There will be bruises as predators, politicians and regulators get stuck in. Chief executives will have to rise to the challenge if they want to keep their jobs – and their huge salaries. Oliver Morgan reports
Sunday December 31, 2006
Politics are likely to play a big role in the last full year that Lord Browne spends at the top of oil group BP. Much of BP’s recent growth has come from its 50:50 joint venture with Russian company TNK. However, earlier this month, BP’s rival Shell was forced to cede control of its joint venture to develop the massive Sakhalin-2 oil and gas field off Russia’s east coast to Gazprom after pressure from the Kremlin.
Similar pressure is now being applied to BP, which faces investigation into a licence to develop a large oil field in Siberia. Experts believe this is the prelude to a move by Gazprom to buy out TNK and force BP to become a minority partner.
There are other questions for BP. Who will succeed Browne, due to leave by the end of 2008? There are several internal candidates to replace him – the front runner is head of exploration and production Tony Hayward.
Browne has headed the company for more than a decade, transforming it through a series of deals. Only recently has his reputation been tarnished over allegations linked with safety. Could he seek to bury all that with a last mega-deal – with Shell, as was rumoured earlier in the year?
As for Gazprom, which starts 2007 as it did 2006 by threatening to cut off a neighbour over a price dispute (in 2006 it was Ukraine, now it is Belarus), UK interest will focus on whether it bids for Centrica, owner of British Gas. Centrica is one of a number of big British names that go into 2007 as bid or breakup targets.
The above are extracts relevant to BP and Shell. For the complete article go to…
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1980297,00.html
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.
