January 19, 2007
Steve Hawkes
Russian authorities are planning an assault on BP in a move that will trigger fresh concerns about the company’s future in the country.
Gazprom will eventually win back control of the field for Mother Russia. The key question is what happens then.
The Natural Resources Ministry’s environmental agency has revealed that it is preparing to investigate the giant Kovykta gas field run by BP’s joint venture with TNK.
Oleg Mitvol, the agency’s deputy-head, said that documents would be submitted by the end of January with a full check launched “possibly in February or March”.
Inspectors claim the field – which holds enough gas to fill the world’s needs for eight months – has been underdeveloped by TNK-BP and will not hit the target production of nine billion cubic metres this year.
The move is another blow to BP as it battles to recover its reputation after the damaging Baker report into the fatal Texas City refinery blast.
Just four months ago, the Kremlin gave warning that TNK-BP’s licence at Kovykta may be revoked after alleged environmental violations.
Analysts said that the new threat signalled that state-controlled giant Gazprom was mounting a fresh campaign to “persuade” TNK-BP to hand over control of the field.
The Kremlin wants Russia’s oil and gas projects in Russian hands and Gazprom has been pushing for a share of Kovykta since BP joined forces with TNK four years ago – a deal that was personally approved by President Putin.
Last month, Gazprom succeeded in wrestling a majority stake in the Sakhalin-2 offshore oil and gas field from Shell.
One analyst told The Times that it was only “a matter of time” before Gazprom took a majority share in Kovykta. “Sentiment could be affected as the Russians bang on the table and threaten BP with environmental this and environmental that, but it’s too early to say what the real repercussions will be,” he said.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9072-2555702,00.html
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.
