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September 14th, 2007:

Petroleum News: Shell committed to working with Alaskans

Vol. 12, No. 37  Week of September 16, 2007

By Marvin Odum, executive vice president of Shell Exploration & Production-Americas

More than two years ago, Shell returned to Alaska to explore for the vast oil and gas resources yet to be discovered in the state’s offshore regions. We recognized a key ingredient to our success would be finding common ground with the people of Alaska so that these resources could be developed for the benefit of all involved.

Though we may never fully understand the subsistence culture, through continued dialogue there is a great deal we can accomplish together. We will continue to listen and learn from the people and communities of the North Slope and residents across Alaska. Important work and discussions are ongoing with Mayor Itta and we are heartened by the progress being made. read more

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Petroleum News: Shell wells still possible

Starts to idle contract personnel, but says door not shut on ’07 Beaufort drilling

By Alan Bailey
Vol. 12, No. 37  Week of September 16, 2007

It’s been more than a month since Shell hoped to start its drilling program in the U.S. Beaufort Sea off Alaska, and three weeks since the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit placed a temporary injunction on that program. But Shell says that it could still drill, were the court to reverse its decision in the near future.

“If the court reverses the injunction quickly, Shell could proceed with its drilling program either by reactivating the Frontier Discoverer or conducting work with the Kulluk, our drilling rig built specifically for Arctic conditions and anchored in the Canadian Beaufort,” Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said Sept. 11. read more

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The Scotsman: Oil touches new record high

Fri 14 Sep 2007

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil held near $80 a barrel after earlier rising to its third record high in as many days on Friday amid concerns over low inventories of fuel in consuming nations.

Three refineries in the Port Arthur, Texas-area were working to restore operations after losing power on Thursday when Hurricane Humberto battered the U.S. Gulf Coast. The storm is now a tropical depression.

The temporary loss of three refineries renewed concerns over fuel stocks in the United States, where supplies of crude fell last week to the lowest level in eight months, while gasoline stocks slid to their lowest in two years. read more

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CNNMoney.com: The end of oil

A small – but growing – group of experts think world oil production will peak in the next few years, to devastating effect.

By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer
September 14 2007: 2:50 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — At some point in the near future, worldwide oil production will peak, then decline rapidly, causing depression-like conditions or even the starvation of billions across the globe.

That’s the worst-case scenario for subscribers to the “peak oil” theory, who generally believe oil production has either topped out or will do so in the next couple of years.
 
A small but growing group of experts think oil production will peak in the next few years, then decline rapidly. The result could be worse than the Great Depression. read more

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LATEST CORRESPONDENCE INVOLVING SHELL, ITS SOLICITORS AND THE DONOVANS ON SHELL EMPLOYEE SAFETY ETC

EMAIL DATED 10 SEPT 2007 FROM ALFRED DONOVAN TO ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC COMPANY SECRETARY & GENERAL COUNSEL CORPORATE, MICHIEL BRANDJES

From: Alfred Donovan [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: 10 September 2007 15:49
To: Brandjes, Michiel CM RDS-LC

Cc: Cambell; van der Veer, Jeroen J RDS-CEJV; Ollila, Jorma RDS-RDS/CH; Brinded, Malcolm A RDS-ECMB; Wiseman, Richard RM SI-LMAPF; Ruddock, Keith KA SI-LSEP; RobertAllen,SimmonsandSimmons; [email protected]

Subject: Email to 600 MP’s

Dear Mr Brandjes read more

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NRC (The Netherlands): Shortcomings in safety at NAM (*a Shell/Exxon joint venture)

COMMENT BY A SHELL INSIDER ON THE NCR ARTICLE

“I hope some journalists start putting this and the Brent fatalities together and strengthen Campbell’s story. It all is a result of forcing the substandard Shell Expro’s safety mentality onto the whole of EPE. The results are terrible and speak for themselves. And obviously no consequences for the self appointed ‘leaders’.”

THE NRC ARTICLE: English translation kindly supplied by a Shell insider

The Hague, 13 Sept.2007

The safety at Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) knew structural shortcomings when at 31st may 2005 a storage tank on the premises of the NAM in Warffum exploded. That concluded the ‘Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid’ (an national enquiry body that investigates major safety issues) of Pieter van Vollenhoven in an investigation published today. During welding activities on the storage tank with combustible natural gas condensate the tank exploded and a fire resulted. The explosion killed two workers, two others had minor injuries. The ‘Onderzoeksraad’ said that it is a must to again critically analyse the ‘Safety Management and on the basis of the results take actions. (ANP). read more

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Reuters: EU tries to fend off unilateral U.S. laws on Iran: more than $100 billion in energy investments in Iran… by firms such as Total, Royal Dutch Shell Plc

By Paul Taylor

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – The European Union is trying to fend off moves by the U.S. Congress to punish foreign firms that do business in Iran, diplomats say.

They say Brussels fears the U.S. moves could set Western allies against each other and undermine unity against Tehran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, which the West suspects is aimed at making nuclear weapons.

The main European powers say they are willing to join Washington in seeking tougher sanctions against Tehran at the United Nations. read more

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International Herald Tribune: Catching the bounce in energy stocks

By Conrad de Aenlle
Friday, September 14, 2007

Energy prices have been shaky, and so has the stock market. No wonder energy stocks, which were such standouts for so long, hit a rough patch. Shares of companies that hunt for oil and gas, drill for it, refine it and sell it recorded double-digit percentage losses from late July, when crude oil prices set records and commodities like heating oil and natural gas hit multimonth highs, through mid-August.

Analysts and fund managers tend to dismiss the decline as just a dip in an uptrend that is not close to running its course. As if to confirm this view, the stocks have regained a significant portion of the lost ground. read more

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Anchorage Daily News; Appeals court says no to Shell Arctic drilling

3-0 DECISION: The oil company says it’ll keep trying for a green light.

By WESLEY LOY
[email protected]

Published: September 14, 2007
Last Modified: September 14, 2007 at 03:03 AM

A federal court on Thursday denied Shell’s latest request to lift an order blocking the company’s Arctic Ocean drilling.

The ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco likely dooms the Dutch oil giant’s drilling plans, at least for this year.

Shell’s lawyers had asked the court to reconsider its Aug. 15 order forbidding any offshore drilling pending resolution of legal challenges from North Slope Natives and environmental groups. A three-judge panel unanimously declined. read more

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Hemscott.com: Shell says Texas refinery shut after hurricane

LONDON (Thomson Financial) – Royal Dutch Shell PLC said the 285,000-barrel per day Port Arthur oil refinery in Texas was shut down after Hurricane Humberto struck the area, causing widespread power cuts.

The refinery is run by Houston-based Motiva Enterprises LLC, jointly owned by Shell and Saudi Aramco.

‘The Port Arthur electric utility has experienced widespread outage in its service area as a result of Hurricane Humberto,’ Shell said.

‘The Motiva Port Arthur Refinery was affected and all units were shut down as a result,’ it added. read more

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Irish Times: Five arrested over protest at Shell refinery

14/09/2007  13:01

Five people were arrested today after around 50 protesters occupied Shell’s proposed Corrib gas refinery at Bellanaboy in Co Mayo.

Up to 300 supporters of the Shell to Sea campaign began gathering outside the site from early this morning. A large number of them later scaled the gates of the complex.

According to witnesses, there were a number of violent clashes between protesters and gardaí wielding batons.

The activists were on the site for around 40 minutes before being removed by gardaí. They are now holding a sit-down protest outside the facility, and some 200 gardaí are at the scene. read more

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Bloomberg: Shell Refinery in Ireland Occupied by Protesters, Times Says

By Fergal O’Brien

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) — Protesters occupied the site of a proposed Royal Dutch Shell Plc natural-gas refinery in western Ireland today, temporarily halting work at the facility, the Irish Times reported.

Around 300 people took part in a protest today at the gates of the site and a “large number” scaled the gates and entered the facility, the Times reported on its Web site. Police arrested at least one person after clashing with the protesters, it said.

Shell, Europe’s largest oil company by market value, plans to begin building the terminal next month. The facility is intended to process gas from the offshore Corrib field, which contains about 1.1 trillion cubic feet of gas. read more

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Belfast Telegraph: Shell condemns protestors after Bellanaboy site invasion

Friday, September 14, 2007

Shell Ireland has condemned the actions of protestors who trespassed onto its Bellanaboy refinery site in Co Mayo this morning.

A large group of Shell to Sea protestors was bussed into the area this morning to take part in a sit-down blockade of the site.

However, at least 50 people climbed into the compound in an effort to disrupt construction work.

Five protesters were arrested and two Gardai were injured.

Shell Ireland says it has no problem with peaceful demonstrations and has criticised Shell to Sea for failing to control the people involved in today’s incident. read more

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allAfrica.com: Shell Worker’s Two-year-old Child Kidnapped

Jimitota Onoyume, Vanguard (Nigeria)
Published: Sep 14, 2007

GUNMEN, Wednesday night abducted the two-year-old daughter of a Nigerian Shell worker from the NNPC staff quarters at Akpajo, near Port Harcourt. Moments after the abduction, the gunmen demanded a ransom of N5 million.

However, the State Security Service (SSS) yesterday arraigned one Prince Amadu and others said to be at large at a Magistrate Court, Port Harcourt for alleged kidnap and unlawful imprisonment.

Police spokesman in Rivers State, Mrs. Baresua Ireju said preliminary investigation on yesterday’s abduction revealed that the gunmen were robbers. read more

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ABC News: Offshore Drilling – 9th Circuit Court Ruling

Story Updated: Sep 14, 2007 at 12:44 AM AKDT
 
ALASKA/ NATIONAL – The 9th Circuit Court has backed up a ruling preventing Shell Oil from drilling in the Beaufort Sea. The original ruling came down in August and was appealed.

The Court has stopped activity under the three year exploration plan until it can resolve the challenges to the plan and has put the case on a fast track.

According to a press release regarding the issue, a coalition of Native Alaskans and conservation groups had sued to halt the drilling on concerns that such large-scale industrial activities would threaten endangered Bowhead whales, polar bears and other marine animals in coastal waters just off the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The groups challenged the permit issued by the federal Mineral Management Service on grounds that the agency failed to conduct proper assessment of environmental impacts. read more

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Lloyds List: Eni hopes for peace talks in row over Kashagan field

John McLaughlin, Lloyds List
Published: Sep 14, 2007

SENIOR executives at Italian energy company Eni face weeks of tough negotiations over the fate of the Kashagan oilfield development, after the Kazakh government criticised delays and cost overruns as a threat to the national economy.

In a statement issued following an initial meeting with Eni managing director Paolo Scaroni in Astana on Tuesday, Kazakh energy and mineral resources minister Sauat Mynbayev said ‘inflicting damage on Kazakhstan’s economic interests is inadmissible’. read more

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Lloyds List: Ormen Lange starts gas flow

Martyn Wingrove, Lloyds List
Published: Sep 14, 2007

NORWAY’s second largest offshore gas field, Ormen Lange, has started production from the Norwegian Sea, with gas set to flow along the world’s longest subsea pipeline to the UK, writes Martyn Wingrove.

Field operators Norsk Hydro and Shell are using gas and condensate volumes from the field to test pipelines and process plant at the Nyhamna terminal, near Molde, before gas is sent down the new 1,200 km long Langeled pipeline to the Easington terminal in eastern England. read more

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New Straits Times (Malaysia): Family wants answers to murder of Shell Executive

Rizalman Hammim,
Published: Sep 14, 2007

SEREMBAN: The family of a murdered oil company executive, desperately wants answers.

Peter Paul Nonis, an executive with the Shell refinery in Port Dickson, was found unconscious and bleeding in a drain just metres outside the refinery about 7pm last Wednesday.

He had three deep slash wounds on his head and his left wrist was almost severed. The wrist had to be amputated later in hospital.

Nonis, 42, was placed on a life support machine but succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. Police have classified the case as murder and had ruled out robbery as the motive as his valuables were intact. “He was such a nice and helpful man and did not deserve to die this way. We really do not understand why anybody would want to do such a thing,” said James, the victim’s older brother. read more

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fool.com: ExxonMobil Swings Back

By David Lee Smith September 14, 2007

You can’t blame ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) for reaching the end of its patience. With Venezuela’s Castro-wannabe President Hugo Chavez sending the company and five of its peers packing earlier this year, and with negotiations on compensation having become a dry hole for the company, Exxon will pursue arbitration in the dispute.

The company could be joined by ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), which, like Exxon, has refused to roll over and accept Venezuela’s settlement terms. The four companies who capitulated to Chavez include Chevron (NYSE: CVX), BP (NYSE: BP), France’s Total (NYSE: TOT), and Norway’s Statoil (NYSE: STO). read more

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Asia Pulse: PLATTS GLOBAL TOP 250: THE WORLD’S TOP PERFORMING ENERGY COs

Published: Sep 14, 2007

(Full text of a statement. Contact details below.)

Platts Global Top 250: The World’s Top Performing Energy Companies

SINGAPORE, Sept 13 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ —

(Integrated Oil Companies Top Annual List Due To High Oil Prices; Asian Company Representation and Performance Steady to Rising)

Major oil and gas companies have consolidated their position as the world’s most effective energy businesses, dominating the rankings in the annual Platts Top 250 Global Energy Companies, announced Thursday night. read more

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Irish Times: Shell protesters sentenced to community service

Anton McNulty,
Published: Sep 14, 2007

Five Shell to Sea environmental campaigners who blockaded the entrance of a Bord na Mona peat depository site in Co Mayo were sentenced to 100 hours’ community service in lieu of three months’ imprisonment at yesterday’s sitting of Ballycroy District Court.

The five defendants, Kate Kirkpatrick, Anna Rudd and Emma Jackson of Millfield Road, Clapham, London, Julie Ryder of Nine Ladies, Recs Cross Station, Lees, Matlock, and Eoin O Leidhon, Meelagulleen, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, were convicted of engaging in threatening and abusive behaviour. However, charges of wilful obstruction and failure to comply with the direction of gardaI were dismissed by Judge Mary Devins. read more

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Irish Times: Shell to set up investment fund for Erris

Lorna Siggins, Western Correspondent,
Published: Sep 14, 2007

Shell E&P Ireland and its Corrib gas partners have promised to establish a long-term investment fund for the Erris area of north Mayo on the recommendation of Government mediator Peter Cassells.

No figure has been put on the fund by the Corrib gas lead developer, which has acknowledged that it will be tax-deductible under its licensing terms.

The sum will be “significant”, Shell says, and it will be administered by an advisory panel involving key agencies. read more

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Reuters: Oil falls towards $79 as Humberto fades

Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:08am EDT
By Felicia Loo

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil slid towards $79 a barrel on Friday, as a hurricane subsided in the Gulf of Mexico, though prices held near the previous day’s record high on supply worries ahead of peak winter demand.

U.S. crude for October dropped 42 cents to $79.67 a barrel by 0450 GMT, having settled up 18 cents in New York on Thursday, when prices hit a record of $80.20 a barrel. London Brent crude for November lost 27 cents to $76.85.

U.S. gasoline futures eased 0.4 percent after leading gains on Thursday, as Hurricane Humberto was downgraded to a tropical storm after shutting oil shipping channels and three refineries when it slammed onshore in Texas. read more

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Houston Chronicle: Humberto nudges oil above $80

Sept. 14, 2007, 12:33AM
ENERGY

With traders already jittery, supply worries lead to record

By BRETT CLANTON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

The price of oil closed above $80 a barrel for the first time Thursday after Hurricane Humberto knocked out power to three Texas oil refineries and rattled traders who were already anxious about tight oil supplies.

Light, sweet crude finished at a $80.09, 18 cents above the record set the day before. Adjusted for inflation, however, the new high falls short of the $38 oil price in early 1980, equivalent to nearly $100 a barrel in today’s dollars, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. read more

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Bloomberg: Oil Falls From a Record as Hurricane Weakens, Spares Platforms

By Angela Macdonald-Smith and Christian Schmollinger

Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) — Crude oil fell from a record close in New York after Hurricane Humberto spared offshore production platforms and weakened into a tropical depression as it passed over Texas into Louisiana.

There were no reports of damage to production units at three refineries that had power supplies knocked out by the storm in Port Arthur, Texas, idling 4.8 percent of U.S. capacity. Total SA’s plant will be restored by Sept. 18, according the Department of Energy’s Web site. Valero Energy Corp.’s unit will restart Sept. 16, a Texas state government Web site said. Royal Dutch Shell Plc gave no timetable. read more

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