The brother of an Invergowrie man, who died while working on a Shell oil rig, has accused the company of taking the cheaper option, writes Stefan Morkis.
Neil Moncrieff, whose brother Keith died three years ago, also said today the fatal accident inquiry into the death should have been given a wider remit.
Keith and Sean McCue, from Kennoway, both died after inhaling hydrocarbon vapours while inspecting a repair on the Brent Bravo platform on September 11, 2003.
A fatal accident inquiry into the deaths heard 38 days of evidence before Sheriff Colin Harris released his findings yesterday.
In his determination he said the accident might “reasonably have been prevented” if a more suitable repair had been carried out on the pipe in November 2002.
Sheriff Harris also said that if company procedures had been followed properly, the pipe would have been drained of gas before the two men were allowed to inspect it.
Last year, Shell was fined £900,000 after admitting three health and safety breaches over the incident.
Neil Moncrieff said he believed Shell had taken the cheaper option rather than shutting down the rig for a day to ensure it was safe.
He added, “I didn’t think the inquiry went far enough.
“It only dealt with certain issues on the rig and ignored all of the health and safety issues.
“The sheriff didn’t ask what would have happened if the gas had ignited. He said that wasn’t in his scope, but if the whole rig had gone up, we could have had another Piper Alpha.
“All they’ve really done is say, in hindsight, how the job should have been done in the first place.
“I am a bit disappointed they didn’t take it as far as they could. Shell makes these great profits and all they got fined for the lives of two men was £900,000.
“They could have done the job properly but it seems to me they were trying to cut corners.”
Mr Moncrieff said he and his family were still trying to come to terms with his brother’s death.
“It doesn’t go away — it always comes back. Whenever something about the North Sea comes on the television I always think my brother should still be here.”
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.
