Royal Dutch Shell Group .com Rotating Header Image

April, 2011:

Karoo group files charge over fracking ad

Complaint over a Shell advert which tries to allay public fears about its fracking exploration technique

CHANTELLE BENJAMIN: Published: 2011/04/29 06:40:25 AM

A GROUP of Karoo residents has accused oil company Royal Dutch Shell of being “untruthful and misleading” and has lodged a complaint over an advert which tries to allay public fears about its fracking exploration technique .

The complaint by specialist energy attorneys Havemann Inc on behalf of Treasure the Karoo Action Group is over an advert in the Sunday Times and the Cape Times this month headed “Dialogue on the Karoo”, which they allege aims to mislead readers. 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.

Shell scared away by British tax?

April 29, 2011

LONDON, April 29 (UPI) — Royal Dutch Shell suggested it might pull out of developments in the North Sea because of a tax increase imposed by the British government, a director said.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne imposed a duty on oil and gas producers in an effort to take advantage of massive oil profits reported by international energy companies.

Oil and gas developers posted record first quarter profits as energy prices soar in response to global economic recovery, a weak U.S. dollar and unrest in some of the Middle East’s largest oil-producing nations. 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.

Shell make £4.1bn…and axe North Sea fields

SHELL is slashing investment in the North Sea over a Budget Day tax hike – despite making £1.9million an hour.

The giant yesterday revealed the rise meant it was now “uneconomic” to develop smaller UK oil and gas fields.

Shell’s quarterly profits were up forty per cent and totalled £4.1billion.

Chief finance officer Simon Henry said the group would only invest in two new projects. Other work has gone. He said: “The irony is we were just beginning to look at what opportunities there were in the North Sea again. We hadn’t worked up the projects yet and that work now stops.” 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.

Shell may have to sell North Sea assets after tax raid

Published Date: 29 April 2011 By Martin Flanagan City editor
ROYAL Dutch Shell warned yesterday that it may have to sell some assets in the North Sea and reduce investment in the region because of the Chancellor’s tax raid and higher industry decommissioning costs in the Budget. Simon Henry, chief financial officer, revealed that the changes could cost the group $1 billion (£600m) in extra charges, a similar sum to that facing rival BP.

He said that Shell had taken a $60 million hit in the first quarter of this year on the extra tax levy on North Sea production and would face a further $150m impact over the rest of 2011. There will be another $400m charge in 2012.

In addition, reduced tax breaks for decommissioning rigs was likely to lead to another charge of up to $500m.

“It’s a fact of the business we are in. Not just governments but suppliers look for a share of higher revenues,” Henry said.

He added that big Shell interests in the North Sea, such as the Clair and Schiehallion fields to the west of Shetland that are operated by BP, were unlikely to be affected by the tax raid. 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.

Shell chief condemns tax hike as profits surge 30%

mark williamson

29 Apr 2011

THE chief financial officer of Royal Dutch Shell has warned , the surprise hike in tax on North Sea profits will hit investment in the area, after the company unveiled a 30% leap in profits on the back of surging oil prices.

Simon Henry said the hike, announced by George Osborne’s had already impacted on planning. and it may result in the company investing much less in future than it would have done.

His criticism comes in the wake of similar warnings from other big firms. 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.

BP should look to Anglo-Dutch rival Shell to help refine the way forward

One of the most striking features of the oil industry in recent times has been the divergent fortunes of Royal Dutch Shell and BP.

BP has well-publicised problems that explain its recent under-performance, such as uncertainty over its future in Russia and the shock of last year’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico’s Macondo area, which left 11 workers dead. Photo: REUTERS
Damian Reece By Damian Reece, Head of Business: 29n April 2011

The past two years has seen Shell outperform the All-Share index by 7pc, while BP has under-performed by 58pc.

Results on Thursday from Shell once again underlined the companies’ differences, such as profitability and prospects, which are driving investor sentiment.

BP has well-publicised problems that explain its recent under-performance, such as uncertainty over its future in Russia and the shock of last year’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico’s Macondo area, which left 11 workers dead. 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.

Slick Shell leaves BP in slipstream

Shell remains interested in a merger – if the terms and conditions are right…

Oil battle: The Gulf of Mexico crisis has proved disastrous for BP’s shares, while Shell’s have soared

By Hugo Duncan
Last updated at 10:42 PM on 28th April 2011

In the battle of the UK super majors, the first leg of 2011 belongs to Shell by a considerable margin, said Richard Hunter, head of UK equities at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers, yesterday.

It is easy to see why. While BP is plagued by the toxic legacy of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and troubles in Russia, Royal Dutch Shell powers on.

Shell put its beleaguered arch-rival firmly in the shade yesterday with a 41 per cent rise in first quarter profits to £4.1billion. Just 24 hours earlier, BP revealed that its profits for the period dropped 2 per cent to £3.3billion. And that is not all. 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.

Shell Should Resist Dividend Siren Calls

APRIL 29, 2011

By ANDREW PEAPLE

Royal Dutch Shell‘s bump in the road has sure flattened out.

The oil company’s first-quarter earnings were up 53% on a disappointing last quarter of 2010, thanks to high oil prices and improved liquefied-natural-gas sales in Asia and Europe. Stronger cash flow may have some investors pressing for higher dividends. Shell should resist, for now.

Like BP, which reported on Wednesday, Shell has been shedding unwanted assets, leading to output shortfalls. Its production fell 3% year on year. But, also like BP, Shell’s results were boosted by higher downstream profits, which doubled year on year thanks to sharply wider refining margins. 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.

Worst case Arctic spill could reach 58M gallons

DAN JOLING, Associated Press: Published 04:10 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, 2011

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The federal agency overseeing offshore drilling in Alaska says a worst-case scenario for a blowout in the Chukchi Sea lease area could put more than 58 million gallons of oil into Arctic waters.

That’s far more than the major leaseholder in the Chukchi, Shell Oil, says it could handle under its response plan.

A memo prepared by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement says a blowout worst-case scenario could discharge nearly 2.6 million gallons per day initially. 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.

Shell 1Q Adjusted Profit Soars 30% To $6.29B On Higher Oil Price

APRIL 28, 2011 3:15 A.M. ET

By Alexis Flynn Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

LONDON (Dow Jones)–Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) Thursday posted a consensus-beating 30% rise in adjusted profit for the first quarter, as high oil prices, upstream production growth and continued cost-cutting all combined to good effect.

“We continue to make good progress in implementing our strategy, improving near-term performance, delivering a new wave of production growth, and maturing the next generation of growth options for shareholders,” said Chief Executive Peter Voser. 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.

Shell First-Quarter Profit Rises on Higher Crude Oil Prices

By Brian Swint – Apr 28, 2011 8:50 AM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil company, said profit rose 30 percent in the first quarter as crude prices gained and refining earnings doubled.

Excluding one-time items and inventory changes, Shell earned $6.3 billion compared with $4.8 billion a year earlier. Analysts expected $6.2 billion, according to the mean of nine estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Production slipped 3 percent to 3.5 million barrels of oil equivalent a day and was in line with last year’s output once asset sales are excluded. 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.

US not ready for debate on exporting shale gas: Shell official


Washington (Platts)–26Apr2011/533 pm EDT/2133 GMT

Shell’s president for US operations on Tuesday called talk of exporting shale gas premature, at least politically.

“We’re still waking up to the fact that we have this enormous energy resource in our backyard,” Marvin Odum said at the US Energy Information Administration’s conference in Washington. “It completely changed the way we look at energy as a country.”

“I think we finish that realization process and then have the political debate about whether exporting some of that energy is something we allow to happen or not.” 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.

Shell Says Slow U.S. Drill Permits in Alaska ‘Irresponsible’

By Kim Chipman – Apr 26, 2011 9:05 PM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is being blocked from offshore oil and gas exploration in Alaska by the “irresponsible” delays of federal regulators, said the company’s U.S. president, Marvin Odum.

Shell, based in The Hague, has spent more than $2 billion for hundreds of drilling leases in Alaska since 2005, and has invested $1.5 billion on an exploration program that exceeds current regulatory requirements, Odum said.

“Despite our most intense efforts, we have yet to drill a single well,” Odum said today at a conference in Washington. 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.

Shell’s favorite website

By John Donovan

We have received the latest installment of Shell internal communications relating to this website and its owners. The information has been supplied in response to a Subject Access Request to Shell under the Data Protection Act.

As always, there is some information which Shell would not want put into the public domain.

For example, further evidence of Shell leaning on newspaper publishers in relation to this website. Our regular visitors may recall that Shell was determined to kill a half page Sunday Times article about our exploits. The headline mentioned that our intervention in Sakhalin2 had cost Shell £11 BILLION (over $17 billion USA). This time we have evidence of Shell’s intent to lean on the Financial Times because of irritation that it mentioned our website in an FT article. Shell self-evidently has no regard for freedom of the press. 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.

EPA Rules Force Shell to Abandon Oil Drilling Plans


Energy in America: EPA Rules Force Shell to Abandon Oil Drilling Plans

By Dan Springer: Published April 25, 2011

Shell Oil Company has announced it must scrap efforts to drill for oil this summer in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Alaska. The decision comes following a ruling by the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to withhold critical air permits. The move has angered some in Congress and triggered a flurry of legislation aimed at stripping the EPA of its oil drilling oversight.

Shell has spent five years and nearly $4 billion dollars on plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The leases alone cost $2.2 billion. Shell Vice President Pete Slaiby says obtaining similar air permits for a drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico would take about 45 days. He’s especially frustrated over the appeal board’s suggestion that the Arctic drill would somehow be hazardous for the people who live in the area. “We think the issues were really not major,” Slaiby said, “and clearly not impactful for the communities we work in.” 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.

Shell gets €60m injection to complete Corrib gas link

By Gordon Deegan

Monday April 25 2011

SHELL Ireland has received a further cash injection of €60 million from its parent company to complete the Corrib gas field project.

This brings to €190m Shell E&P Ireland Ltd (SEPIL) has received in additional cash in recent months as it prepares to wrap up the final phase of the project, that includes the construction of a 5km tunnel to bring gas ashore in north Mayo.

Documents recently filed with the Companies Office show that this has brought SEPIL’s share capital to €614m. 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.

Shell fat cat Peter Voser highest earner in NL

FROM A DUTCH SHELL INSIDER

Hello John

The newspapers and some TV programmes are harping again on the bankers that have reduced bonuses but scandalously increased the ‘basic salary’ and all are back to levels of before the crisis.

So has Shell, it is mentioned several times. Voser is the highest earner in NL with 12 million Euros. What will he do with it apart from making his kids or grandchildren spoiled brats. It is the equivalent of 185000 bbls oil. These are significant numbers. And that against a background of v.d.Veer stating he would not have done one thing different or worked less hard if his salary and/or bonus would have been halved or much lower. 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.

Gas Wars: Rise of the Anti-Frackers

By Julienne du Toit

South African anti-fracking groups had an extra Easter egg in their baskets this week when the government announced a moratorium on Big Energy plans to prospect for gas in the Karoo, the country’s semi-desert heartland.

What? People Power takes on a tag team of fuel giants and local politicians and wins the 1st round of the southern African Gas Wars? Can it be?

Damn straight. Life retains its ability to surprise and delight.

I came across an article recently with the headline: “5 Reasons to Be Hopeful We Haven’t Totally Screwed Ourselves and the Planet … Yet”. 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.

SHELL SURGES BUT BP FAILS TO CASH IN ON OIL PRICES

Sunday April 24,2011
By Tracey Boles

A DIP in production is expected to stop BP reaping the full benefit of the high oil price in its first-quarter results, out this week.

But arch-rival Royal Dutch Shell is forecast to enjoy a surge in first-quarter earnings on the back of the oil price which averaged $105 (£64) per barrel in the three-month period.

First-quarter profits at crisis-hit BP are expected to be broadly flat at $5.6 billion (£3.4 billion).

Analysts at Charles Stanley said: “Production volumes could be some 7 per cent lower and as a result, BP will have less leverage from higher oil prices which are some 32 per cent higher than a year ago.” 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.

Shell espionage activities in Nigeria

By John Donovan

A great deal of publicity was generated by the recent WikiLeaks revelations exposing Shell’s infiltration of the supposedly sovereignty government of Nigeria. Secret U.S. Embassy cables reported the boasting by a senior Shell executive that Shell spies are infiltrated throughout the Nigerian government.

WikiLeaks Nigeria: Royal Dutch Shell embedded spies

The news did not come as a surprise to those of us who have closely followed Shell’s sinister activities in Nigeria (and elsewhere) over many years. 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.

Fossil fuel firms use ‘biased’ study in massive gas lobbying push

guardian.co.uk home

Industry urging governments and business to reject renewables in favour of ‘green’ shale gas

Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent, Wednesday 20 April 2011 17.24 BST

Pipes at a natural gas drilling site near Montrose, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Daniel Acker/Getty Images

Senior executives in the fossil fuel industry have launched an all-out assault on renewable energy, lobbying governments and business groups to reject wind and solar power in favour of gas, in a move that could choke the fledgling green energy industry.

Multinational companies including Shell, GDF Suez and Statoil are promoting gas as an alternative “green” fuel. These companies are among dozens around the world investing in new technologies to exploit shale gas, a controversial form of the fuel that has rejuvenated the gas industry because it is plentiful in supply and newly accessible due to technical advances in gas extraction known as “fracking”. 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.

Oil giants play loose with facts on gas

Fiona Harvey

April 23, 2011

SENIOR executives in the fossil fuel industry have launched an all-out assault on renewable energy, lobbying governments and business groups to reject wind and solar power in favour of gas, in a move that could choke the green energy industry.

Multinational companies including Shell, GDF Suez and Statoil are promoting gas as an alternative green fuel. These firms are among dozens worldwide investing in new technologies to exploit shale gas, a controversial form of the fuel that has rejuvenated the gas industry because it is in plentiful supply and newly accessible because of technical advances in gas extraction that are known as fracking. 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.

Pirates of the Intranet

Working in internal communications is hard enough – but it just got tougher with the arrival of pirate sites that can sink your company intranet. Marc Wright offers some useful tips to ward off the invasions.

by Marc Wright

Internal communications is facing its greatest threat ever. The rise of low-cost websites created by employees for employees means that your own intranet, forums and newsletters run the risk of being bypassed and rendered obsolete. In this article I explore the history of pirate sites; look at some examples of ‘gripe’ sites that have cost companies dearly; and suggest some steps you can take to protect yourself and your channels from these marauding invaders.

A short history of Pirates 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.

Lawsuits fly in BP’s Gulf spill blame game

By Tom Bergin and Moira Herbst

LONDON/NEW YORK | Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:12pm EDT

(Reuters) – A barrage of court claims pitting BP Plc against its partners in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill could lay the groundwork for billions of dollars in settlements to spread the costs of the disaster.

BP has sued Transocean Ltd, Halliburton Co and Cameron International Corp, in one of the biggest legal moves since last year’s blowout. It is seeking up to the full cost of the disaster — estimated at $42 billion — plus costs, interest and punitive damages from each of the companies that helped it drill the doomed well. 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.

BP’s multibillion dollar lawsuit against Transocean – expert verdict

BY BILL CAMPBELL (RETIRED HSE GROUP AUDITOR, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL GROUP)

It should come as no surprise to the readers of this web site that BP plan to sue the owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon Transocean.  In my opinion they will be successful in so doing.

Lost in the mass hysteria of the time, including the emotional and disproportionate reactions of the US President who saw himself in the firing line, it appeared to be universally ignored that BP were after all, in  matters related to the drilling of the well, the client, with Transocean, the Contractor. 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.

Age discrimination suit filed against Motiva

By David Yates

Tyler resident Kurt Floersheim has filed suit against his former employer, Motiva Enterprises, alleging he was laid off so that two younger men could replace him.

The suit was filed April 15 in Jefferson County District Court.

According to the lawsuit, on June 15, 2009, Motiva informed Floersheim that he was being included in a reduction in force. He alleges that the day after he was laid off, Motiva hired two younger specialists to replace him.

“Defendant’s selection process for its reduction in force resulted in the three oldest engineers being laid off (ages 50-65),” the suit states. “No process engineers under 40 were laid off.” 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.

Environmental groups comment on Shell’s Mississippi Canyon plan

As a result of these shortcomings, Shell’s Supplemental EP does not safeguard against a disaster like that of the Deepwater Horizon last year, jeopardizing the economies and ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.

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.

BP sues Gulf rig operator for $40bn over oil spill

Latest update: 21/04/2011 BP has filed a $40 billion lawsuit against Transocean, the operator of the Gulf of Mexico oil rig, alleging the disastrous explosion on the oil rig was due to the firm’s “misconduct”. The company also filed suit against Halliburton and Cameron. By News Wires (text)

AFP – BP has filed a lawsuit against rig operator Transocean for $40 billion in damages over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, in a legal fightback by the group a year after the disaster.

The British firm, the target of blame during the crisis, filed suit against Swiss-based Transocean on Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of the start of the biggest maritime oil spill in history, and also against oil services giant Halliburton and parts manufacturer Cameron.

Transocean operated the Deepwater Horizon rig which was hit by an explosion on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and sparking the environmental disaster. 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.

Another platform sinks in Gulf of Mexico


Pemex flotel sinks in GoM

14 April 2011

Pemex reported no injuries or spills after a platform in the Bay of Campeche toppled and sank 12 April 2011.

The Jupiter flotel went down in 38m water depths following an apparent pontoon control valve malfunction, the Mexican state oil company said in a release. About 13m of the 50m-wide semisubmersible remain above the water line.

The company said there were no injuries among the 713 crew members on board at the time of the accident, 638 of whom were evacuated to the nearby Abkatun-A platform. The remaining crew attempted to counter the intake of water with pumps but the effort was abandoned and the remaining 75 people on board evacuated early Wednesday afternoon, six hours after the flotel began listing, Pemex 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.

Shell’s Karoo fracking plans ended

South Africa Endorses Plans For Karoo Gas-Drill Freeze, Ending Shell Hopes

By Robert Brand – Apr 21, 2011 2:31 PM GMT+0100

South Africa’s Cabinet endorsed the Department of Mineral Resources’ decision to declare a moratorium on natural-gas drilling in the Karoo region, halting plans by Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s largest oil company.

The department will lead an investigation into the implications of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that will include assessing the environmental effects, government spokesman Jimmy Manyi told reporters in Pretoria today. 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.

Shell says it paid Nigeria $3.8 bil tax on offshore oil operation in 5 years

Lagos (Platts)–21Apr2011/820 am EDT/1220 GMT

Royal Dutch Shell Nigeria says it paid about $3.8 billion in taxes and royalties to the Nigerian government from its offshore and deepwater oil operations between 2006 and 2010.

In a briefing note on the company’s operations in Nigeria in 2010 published Thursday, Shell said its joint venture operations contributed about $31 billion in revenue to Nigeria during the same period.

Shell, however, said its oil production in the West African country, particularly from the onshore fields, continued to decline because of the activities of thieves who damage production facilities. 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.

Shale gas: is it as green as the oil companies say?

guardian.co.uk home

At the heart of the shale gas ‘sell’ is the industry’s analysis of a European Climate Foundation report – an analysis ECF rejects

Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent: Wednesday 20 April 2011 20.49 BST

A natural gas wellhead near Montrose, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Daniel Acker/Getty

“You just wouldn’t believe you could get gas out of that, would you?” said Mark Miller, chief executive of UK gas company Cuadrilla Resources, turning over a lump of hard black rock. It is dark, extremely dense and very heavy, with a smooth and almost chalky feel, and is found buried thousands of feet beneath the surface of the earth in deposits made 300m years ago.

There are no holes, nothing to betray the fact that this shale rock can be made to yield natural gas in such quantities that it could power the globe for centuries. 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.

Fracking involved in out of control gas well blow out in Pennsylvania

Apr 20, 3:12 PM EDT
Drilling fluid gushes from northern Pa. gas well

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A blowout at a natural gas well in rural northern Pennsylvania spilled thousands of gallons of chemical-laced water Wednesday, contaminating a stream and forcing the evacuation of seven families who live nearby as crews struggled to stop the gusher.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. lost control of the well site near Canton, in Bradford County, around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, officials said. Tainted water continued to flow from the site Wednesday afternoon, though workers finally managed to prevent any more of it from reaching the stream. 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.

Leaked email from Cameron CEO Jack B. Moore: Deepwater Horizon

From: Harrell, Rosemary On Behalf Of Moore, Jack B
Sent: 20 April 2011 16:05
Subject: Letter from Jack Moore
Importance: High

April 20, 2011

Dear Fellow Employees,

A year ago today a tragic accident on the Deepwater Horizon took the lives of 11 men and injured many others.

One year later, our industry still mourns the loss of Jason Anderson, Dale Burkeen, Donald Clark, Stephen Curtis, Gordon Jones, Roy Wyatt Kemp, Karl Kleppinger, Blair Manuel, Dewey Revette, Shane Roshto and Adam Weise. Examination of the causes and consequences of the accident continues, as does the evaluation of its ongoing impact on the energy industry and our national economy. 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.

Shell Halves Nigerian Gas Flaring With New Units Through 2010

By Eduard Gismatullin

April 19 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, operator of Nigeria’s largest oil fields, halved gas flaring in the African country between 2002 and 2010 after installing gathering infrastructure.

Associated gas flaring, or burning off the fuel pumped together with crude oil production, declined to less than 300 million cubic feet a day down from about 600 million feet a day over the eight-year period, Shell said on its website. Worldwide, the company increased flaring by 32 percent in 2010 from a year earlier on higher output in Nigeria and the start of a project in Iraq, it said in its Sustainability Report. 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.

Blood for oil?

In 2003, Shell said rumours that it had met with the government to discuss Iraq’s oil reserves were ‘highly inaccurate’ while then BP chief executive Lord Browne said: ‘It is not in my or BP’s opinion, a war about oil’. Yet Baroness Symons, then the Trade Minister, met with officials from BP, Shell and BG (previously British Gas) on October 31 2002, some five months before the invasion of Iraq.

Telling the truth? Tony Blair said oil conspiracies about the Iraq war were ‘absurd’ but leaked documents have revealed ministers met with BP and Shell about Iraqi oil before the invasion

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:47 PM on 19th April 2011

Blood for oil? Documents reveal talks between Government and oil giants BEFORE invasion of Iraq??

Opponents of the Iraq war always insisted oil had a part to play in the 2003 invasion, whatever Western leaders claimed about their desire for regime change. 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.

Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq


By Paul Bignall

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Plans to exploit Iraq’s oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world’s largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.

Iraq’s burgeoning oil industry: Click HERE to upload graphic (160k)

The papers, revealed here for the first time, raise new questions over Britain’s involvement in the war, which had divided Tony Blair’s cabinet and was voted through only after his claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. 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.

UK held talks with oil firms before Iraq invasion -paper

LONDON, April 19 | Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:29pm EDT

(Reuters) – Britain discussed plans to exploit Iraq’s oil reserves with some of the world’s biggest oil companies five months before it joined the United States in invading the country, the Independent newspaper said on Tuesday.

Citing documents it said were obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request by campaigner and author Greg Muttitt, the newspaper said at least five meetings were held between government officials and oil majors BP (BP.L) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) in October and November 2002. 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.

Nigeria oil revenue rose 46% to $59bn in 2010 on improved security

15 April 2011 00:00

The nation’s revenue from oil exports rose 46 percent from 2009 to N9.15 trillion ($59 billion) in 2010, as companies raised output on improved security in the Niger Delta, the National Bureau of Statistics stated yesterday. Nigeria earned $196 billion from oil and gas exports in the four years from 2007 to 2010, the statistics office said in a statement. The Federal Government depends on oil exports for more than 80 percent of its revenue and 95 percent of foreign exchange income. 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.

Shell Emissions Up by 9% Last Year, Natural Gas Flaring Up 32%

by Rachel Cernansky, Boulder, Colorado on 04.18.11

Image: Lee Jordan via flickr

Royal Dutch Shell has released a sustainability report for 2010 showing that its direct greenhouse gas emissions rose by nine percent, and natural gas flaring—a wasteful practice that contributes its own emissions—increased by 32 percent. Shell attributes the increase to expanded production, including in Nigeria, where it says security has improved. People in Nigeria would probably beg to differ.

Environmental Leader reports that flaring, an industry-wide practice that wastes enough energy to power Germany, made up nearly 14 percent of Shell’s emissions last year. 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.

Alaska Sen. Begich pushes bill to create federal coordinator for Arctic offshore drilling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Sen. Mark Begich on Monday compared the regulatory atmosphere for offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean to a whack-a-mole arcade game, where the player uses a mallet to smack down moles as they pop out of the ground.

In the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, under the Alaska Democrat’s scenario, oil companies are the players and federal agencies are the moles.

“Each time we have one mole beat down, another one pops up and derails the process,” Begich 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.

Port Arthur activist wins $150,000 environmental prize

POSTING BY GOLDEN TRIANGLE WATCHMAN

John D, you want to engage with a true activist that has been a pain in the rear for Motiva, read this article. Motiva and the Purves gang are busy building the project. They had to buy this guy off to get the permit…. Might be worth connecting with him and seeing if he truly understands Shell’s equity position on crude when the project completes. They won’t be running the Saudi crude as much since it is going to China… where do you think they are going to get the crude…. Answer another question… Where is Shell’s investment of late north of the border in Canada…. oil sands…. on it’s way to PAR… 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.

Regulation of Offshore Rigs Is a Work in Progress

Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times: Michael R. Bromwich, who was chosen by President Obama to overhaul the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, speaking to University of San Diego students during a recruiting tour.

By JOHN M. BRODER and CLIFFORD KRAUSS

A version of this article appeared in print on April 17, 2011, on page A1 of the New York edition.

WASHINGTON — A year after BP’s Macondo well blew out, killing 11 men and spewing millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the much-maligned federal agency responsible for policing offshore drilling has been remade, with a tough new director, an awkward new name and a sheaf of stricter safety rules. It is also trying to put some distance between itself and the industry it regulates.

But is it fixed? The simple answer is no. Even those who run the agency formerly known as the Minerals Management Service concede that it will be years before they can establish a robust regulatory regime able to minimize the risks to workers and the environment while still allowing exploration offshore. 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.

Shell Expects to Drill in Alaska’s Arctic in 2012

APRIL 15, 2011

By ISABEL ORDONEZ

Royal Dutch Shell PLC expects to start drilling in Alaska’s Arctic waters in the summer of next year and have in place an oil-containment system specifically designed for the area ready at the same time, the head of the company’s U.S. operations said Friday.

“Our aspiration is to drill in the 2012 season,” Marvin Odum, president of Shell Oil Co., the U.S. unit of the Anglo-Dutch giant, told Dow Jones Newswires in a interview. “We are hopeful, but also cautions.” 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.

Natural Gas from Shale Contributes to Global Warming, Researchers Find

Natural Gas from Shale Contributes to Global Warming, Researchers Find

ScienceDaily (Apr. 13, 2011) — Natural gas extracted from shale formations has a greater greenhouse gas footprint — in the form of methane emissions — than conventional gas, oil and coal over a 20 year period. This calls into question the logic of its use as a climate-friendly alternative to fossil fuels, according to Robert Howarth and colleagues, from Cornell University in New York.

Their work is published online in Springer’s journal, Climatic Change Letters.

Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade. Shale gas is extracted by a high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) process. Large volumes of water are forced under pressure into the shale to fracture and re-fracture the rock to boost gas flow. A significant amount of water returns to the surface as flow-back within the first few days to weeks after injection and is accompanied by large quantities of methane. 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.

Farmers say ‘no fracking way’ to Shell

FIONA MACLEOD Apr 15 2011 10:58

Shell’s plans to drill wells for natural gas across a large swathe of the Karoo are fatally flawed and should be rejected, according to lawyers representing local landowners.

Derek Light Attorneys criticised Shell’s environmental management plan submitted to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (Pasa) this week, describing it as “a worthless paper exercise” that was misleading, biased, unprocedural and unconstitutional.

The attorneys also represent AgriSA and business tycoon Johann Rupert, who owns a farm in the Karoo. The area is the world’s largest mohair producer and has wool, red meat and ecotourism sectors. 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.

Tar sands pipeline impact worries environmentalists

Golden Triangle Watchman

Check out this article. Best believe, Shell is bringing the tar sands to Port Arthur as well….

April 14, 2011

Sherry Koonce The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT — BEAUMONT — A proposed pipeline project that would bring tar sands crude oil from Canada all the way to Gulf Coast refineries could pose a significant environmental threat to Southeast Texas, a group of scientific researchers and conservationists said Thursday.

The Lamar University Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, hosted a town hall meeting to discuss what impact the proposed 1,700-mile oil pipeline called Keystone XL would have not only on Southeast Texas, but the U.S. 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.

We don’t want SHELL in Oman any more

Received from the “OmanOil 4us Campaign”

We are group of Omani youth, engineers and others who have started a campaign to demand the nationalization of PDO and therefore to cancel the PSA agreement between PDO (& hence SHELL) and the government of OMAN.

Our goals are:

-Nationalization, take back the 40% currently owned the private shareholders through legal process
-Restructuring the company completely and thoroughly
-Dividing block 6 into smaller concession areas; easy ones which can be solely operated by national resources and more difficult ones which require sophisticated technologies and high capital investment which can be offered for PSA’s
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.

Shell reports release of sulfur dioxide at Convent Refinery

By John Donovan

Shell has reported the unauthorized release of a hazardous substance, sulfur dioxide, at its Convent Refinery in Louisiana.

This is not the first controversy surrounding the Shell/Motiva Convent Refinery…

Shell Email Leak Says US Convent Refinery Income Dismal -Blog

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Income performance at Motiva Enterprises LLC’s Convent refinery near Baton Rouge in Louisiana has been dismal since July 2008 and the company needs to cut costs to return to profitability, according to an internal email from part-owner Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) which was leaked to a blog critical of the company. “We are getting our costs in line at Convent in order to become competitive in a tough business environment,” the email sent to Motiva staff by manager David Brignac said. “We are considering reductions in operator positions, but no final decisions have been made on operator staffing levels,” he writes in the email posted Friday on royaldutchshellplc.com. 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.

Motiva Releases Emissions at Convent Refinery in Louisiana

By Paul Burkhardt – Apr 12, 2011 12:37 PM GMT+0100

Motiva Enterprises LLC’s Convent Refinery in Louisiana released 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide from three flare stacks because of an imbalance in the fuel gas system, according to a filing with the National Response Center.

U.S. refineries must notify the response center if they release hazardous substances in excess of reportable quantities, according to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.

Motiva is a refining and marketing joint venture of Saudi Refining Inc., a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, and Shell Oil Co., a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (RDSA) 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.