field in Sakhalin, the Lopukhovky area, the license for which exploration was obtained along with Sibneft (today’s Gazprom Neft). But Gazprom may think better of the area, if it joins Sakhalin-2 project by swapping assets with Shell. In any case, Lopukhovsky is an asset of low efficiency with no promising future, the branch analysts speculate.

Gazprom Neft is deciding whether to dispose of Lopukhovsky area, Sakhalin shelf (between Sakhalin-4 and Sakhalin-5), the company’s president Alexander Ryazanov announced yesterday. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Oil giant is accused of putting targets first and safety second

Daily Mail: 23 June 2006

CITY & FINANCE
Telephone: 0207938 6000
Web:
www.thisismoney.co.uk

By Brian O’Connor

Shell shocker: The group ‘strongly refutes’ the allegations about the North Sea field: ‘We accept there is still much to do’

OIL giant Shell ignored safety warnings on its key Brent Held in the North Sea, according to one of its former auditors.

He claims that over many years,’ top executives put safety second to meeting output targets.

Shell’s Expro arm allegedly sanctioned a policy known as TPA (Touch **** All), stopping any work that might interrupt production. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell faces accusations of safety scandal – report

Forbes/AFX News Limited
06.23.2006

LONDON (AFX) – Royal Dutch Shell PLC is facing calls by North Sea oil and gas unions for a government inquiry into its safety record after an internal audit found widespread violations of safety procedures and the alleged falsification of compliance documents, according to the Times.

The claims were made by Bill Campbell, a former senior Shell engineer, and reported in the Times and the Guardian.

He told the Guardian that he brought his concerns to the attention of directors as far back as 1999, and again in 2004, but still feels safety is compromised, so has decided to go public. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Sinopec, Aramco Discuss Oil Deal

From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By RENYA PENG
June 23, 2006

BEIJING — Saudi Arabian Oil Co. is in talks with China Petrochemical Corp., or Sinopec, to gain access to China’s wholesale oil-products market, which the government will open to foreign investment at the end of this year, a Sinopec official said.

In exchange, Sinopec, China’s largest refiner and retailer by volume, is seeking to build a refinery in Saudi Arabia with an annual processing capacity of as much as 12 million metric tons, the official said in an interview. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Unions call for inquiry into safety at Shell

From The Times

By Carl Mortished, International Business Editor
June 23, 2006
 

NORTH SEA oil and gas unions are calling for a government investigation into Shell’s North Sea safety record after revelations that an internal audit found widespread violations of safety procedures and the alleged falsification of compliance documents.

The unions, including OILC and Amicus, want the Department of Trade and Industry to examine Shell’s licence to operate in the light of allegations made by Bill Campbell, a former senior Shell engineer, that Shell allowed the pursuit of greater oil and gas production to compromise safety. 
 
Mr Campbell, who led a Platform Safety Maintenance Review (PSMR) of Shell’s North Sea facilities in 1999, said that managers at the vast Brent complex were instructed not to take any action that might cause an unplanned shutdown of production. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell report highlighted lax safety standards

From The Times
By Carl Mortished, International Business Editor
June 23, 2006

 
WHEN Shell dispatched Bill Campbell from The Hague to Aberdeen in 1999 to lead a safety audit of its North Sea platforms, the entire oil industry was in financial crisis. The price of crude had plummeted to $10 per barrel, below the cost of production, but Shell had an important money-spinner in Brent, a vast complex of offshore installations dating from the 1970s. 
 
Brent’s oil was depleting rapidly but Shell had a lucrative gas contract and the company had transformed the ageing Brent field into a major gas producer, delivering about a third of the nation’s supply. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell supplies refining technologies to PetroChina Dalian unit

From BEIJING (XFN-ASIA)

Shell Global Solutions said it has provided oil refining technologies to Dalian Petrochemical Refinery, a unit of PetroChina Co Ltd, enabling the refinery to increase capacity.

In a statement to XFN-Asia, the Shell unit said it helped upgrade the Dalian refinery with a 10 mln ton per year expansion.

After the upgrade, the Dalian Petrochemical refinery increased annual production capacity to 20.5 mln tons, making it the largest refiner in China, the statement said.

Shell said it used its crude oil distillation and deep-flash vacuum distillation technologies in its first project for refinery design work and technical services in China. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: LUKoil Into Turkish Pipe?

From The Moscow Times

ISTANBUL — LUKoil, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell are among the companies interested in joining a project to build a $1.5 billion pipeline across Turkey that aims to speed up the flow of oil to world markets, oil executives said.

The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, due to open in 2010, should relieve shipping traffic in the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, said Ahmet Calik, chairman of Turkey’s Calik Holding, partner with Italy’s Eni in the project. (Bloomberg)

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Japanese in Baltic LNG?

From The Moscow Times

Gazprom is considering inviting Japan’s Mitsui and Mitsubishi as equity partners in its liquefied natural gas project on the Baltic Sea, Gazprom said Thursday. Gazprom has previously said it might build the plant together with Canada’s PetroCanada.

The deal with the two Japanese firms may unlock a stalled negotiation between Gazprom and Royal Dutch Shell over Gazprom’s plan to take 25 percent of the Shell-led Sakhalin Energy project.

Shell and Gazprom have an agreement in principle to allow Gazprom into the Sakhalin project by means of a swap deal. In return for the stake, Shell would get the deep deposits of Gazprom’s huge Zapolyarnoye field. (Reuters) read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Russia Taken to Task on Road Safety

From The Moscow Times
Friday, June 23, 2006. Issue 3438. Page 7.
By Anna Smolchenko
Staff Writer  
 
Imagine the public reaction if a terrorist attack killed 100 people and injured another 800. Then imagine a similar mayhem happening every day.

“That’s exactly what’s happening on the roads” in car accidents across Russia, said Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation.

Yet, there is virtually no public reaction and little action beyond government rhetoric on the issue, he said. “Why is the political will missing?” read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell accused over oil rig safety

From THE GUARDIAN

· Firm’s consultant fears a major accident
· Company denies claims of tampered paperwork

Terry Macalister
Friday June 23, 2006

Shell has been plunged into a major safety scandal with a senior consultant to the company telling the Guardian that maintenance documents have been falsified and safety procedures ignored in the North Sea.

Bill Campbell, who worked directly for Shell for 24 years, says he brought his concerns to the attention of directors as far back as 1999 – and again in 2004 – but still feels safety is compromised. read more

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ShellNews.net: Sabotage attacks on Shell news websites?

By Alfred Donovan

In response to what appears to be repeated sabotage attacks by an unknown party on our TellShell.net website, we set up an alternative site – Royal Dutch Shell Plc – hosted in North America, which features the same news stories.

We were notified on Tuesday by the new host company of an unprecedented attack which caused our new site to put out of service for several hours earlier this week.

We were informed that: “The attack today came from MANY different computers at the same time”. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Morales targets private energy and mines

From Merco Press

Bolivian president Evo Morales plans to restore control over companies which at one time belonged to the government, but a decision regarding railways (half Chilean, half private Bolivian) plus telecommunications will be delayed. 
 
Having nationalized the hydrocarbons resources and industry, the Bolivian government has targeted three other strategic areas: mines, electricity and environmental resources, said Noel Aguirre, Coordination and Planning minister.

“For us it is essential that the government as such plays an active role in productive processes and therefore having control over the companies is crucial, that is why we nationalized hydrocarbons”, added Aguirre. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Gazprom may bring Japan firms into Baltic LNG plant

FROM Reuters
Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:34am ET

MOSCOW, June 22 (Reuters) – Russia’s Gazprom (GAZPq.L: Quote, Profile, Research) is considering inviting Japan’s Mitsui (8031.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Mitsubishi (8058.T: Quote, Profile, Research) as equity partners in its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on the Baltic Sea, the gas monopoly said on Thursday.

Gazprom has previously said it may build the plant together with Canada’s PetroCanada (PCA.TO: Quote, Profile, Research). read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: With hefty funding, solar start-up takes on big guns

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

Michael Kanellos,
Published: June 21, 2006

Nanosolar is only a few years old, but it has laid plans to take on multinational corporations, such as BP and Sharp, in the solar industry.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company on Wednesday announced that it now has the funding to get started on volume production of its photovoltaic technology. It plans to build a manufacturing facility in California that will eventually produce 430 megawatts of solar cells per year, making the company one of the largest solar producers in the world in the span of a few years. Nanosolar will also build a plant in Germany for taking the solar cells and fitting them into solar panels. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Offshore Drilling Bill Advances in House

THE NEW YORK TIMES:

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 21, 2006
Filed at 7:17 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation that would end a quarter-century ban on drilling in most of the Outer Continental Shelf advanced in the House on Wednesday. The measure would allow oil and gas development in restricted offshore waters unless a state prohibited it.

The House Resources Committee approved the legislation in 29-9 vote, and its sponsors say it has a good chance of being approved by the full House read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Oil Above $70 on Signs of Resilient US Demand

 
THE NEW YORK TIMES: By REUTERS
Published: June 22, 2006
Filed at 0:51 a.m. ET

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil held firm above $70 on Thursday after a smaller-than-expected rise in U.S. gasoline stocks reignited talk of resilient oil demand in the world’s top consumer, moving inflation worries to the backburner.

U.S. light crude (CLc1) for August was up 23 cents at $70.56 a barrel by 0406 GMT, having gained 99 cents on Wednesday, its first rise in three sessions amid a gasoline-led rally.

Gasoline (HUc1) jumped 3 percent on Wednesday after U.S. government data showed a 300,000-barrel increase in gasoline stocks, despite an increase in refinery utilization, against earlier expectations of a bigger 1.2 million barrel rise. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Bikeshed design a winner for young entrepreneurs

FROM THE FINANCIAL TIMES:
By Jonathan Guthrie,Enterprise Editor

Published: June 22 2006 03:00 | Last updated: June 22 2006 03:00

Two twenty-somethings have created a business worth just under £1m after 10 months’ trading by turning the traditionally dilapidated structure that is the bikeshed into an elegant piece of urban design.

Last night this feat of reinvention also won John Steward and Natalie Connell the title Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneurs of the Year, in one of the UK’s best-established contests for precocious wealth creators. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc: Oil majors seek unconventional assets

FROM BLOOMBERG
 
Oil companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc may rely on oil sands and other unconventional hydrocarbons for about a third of their reserves by 2020 as conventional discoveries dwindle, said Neil McMahon, an oil analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

The share of unconventional oil and gas resources such as liquefied natural gas and oil shale may double to about 38% of Exxon’s hydrocarbon assets by 2020, McMahon said in a June 19 research note.
 
Shell’s reliance may rise to 37% from 12.9%, enabling it to sustain production as older fields decline. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Nigeria Seeking Release of Kidnapped Oil Workers

FROM VOICE OF AMERICA
By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
21 June 2006

The Nigerian police says it is doing everything possible for the release of two Philippine oil workers seized by gunmen Tuesday.  Armed men in a speedboat kidnapped the oil workers near Nigeria’s oil capital Port Harcourt.
 
Police spokesman Haz Iwendi, who confirmed the incident, said the police have intensified efforts for the release of the kidnapped Philippine oil workers.

“Two Filipinos were kidnapped offshore by some men when they were on their oil rig,” he said.  “No group has claimed responsibility yet; we are still waiting for them.  Our men are on their trail.” read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell loses out in gasfield case: injunction stops Shell

FROM Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand
22 June 2006 
By MARTA STEEMAN

Shell’s New Zealand oil and gas assets would shrink in value by more than $US100 million ($NZ162 million) if it did not take over the operator’s role at fields in which Shell held the majority share.

And if Shell did not take over that role, the potential “timely” sale of its New Zealand exploration assets could be hindered, a High Court judgment says.

Justice John Wild “decisively” ruled in favour of a Todd Petroleum Mining application for an injunction stopping Shell from taking over the operator’s role at New Zealand’s biggest gasfield, Maui. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com: Shell Willing to Change Gulf of Mexico Leases That Omitted Fees

FROM BLOOMBERG

June 21 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s third-largest publicly traded energy company, said it would be willing to renegotiate U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases that left out provisions that would have resulted in billions of dollars in royalty fees.

Shell in a letter to the U.S. Interior Department last week offered to “make a change in our 1998 and 1999 leases by considering the addition of price thresholds” that would trigger royalty payments when oil and gas prices are high, John Hofmeister, president of Shell’s U.S. arm, said today in prepared testimony for a U.S. House of Representatives hearing. read more

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