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August 14th, 2006:

Dow Jones Newswires : Iraqi Production Back at 2.5 Million bpd

By  Hashem Kalantari 

Monday, August 14, 2006 

TEHRAN, Aug 14, 2006: Iraq’s crude oil production is back at 2.5 million barrels a day after the pipeline that takes oil to Turkey was repaired, Iraq’s Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani told the Iranian daily Sharq Monday.

The minister also said he believed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will maintain their current output ceiling at its next meeting in September.

“The pipeline was recommissioned two days ago and with that Iraq’s production rose to 2.5 million b/d,” Shahristani said. The pipeline to Turkey, a popular sabotage target, has a capacity of 400,000 b/d. read more

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.

Associated Press: Oil companies raise nearly $30 million to fight severance tax

EXTRACT: Opponents had raised $29.8 million through Friday, including $12.8 million from Chevron and $12.6 million from Aera Energy, a joint venture of Exxon and Shell oil companies.

THE ARTICLE

STEVE LAWRENCE

SACRAMENTO – Facing a potentially hostile electorate, oil companies have pumped nearly $30 million so far into a campaign to defeat Proposition 87, the November ballot measure that would tax oil producers to pay for alternative energy programs.

The proposition’s supporters have responded with $5.5 million in fundraising, and both sides have begun running unusually early television ads staking out their positions. read more

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.

MosNews: Gazprom, Algeria’s Sonatrach Sign Official Cooperation Accord

EXTRACT: Gazprom is behind moves made last week by environmental inspectors of the federal ministry of Natural resources to halt pipeline construction by Shell and its local joint-venture partner, Sakhalin Energy Investment Corporation. Shell is now in negotiation with Gazprom to sell a sizeable equity stake in the project, known as Sakhalin-2, to Gazprom.

THE ARTICLE

Created: 14.08.2006 14:01 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:44 MSK,

Two of the world’s leading producers and exporters of natural gas, Gazprom of Russia and Algeria’s Sonatrach, ended an awkward delay of six months by signing a memorandum of understanding on Friday, Aug. 11, in Moscow. read more

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.

The Wall Street Journal: BP Keeps Part Of Prudhoe Open, Easing Concern

By MASOOD FARIVAR
August 14, 2006; Page C6

NEW YORK — A week after BP PLC’s announcement that it was shutting down Prudhoe Bay sent ripples through world oil markets, the decision to continue to partially operate the giant oil field in Alaska has taken the worst-case scenario for oil prices off the table.

Under pressure from federal authorities concerned about supply shortages and Alaskan state officials fearing the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties and taxes, the United Kingdom’s BP said late Friday it would maintain production in the western part of Prudhoe Bay, the largest producing oil field in the U.S., because it was confident of the integrity of the pipeline there. read more

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.

The Times: Oil groups failing key North Sea safety tests

August 14, 2006
By Carl Mortished, International Business Editor 
 
NORTH Sea oil companies are failing to keep up with vital offshore maintenance work, the oil industry’s top health and safety regulator has claimed.

A build-up of tens of thousands of hours of neglected maintenance work on ageing platforms is causing mounting concern at the Health and Safety Executive’s Offshore Division, responsible for ensuring that hundreds of North Sea installations are operated safely. The backlog of essential work is certain to lead to more extended closures of offshore oil and gas platforms. 
 
Ian Whewell, head of the division, said that the amount of work needed was posing a tremendous challenge. “There is always some backlog, but I have seen between 20,000 and 30,000 man-hours of work needed at one installation,” he said. “I think there are installations where the company needs to think seriously whether any solution other than shutting the platform is enough.” read more

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.

Irish Times: Rossport protesters end walk in Dublin

By: Ali Bracken, Irish Times
Published: Aug 14, 2006

Opponents of the Corrib gas project completed their 300-kilometre “long walk” from Rossport, Co Mayo, to Dublin on Saturday and were welcomed at their journey’s end by Lord Mayor of Dublin Vincent Jackson.

The group left Rossport last month to highlight issues relating to the 900 million Corrib gas project. They were joined at stages by some of the five men jailed last year over their opposition to the Corrib onshore pipeline and were accompanied throughout by the Shell to Sea campaign trailer. read more

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.

Times of Oman: 80 participants for Shell professional training courses

MUSCAT — As part of a series of six courses planned for 2006, and in association with the Shell Learning Centre, the Shell Representative Office Oman organised ‘Time Management’, ‘Presentation Skills’ and ‘Creative Problem Solving’ courses.

More than 80 participants from various government, private sector and non-governmental organisations attended the courses, which were held in Muscat, and for the first time in Salalah.

The ‘Time Management’ course was developed to aid participants in the understanding that although time is not manageable, a person and his energy are. It allows participants to understand how to work according to a plan, determine priorities and eliminate wasted time as much as possible. read more

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.

Reuters: Shell books small crude tanker, China-US W.Coast

Mon Aug 14, 2006 1:39am ET

SINGAPORE, Aug 14 (Reuters) – Oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) has booked a small dirty petroleum tanker to move crude oil from the Chinese port of Zhoushan to the U.S. West Coast, traders and shipbrokers said on Monday.

Shell is scheduled to load a panamax tanker, typically sized between 50,000 and 79,000 deadweight tonnes, in early September. No further details were immediately available.

Shell, which occasionally makes this run into the U.S. West Coast, is likely to be carrying Oman crude, which it stores in tanks leased from Chinese trader Sinochem, industry sources said. read more

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.

The Washington Post: Oil drops 1 pct on Mideast truce, Prudhoe Bay flow

By Jonathan Leff
Reuters
Sunday, August 13, 2006; 11:04 PM

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices slumped as much as 1 percent on Monday after BP said it would keep half its Prudhoe Bay oilfield pumping while it carries out pipeline repairs, and after the United Nations brokered a truce in the Middle East.

However, losses were limited by ongoing fighting between Israel and Hizbollah and concerns that a lasting cease-fire may prove difficult, keeping dealers on edge over supplies from a region that pumps a third of the world’s oil.
 
U.S. light, sweet crude was down 65 cents or 0.87 percent at $73.70 a barrel by 0214 GMT, having fallen as much as 75 cents in electronic trade. London Brent was down 54 cents at $75.09 a barrel. read more

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.