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October, 2011:

Gov. Rick Perry, Shell and Motiva Enterprises

Texas grant recipients gave to Republican Gov. Perry

By Jim Forsyth
SAN ANTONIO, Texas | Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:00am BST

Oct 13 (Reuters) – Businesses that won grants from a Texas economic development fund contributed $7 million to Governor Rick Perry and the Republican Governors Association, which supports him, a report by a watchdog group said on Thursday.

Many companies that received Enterprise Fund funding did not meet their job goals, the watchdog group said.

Motiva Enterprises, a joint venture of Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDSa.L) U.S. unit and Saudi Refining Inc., received $2 million from the Enterprise Fund in 2006, promising to create 300 refinery jobs in the Houston area by the end of 2010. 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.

CNPC, Shell refinery JV in deal with local govt

Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:47am EDT

* Planned JV won initial approval, pending final green light

* Latest pact shows sincere intention to cooperate

* Shell likely to lead in the Shell-Qatar side

* Imported condensate eyed as feedstock for petchem

BEIJING, Oct 13 (Reuters) – A proposed refinery, a petrochemical joint venture between China’s CNPC, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Qatar, this week signed a framework deal with local authorities in eastern China’s Zhejiang province where the mega project will be built. 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 unveils North Sea investment programme

13 October 2011

BP has been given the go ahead to proceed with a new £4.5bn oil project west of the Shetland Islands.

The BP-operated scheme is an extension of the existing Clair oil field, and will also include investment by fellow oil firms Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron.

David Cameron said the news was a “massive boost for jobs and growth”.

BP said it and its partners were now investing almost £10bn in North Sea oil and gas work over the next five years.

‘Maintaining production’ read more

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Is fracking set to transform the oil market?

COLUMN-Is fracking set to transform the oil market? John Kemp

(John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

By John Kemp

Oct 12 (Reuters) – Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling revolutionised the natural gas market, unlocking huge quantities of previous unrecoverable reserves trapped in tight rock formations.

The question is whether they are about to do the same for oil — unlocking billions of barrels of crude trapped in similar rock forms, and thereby upending forecasts about increasing oil scarcity and steeply rising prices.

WHY MALTHUS WAS WRONG

In the short term, prices for commodities are determined by the usual forces of supply and demand. In the medium and long term, however, technology is the main determinant of price and availability. 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 Nigeria hopes to resume normal production by November

12 October 2011

LAGOS — Oil giant Shell said Tuesday it hopes to resume normal production levels in Nigeria by early November a day after announcing that it may not meet contractual obligations on certain oil exports due to a pipeline attack.

Following the attack on the 50-kilometre (30 miles) Trans Forcados pipeline, the Shell Nigeria joint venture declared ‘force majeure’, freeing it of contractual obligations on certain exports from Nigeria through December.

But Shell said in a statement that repair on the pipeline had begun and that production may resume earlier than previously thought. 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 executives see industry benefitting from oil-spill cleanup contest

OIL&GAS JOURNAL

HOUSTON, Oct. 11
By Paula Dittrick
OGJ Senior Staff Writer

The X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit organization, along with philanthropist Wendy Schmidt, presented a $1 million first-place award to Elastec/American Marine Oct. 11 during a ceremony in New York.

Elastec/American Marine of Carmi, Ill., and Cocoa, Fla., achieved more than three times the industry’s previous best oil recovery rate tested in controlled conditions.

The second-place winner, NOFI from Tromso, Norway, won $300,000. Despite schedule delays caused by Hurricane Irene, NOFI reached more than two times the industry’s previous best oil recovery rate. 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 spills

The map demonstrates eleven of the world’s largest oil spills, obtained from Geology.com:

Oil spills

The amount of oil spilled is miniscule compared to the amount of oil transported each and every day, according to the Mineral Management Service. The figure is estimated at about 0.001 percent. Further, the National Research Council points out that much oil seeps naturally into the sea from offshore oil reserves, even without human interference. The NRC estimates that approximately half of all oil found in the world’s oceans arises from natural processes. Oil spills account for about 12 percent. 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 Price Volatility Will Remain for Next Decade, Peter Voser Says

BUSINESS CHINA

11 Oct 2011

5 Questions with Shell CEO Peter Voser

Q. At SIEW 2011, you will be speaking on the future of energy. Can you provide us with a sneak preview on where you see the future of energy?

A: The global energy system is in the early stages of a historic transformation. Customer demand for secure and affordable energy is growing, propelled by a rising global population and strong economic growth, particularly in the developing countries. Traditional energy supplies are becoming politically and technically more difficult to reach. At the same time, environmental stresses linked to meeting energy demand are increasing; rising CO2 emissions and pressure on natural resources, such as water. 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 Pension Fund Joins Appeal of ‘Feeder Fund’ Ruling by Madoff Judge

By Linda Sandler – Oct 10, 2011 8:30 PM GMT+0100

Shell Pension Fund, which runs pension plans for Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) companies, joined an appeal of a court ruling in the Bernard Madoff case that denied customer status to so-called feeder fund investors.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Burton Lifland backed the liquidator of the con man’s firm in June, saying investors in feeders can’t file claims for payment with the estate because they didn’t have accounts with the Madoff firm in their own names. More than 50 companies, pension funds and individuals — from National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) SAK and Aozora Bank Ltd. (8304) to Upstate New York Bakery Drivers & Industry Pension Fund — appealed the ruling, asking a district judge to decide whether Lifland erred in defining what a customer was. 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 issues Forcados production warning in Nigeria due to sabotage

Shell issues Forcados production warning in Nigeria due to sabotage, lifts Bonny Light warning

By Associated Press, Updated: Monday, October 10, 6:30 PM

LAGOS, Nigeria — Royal Dutch Shell PLC is warning it can’t meet Forcados crude production goals in Nigeria, after shutting down production on one of its pipelines in the oil-rich southern delta.

A Shell spokesman said in a statement Monday that its Nigerian subsidiary has declared “force majeure” on its Forcados crude shipment from October until December. The term is used when it is impossible for an oil company to cover the promised supply from the field.

Tony Okonedo says the Trans Forcados pipeline recorded a leak Thursday which had been caused by explosives. 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.

Grieve must not terminate UK-Saudi bribery investigation

Transparency International

10 October 2011

In the wake of serious bribery allegations involving GPT, the UK subsidiary of European defence company EADS, and the Saudi Royal family, Transparency International UK is calling on the Government to support a full investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

The Attorney General is reportedly deliberating over whether the SFO should continue to investigate allegations that GPT made illicit payments to the Saudi Royal family in order to secure a contract worth £2 billion.

The Attorney General’s decision will face a high level of international scrutiny because the UK’s anti-corruption record is currently under review by the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the OECD. Under Article 5 of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, to which the UK is a party, a state cannot allow political, economic or diplomatic considerations to interfere with the investigation and prosecution of foreign bribery cases. This echoes the BAE Systems case in 2006, when the Blair government caused an international outcry by forcing the SFO to drop an investigation into allegations of bribery in the Al Yamamah UK-Saudi defence contract. 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.

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SKULLDUGGERY IN NIGERIA

By John Donovan

We have been reporting for some time about Shell skullduggery in Nigeria, including:

  • Shell’s sinister commercial relationship with militant leaders carrying out attacks against Shell employees and pipelines
  • arming Nigerian police spies
  • embedding Shell spies throughout the Nigerian government
  • engaging in massive corruption

Our sources have included Wiki-leaks, a senior manager inside Shell Nigeria and a senior member of Shell Global Security.

Some related articles reporting on Shell’s shameful track record in Nigeria:

*ROYAL DUTCH SHELL NIGERIAN CORRUPTION SCANDAL
*WIKILEAKS: SHELL EMBEDDED SPIES IN NIGERIAN GOV
*Shell embedded spies in governments of Nigeria, Dubai and Iraq
*PDF ORIGINAL ARTICLE SHELL EMBEDDED SPIES IN NIGERIA
*SHELL SETTLES CLAIM FOR MURDER & TORTURE IN NIGERIA
*SHELL COMPLICITY IN NIGERIAN MURDER OF CIVILIANS
*UNLOVEABLE SHELL, THE GODDESS OF OIL
*CLEAN-UP FOR NIGER DELTA AND SHELL’S REPUTATION
*SHELL PAYS $10 MILLION CORRUPTION FINE TO NIGERIANS
*SHELL ACCEPTS LIABILITY FOR TWO OIL SPILLS IN NIGERIA 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.

Royal Dutch Shell Drilling plans Alaska’s Arctic Ocean

A spill that occurs right before fall freeze-up (October or November) might not allow enough time to drill a relief well before sea ice conditions make it unsafe to continue drilling. Under such a scenario, the well could continue to blow out through the winter ice season until well control could be attempted after the spring thaw in May or June.

From pages 45, 46, & 47 of “Royal Dutch Shell and its sustainability troubles” – Background report to the Erratum of Shell’s Annual Report 2010

The report is made on behalf of Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands)
Author: Albert ten Kate: May 2011.

The Beaufort and Chukchi Seas on Alaska’s Arctic coast

The marine environments of America’s portion of the Arctic Ocean – the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas – are among the least understood in the world. This wide swath of ice-covered ocean waters – circulating between Canada and Russia – is home to one-fifth of the world’s polar bears, as well as seals, migratory birds, bowhead whales, several other types of whales, Pacific walrus and much more. The Inupiat people who live on Alaska’s North Slope call the Arctic Ocean “their garden.” The bowhead whale is the foundation for the Inupiat people’s subsistence culture. 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.

Brazilian tribe’s ‘unequalled’ suicide rate highlighted on World Mental Heath Day

This article should be read in conjunction with a related article: Brazilian Indians demand Shell leave their land

Extract:

Survival’s Director, Stephen Corry, said today, ‘It’s a sad irony that people buy Shell’s ethanol as an ‘ethical’ alternative to fossil fuels: there’s certainly nothing ethical about its horrendous treatment of the Guarani.

Guarani man. Shell is using sugarcane planted on Guarani land. © F. Watson/Survival

Brazilian tribe’s ‘unequalled’ suicide rate highlighted on World Mental Heath Day 7 October 2011

On World Mental Health Day (October 10) Survival International has warned of the fatal and lasting consequences land loss can have on indigenous peoples.

An epidemic of suicide unique in South America has beset one tribe in Brazil – “the Guarani”:/tribes/guarani. More than 625 Guarani have taken their lives since 1981, the youngest just 9 years old.

The tribe has seen virtually all its land stolen in recent decades by farmers and cattle ranchers.

According to the World Health Organization, ‘indigenous peoples often have elevated suicide rates compared with the general population in their countries. Depending on the place and age group, the suicide rate can be over 100/100,000 per year, and two, three or more times higher than the general population.’ 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 resources – they haven’t gone away you know

Friday, 07 October 2011

Liamy MacNally

The days are getting shorter and the lawyers are tripping over themselves in the noontime darkness.  Their cathedral minds are busy.  The Four Courts silver spoon still shines with looming cases.  The law does not always bring justice, even if the ladder of law has no top or no bottom!

A High Court judicial review of permissions granted for ongoing work on the Corrib Gas project is due to be heard on October 11.  The judicial review was sought by An Taisce and some local residents into permissions granted by An Bord Pleanála and the then acting Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Carey, for the pipeline and the Plan of Development.  The outcome could have serious implications for the Corrib project. 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 moves closer to OK for offshore drilling

ALASKA JOURNAL of COMMERCE

Oct 6, 2011 – 08:29 AM AKST

By Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce

Step by step, Shell is moving closer to gaining final permission to drill exploration wells in offshore Arctic waters next summer. But, environmental groups aren’t giving up on court challenges.

Earth Justice has filed with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals a new appeal of Shell’s exploration plan for the Beaufort Sea.

In recent developments, the U.S. Department of the Interior filed a record of decision approving a revised supplemental environmental impact statement for the Chukchi Sea OCS Lease Sale 193 with a federal district court in Alaska. 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: More Than 100 Oil Wells Drilled In Jordan In 2 Years

OCTOBER 5, 2011, 8:26 A.M. ET

By Hassan Hafidh

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

AMMAN (Dow Jones)–Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) has drilled more than 100 wells in Jordan in the two years since it a concession agreement to explore for oil from the country’s vast oil shale reserves, a person familiar with the project said.

Shell signed a production-sharing agreement with Jordan in May 2009 and pledged to spend some $500 million for exploration, assessment and designs on the project.

The project aims at exploring for and, if successful, developing and producing oil from Jordan’s vast oil shale resources that are estimated at 40 billion metric tons. 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.

Alleged funding of killings in Niger Delta: Shell faces probe

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Written by Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel, Abuja Thursday, 06 October 2011

The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, put machinery in motion to probe the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), over the alleged funding of clashes and killings in the oil-rich Niger Delta area of the country, especially in Rumuekpe village, Rivers State.

Nigerian Tribune recalls that a report by a London-based oil and gas industry watchdog, Platform, had revealed that the oil giant was fuelling armed conflicts that resulted in the killing of about 60 persons in the Niger Delta. 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.

Nigerian House of Representatives to investigate allegations against Shell

DAILY SUN

Reps to probe Shell over allegations of sponsoring rival N’Delta militants
From JAMES OJO, Abuja
Thursday, October 06, 2011

Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has been summoned by the House of Representatives to explain alleged involvement in the series of killings and clashes in the Niger Delta, especially in Rumuekpe village of Rivers State. The management would face the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) to clear its linkage with militant activities in the region. 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 STOCKHOLDER’S INTERESTS

Comment from an Royal Dutch Shell stockholder. Name and email address provided.

In broad term Shell Oil’s profits have doubled in the last three years. The dividend paid to stockholders has been the same for going on 11 QUARTERS. As a stockholder, and considering the overall world opinion about the seemingly corporate greed at the top of companies, I feel that an increase in the quarterly dividend is long overdue!

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 execs in Tripoli discuss Libya return

TRIPOLI | Wed Oct 5, 2011 12:48pm EDT

(Reuters) – Executives from Royal Dutch Shell held talks with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli on Wednesday, a source said, as more majors return to the war-torn country to grasp new opportunities and make sure old deals are valid.

“There were discussions about the procedures to come back to Libya,” said a source in Libya with direct knowledge of the meeting.

Shell confirmed it held talks with NOC in Tripoli. read more

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ETHICAL CONTROVERSIES IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: BY DR ROSAMUND THOMAS

?Dear Alfred,

I was interested to see on the Dutch Shell website extracts from my address to the oil and gas industries of Latin America in Cancun in 2006. Thank you for including it.

However, the telephone number and address of our Centre for Business and Public Sector Ethics, Cambridge, which I direct are out-of-date.

Could you please correct them as follows:  Telephone: 01954 710086; Fax: 01954 710103 and our Centre`s address is now:

Number 131, 23 King Street, Cambridge CB1 1AH.

We also have a new book out entitled “Business Ethics” which may interest your company.  Details are attached. 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 Probe May Keep Oil Refinery Shut Through Mid-October

By Yee Kai Pin

Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) — Singapore’s investigation of a Sept. 28 fire may force Royal Dutch Shell Plc to keep its largest oil refinery shut at least through the middle of October.

The offshore Pulau Bukom refinery, which exports 90 percent of its products to the Asia-Pacific region, may be closed for a minimum of several weeks, according to Purvin & Gertz Inc., an energy consultant. Standard Chartered Plc estimated yesterday a complete shutdown may last for as long as a month. 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 doing its best to make fracking safe, water friendly

October 5 2011 at 05:00am

By Jan Willem Eggink, General Manager Upstream Operations, Shell South Africa

Some of you may have seen this image on television or the internet. A man reaches across and turns on his kitchen tap. He takes a lighter and applies it to the stream of water, it bursts into flame. The flame is attributed to the presence of methane gas.

It is a powerful image. But it is important to be clear about the source of the gas. While critics suggest natural gas drilling as the cause, there is considerable evidence that dissolved methane can occur naturally in ground water. Indeed, according to the Department of Water Affairs, methane gas has been found in shallow water wells in the Karoo. 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.

Chukchi Sea lease sale back in court; federal agency says environmental work was complete

By Associated Press, Published: October 4

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A lawsuit that stands in the way of Shell Oil’s plans for exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast is back in the hands of a federal judge.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Monday delivered its formal response to a court-ordered review of environmental work preceding Chukchi Lease Sale 193. Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc. had spent $2.1 billion for the leases in 2008.

Alaska Native and environmental groups sued over the legitimacy of the sale, contending that the bureau’s predecessor, the Minerals Management Service, had ignored environmental law requirements before selling petroleum rights on 2.76 million offshore acres. 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.

Royal Dutch Shell: The Losing Streak Continues (RDS.B)

Published on Tue, 10/04/2011 – 16:11
By Robert Cotter

Shares of Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.B) traded at a new 52-week low today of $58.37. Approximately 1.3 million shares have changed hands today, as compared to an average 30-day volume of 1.2 million shares.

Royal Dutch Shell has overhead space with shares priced $60.28, or 20.4% below the average consensus analyst price target of $75.71. The stock should find initial resistance at its 50-day moving average (MA) of $66.00 and further resistance at its 200-day MA of $69.54. 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.

Corrib gas objectors denied entry to hearing

Corrib gas objectors denied entry to Oireachtas hearing

The Irish Times – Wednesday, September 28, 2011

PAUL CULLEN

SECURITY STAFF at the Houses of the Oireachtas yesterday refused entry to a group of opponents of the Corrib gas terminal who had travelled from Co Mayo to attend an Oireachtas committee.

The group of 15 Shell to Sea supporters travelled to Dublin at the invitation of Fianna Fáil deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív to attend a hearing of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture about offshore exploration licences. 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.

Do shale right, former Shell official says

Published: Oct. 4, 2011 at 7:55 AM

BERLIN, Oct. 4 (UPI) — Executives in the energy industry need to invest more in shale gas while advancing environmental issues, an official said from Berlin.

The United States is examining its shale gas potential as a way to address energy security issues. European countries like Poland and Ukraine are doing the same, though France has enacted a moratorium on shale gas exploration because of environmental concerns.

Jeroen van der Veer, a former chief executive officer at Royal Dutch Shell, told delegates at a petrochemical summit in Berlin, that shale could be a “game changer” if managed effectively, the Platts news service reports. 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.

Corrib Gas Project may grind to a halt? (update)

Update from our sources…

“Strong rumours here in Erris, Co Mayo (beside Corrib gas development) that the project will grind to a halt following an up-and-coming court case involving a local contractor, Shell and the local police force (Garda). The word is that the CEO and others are heading for the exit over this matter.”

Added 4 October 2011:

A small local company was asked by Shell to carry out favours for interested parties. *Court case seems to be about local company not getting paid. Seemingly the details in the legal papers are dynamite for Shell and some locals and could indeed halt the project. Not quite sure what the Gardai (local police) involvement is but they seem to be implicated in some way. 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.

New report exposes Shell complicity in Nigerian human rights abuses

Graphics from the Guardian article: Unloveable Shell, the Goddess of Oil

By John Donovan

Monday, 3 October 2011

Shell fueled human rights abuses in Nigeria by paying huge contracts to armed militants, according to a new report published today by Platform and a coalition of NGOs and featured in The Guardian.

This evening we received an email of thanks from Ben Amunwa of platformlondon.org. Ben is the author of the 41 page report called Counting the Cost, which uncovers how Shell’s routine payments to armed militants exacerbated conflicts, in one case leading to the destruction of Rumuekpe town where it is estimated that at least 60 people were killed. 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 fuelled human rights abuses in Nigeria – NGO

Mon Oct 3, 2011 6:39pm BST

* Shell funded clashing armed gangs – watchdog report

* Oil major denies it caused any human rights abuses

* Company is selling off Nigerian oil blocks

By Joe Brock

ABUJA, Oct 3 (Reuters) – An industry watchdog accused Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) on Monday of funding armed gangs in Nigeria and said this had fuelled human rights abuses in Africa’s most populous nation.

The company, the biggest operator in the West African nation’s oil industry, denied the allegations.

Platform, a London-based non-government organisation monitoring the oil and gas industry, said in a 75-page report that the Anglo-Dutch major paid government forces who have attacked, tortured and killed Nigerians living in the creeks and swamplands of the Niger Delta. 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.

Wake up call for Orange pay as you go

By John Donovan

Monday, 3 October 2011

I have had Orange pay monthly and “pay as you go” phones for many years, but not for much longer.

I was awaken at 4.36am this morning by an incoming text message from Orange to my “pay as you go” phone notifying me of improvements to the phone, which would be implemented by turning it off and then back on.

I was of course less than overjoyed at being woken half way through the night, not for an emergency, as one would expect when receiving a call in the early hours, but by an unsolicited  piece of self-serving information by a mobile phone company. The phone lit up and there was an audible warning of an incoming message.
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 accused of fuelling violence in Nigeria by paying rival militant gangs

Oil company rejects watchdog’s claims that its local contracts made it complicit in the killing of civilians

Militants of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta travelling between camps. Photograph: Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images

Shell has fuelled armed conflict in Nigeria by paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to feuding militant groups, according to an investigation by the oil industry watchdog Platform, and a coalition of non-government organisations.

The oil giant is implicated in a decade of human rights abuses in the Niger delta, the study says, claiming that its routine payments exacerbated local violence, in one case leading to the deaths of 60 people and the destruction of an entire town.

Platform’s investigation, which includes testimony from Shell’s own managers, also alleges that government forces hired by Shell perpetrated atrocities against local civilians, including unlawful killings and systematic torture. 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.

Email from Sunny Ofehe: Terror Trial in The Netherlands

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVgduC6UXyg

Email from Sunny Ofehe, Founder of Hope for Niger Delta Campaign

From: Comrade Sunny Ofehe <[email protected]>
Date: 1 October 2011 07:47:16 GMT+01:00
To: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>
Subject: Terror Trial in The Netherlands.
Reply-To: Comrade Sunny Ofehe <[email protected]>

Dear John,

I have always been an avid follower of your good work online through the Shell website.

I am an environmental activist living here in The Netherlands. I am from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where Shell has a huge presence with a history of environmental devastation of our people’s environment. 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.

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL HISTORY OF TAX AVOIDANCE

By John Donovan

The oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has a long history as a participant in what the Guardian has aptly described as “the murky world of corporate tax avoidance.”

In February 2009, the Guardian newspaper published an article under the headline: “Offshore – and out of reach to the Revenue

Extracts

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell, although it is still a British plc operating under UK company law, has shifted its trademarks to Switzerland and its main tax residence to the Netherlands.

Shell, meanwhile, has shifted ownership rights of its iconic scallop-shell roadside sign out of London to a third low-tax regime in Switzerland. It was part of a carefully planned merger of its UK and Dutch arms, which enabled the oil giant to keep many operations from the grip of the British tax authorities. For tax purposes, Royal Dutch Shell plc is now resident in the Netherlands. The company told us that the brand shift to the tax haven canton of Zug was not for tax avoidance, but for “entirely commercial” reasons. “There has been no impact on the Shell brand in the UK,” the company said. It added that there would now be “more effective and consistent management of the Shell trademarks”. 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 to BP to Conoco Count On Shell’s Bounty From Arctic Oil

By Katarzyna Klimasinska – Oct 1, 2011 3:48 PM GMT+0100

The parking lot at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel in Anchorage was as jammed at 6:30 a.m. on a Thursday as the float-plane marina at neighboring Lake Spenard. About 170 oil executives, tribal entrepreneurs and state employees entered through a lobby adorned with stuffed polar bears and mounted moose heads.

The predawn visitors were there to hear Pete Slaiby, 53, the head of Alaska operations for Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), outline the company’s plans to drill in icy Arctic seas. 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 hopes to break the ice on Arctic drilling

Energy giant has $200 million in new anchor-handling vessel

By SIMONE SEBASTIAN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

LAROSE, La. — A ship taking shape along the balmy Gulf Coast will have to sail a long way to do what it does best.

The vessel has the power to break through thick sheets of ice. It can operate at temperatures as low as 58 degrees below zero.

Those conditions don’t come up much in the Gulf of Mexico, but the oil exploration support vessel nearing completion in Larose has a mission in waters thousands of miles north, as Shell hopes to ramp up a search for oil in the Arctic. 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 in Customer Talks After Fire Shuts Its Biggest Refinery

October 01, 2011, 8:43 AM EDT

By Ann Koh and Yee Kai Pin

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc is in talks with customers about the supply of products as it halts all units at its largest oil refinery after the worst fire at the Singapore plant in 23 years.

Shell is in discussions with customers “to minimize any potential impact to them,” it said today on its website. While the fire was fully extinguished on the evening of Sept. 29, the company is continuing a “progressive shutdown” of refinery units as an added precaution as it investigates the accident, Peing Tajang, a company spokeswoman, said in a separate e-mail. 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 execs get glimpse of new ship

Cara Bayles, Staff Writer: Published: Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.

LAROSE — Shell Oil executives got a glimpse Friday of the 360-foot icebreaker that Edison Chouest Offshore is building for the oil giant. The vessel is the biggest and one of the most advanced ever built by the south Lafourche company.

FULL ARTICLE

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.

Lawsuit Challenges Arctic Drilling Permit as Shameful

09/30/2011 12:43 PM

Royal Dutch Shell Oil may have gotten the Obama administration to approve the most aggressive Arctic drilling proposal in US history, but not without a challenge.

A coalition of native and conservation groups filed suit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement’s (BOEMRE) over its decision to allow offshore oil drilling in Arctic’s Beaufort Sea.

In granting the permit, BOEMRE said it “found no evidence that the proposed action would significantly affect the quality of the human environment.” 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.