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June, 2012:

Kiobel vs. Royal Dutch Petroleum: Obama Administration now supports Shell

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR 

John,

I found this article and thought your readers might find it interesting. Politics does indeed make for strange bedfellows. Marvin Odum’s 12 plus visits to the White House have obviously ‘paid off’, although one wonders who got paid off, no pun intended. It is amazing how far politicians will go to get elected.

If you doubt the significance of the political influence that Royal Dutch Shell has then this should cast away any and all doubts. Recall that the British and Dutch governments went to bat on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell.
 
Lawfare › Kiobel: Obama Administration Supports Shell, Argues ATS …
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.

Documents relating to Royal Dutch Shell Arctic Drilling

FROM A CONTRIBUTOR

John

I found this on the web. It may be of interest to some of your readers…

Lloyds Drilling in extreme environments Final3.pdf

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.

The Washington Post: Shell shareholders to back unification

FROM OUR ARCHIVES…

Another dampener on Shell’s biggest corporate overhaul since the two holding firms tied up in 1907, is a spat over the rights to the web domain “royaldutchshellplc.com.” Disgruntled shareholder Alfred Donovan beat Shell to register the domain name. Shell has sued Donovan for the rights to the domain but while the matter plays out, Donovan uses the site to lambaste Shell management.

The Washington Post: Shell shareholders to back unification

Friday 24 June 2005

All Reuters News DUBLIN (Reuters) – Royal Dutch/Shell shareholders are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favor of scrapping the oil giant’s century-old dual-listed structure on Tuesday.

Shell hopes the unification of its Dutch and British parent companies will improve management efficiency and accountability, areas on which the firm needs to reassure investors after a damaging reserves overbooking scandal last year.

“It’s what investors have been calling for. Hopefully it will sail through … we hope it’s going to augur a new era,” said Richard Lewis, who manages $8 billion, including Royal Dutch shares, for New Star Asset Management in London. 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 fights on for Cove

Mark Leftly: Sunday 24 June 2012

Royal Dutch Shell is expected to turn up the heat in its battle for Cove Energy, the Mozambique-focused gas explorer that has generated huge interest among the supermajors.

Cove shareholders have until Wednesday to accept Shell’s 220p-a-share bid, which was tabled in April but has since been trumped by an offer of 240p, or £1.2bn, from Thailand’s PTT Exploration & Production. Shell has already extended its offer once, but can do so again as an absolute deadline cannot be enforced until mid-July. 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 gears up for new Arctic quest

By Jennifer A. Dlouhy: Saturday, June 23, 2012

VALDEZ, Alaska – A new chapter in U.S. oil exploration could open within days as Shell sails into seas north of Alaska, hoping to tap into a potential 90 billion barrels of crude that have beckoned for decades.

The company has been there before, drilling exploratory wells in the 1980s and 1990s that tantalized with promise of riches deep below the freezing Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

But a decadelong slump in oil prices depressed the value of the bounty. Crude from the Exxon Valdez tanker blackened Alaska’s coast, drawing worldwide scrutiny to the potential for oil-related environmental disaster – a prospect reinforced two decades later when a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico claimed lives and livelihoods there. 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.

IS SHELL AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND A FINANCIAL RISK IN THE ARCTIC?

Posted June 22, 2012

EXTRACTS

THE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS:  

For four years the focus of this blog has been to highlight the great risks of opening America’s Arctic, the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, to offshore oil development. We started by explaining the extreme fragility of the Arctic Ocean ecosystem…

THE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL RISKS:

It comes as no surprise that Shell routinely ignores the warnings of environmental groups; our message doesn’t fit in their business plan. What is surprising, though, is when Lloyd’s of London, the world’s largest insurance company, a syndicate of professionals focusing on risk assessment and management, issued a report essentially echoing our concerns, the warnings were equally ignored. You would think if Shell isn’t going to listen to us, they would at least listen to one of the world’s foremost financial institutions. 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.

Greenpeace asks court to stay injunction; BSEE calls for more tests

Week of June 24, 2012

As Shell moves closer to drilling in the Arctic this summer, Greenpeace is asking a court to stay an injunction against the environmental group while an appeals process plays out.

In March, federal District Court in Alaska banned the environmental group from occupying any of 19 vessels Shell plans to use for exploratory drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas this summer. In May, the court amended the injunction, banning Greenpeace from occupying the vessels not only in U.S. ports and waters, but also in the U.S. exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, and to certain facilities in the town of Barrow. 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.

Putin Pushes International Oil CEOs for Access to Assets

By Jake Rudnitsky and Ilya Khrennikov on June 22, 2012

President Vladimir Putin asked the chief executives of U.S. and European energy producers to grant Russian companies access to international assets, holding out some of the world’s biggest untapped resources as a prize.

Putin is hosting the heads of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), ConocoPhillips, BP Plc (BP/) and Eni SpA (ENI) at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, using the three-day event to say Russia is one of the most welcoming countries for energy investments.

“Far from all countries allow such a broad involvement by foreign companies in the energy sector,” Putin said in a speech yesterday, pointing to Mexico and Norway as countries where state-owned companies dominate the energy industry. 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.

Big oil makes vast profits and the consumer gets buggered

Above image and text from an article dated 25 Nov 2011

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John,

You may want to share this article with your readers.

Gas to Liquids – the Hydrocarbons Mash | RBN Energy Network

There can be some confusion about how much natural gas is required to produce 1 bbl of liquid hydrocarbons. Dry natural gas is essentially 100% methane, with no heavier hydrocarbons, like ethane or propane, that can be recovered as ‘liquids’. As your readers can see from this article it takes about 9-10 thousand cubic feet of dry natural gas to produce 1 bbl of liquid hydrocarbons, in the form of diesel fuel, etc. So, 10 trillion cubic feet of dry natural gas is equivalent to about 1 billion barrels of liquid hydrocarbons. 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 management: thugs in suits

FROM AN OUTSPOKEN CRITIC OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

On Shell’s website you will find the statement:

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemicals companies. With around 90,000 employees in more than 80 countries and territories, Shell helps to meet the world’s growing demand for energy in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways.

Why do I find this statement hard to swallow and take at face value ???  What utter CRAP.

Let’s get real people. Shell (and the oil industry in general) is in the business of natural resource EXPLOITATION. The oil industry is a ‘rape, ruin, and run’ industry. And don’t try to tell me otherwise. I have worked in it for over 25 years, in the US and many countries overseas. 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.

Obama Administration holds Central Gulf of Mexico lease sale

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior

Today, the Department of the Interior took the latest step as part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to expand safe and responsible domestic energy production, holding a 39 million acre lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that today’s Central Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale attracted $1,704,500,995 in high bids for tracts on the U.S. outer continental shelf offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. A total of 56 offshore energy companies submitted 593 bids on 454 tracts covering more than 2,402,918 acres. The sum of all bids received totaled $2,602,563,726. 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.

Digital assault on Shell

By John Donovan

The Financial Times has published an article under the headline “How Shell was hijacked in ad hoax.

Extracts

It is part of a web campaign jointly orchestrated by environmental group Greenpeace, activist organisation Yes Lab and members of the Occupy Wall Street movement to rally against Shell’s Arctic drilling programme.

The digital assault is a new type of internet campaigning. Rather than staging a protest, activist groups hijack brands and harness social media to derail a company’s image. “We’re only beginning to understand how much social media can change our society,” says James Turner of Greenpeace USA. 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.

Ofehe terrorism trial lost in translation

Published on : 20 June 2012 – 2:03pm | By Hélène Michaud

Was it “sabotage” or “inventorise”? The possible mistranslation of a single word may have led to accusations of terrorism against Sunny Ofehe, a Nigerian activist living in the Netherlands.

In early 2011, Ofehe was charged in the Netherlands with planning to blow up oil pipelines and thus of conspiring to commit terrorist acts in Nigeria’s oil-producing region, the Niger Delta.

Now Ofehe has pressed charges against the Dutch Public Prosecutor for falsifying evidence against him. He alleges that an inaccurate summary of a tapped telephone call in Pidgin English led to wrongful accusations of terrorism against him. 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.

Statoil Asks Gazprom to Bring Shell Into Shtokman: RIA

By Marina Sysoyeva on June 21, 2012

Statoil ASA (STL) wants Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) to become the main foreign partner in development of the Shtokman offshore natural gas project in Russia, RIA Novosti reported.

Statoil sent a letter to OAO Gazprom proposing the change, the Russian news agency reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter. Gazprom owns 51 percent of Shtokman Development AG, Statoil owns 24 percent and France’s Total SA (FP) owns 25 percent. The report didn’t say if Statoil is seeking a replacement for Total or to reduce the company’s stake in the 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.

Motiva prepares Texas refinery for long shutdown

Thu Jun 21, 2012 2:39pm EDT

By Erwin Seba

(Reuters) – Motiva Enterprises LLC moved to prepare half its giant Port Arthur, Texas, refinery for an extended shut-down this week after a major glitch with a new unit, closing down other units and reducing oil shipments from Saudi Arabia.

In the first public acknowledgment of the severity of the problem at the plant, Motiva co-owner Royal Dutch Shell Plc said late on Wednesday that the stricken 325,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) unit was shut due to “corrosion problems,” as originally reported earlier this week by Reuters. 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.

Sir Paul McCartney backs Greenpeace Arctic campaign

Richard Black By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News, Rio de Janeiro

Greenpeace is launching a campaign to have the Arctic region declared a sanctuary by the United Nations.

The group aims for a million signatures on a petition calling for an end to oil exploration and unsustainable fishing, which will be planted on the sea bed.

Celebrities such as Sir Paul McCartney, actor Robert Redford and the boy band One Direction are among the backers.

The move comes as a response to what the environment group regards as the “epic failure” of the Rio+20 summit. 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.

Polar Bear: Royal Dutch Will Fail In Arctic

June 20, 2012

In a bid to be the first oil company to destroy Santa’s home Royal Dutch (NYSE:RDS.A) announced it will begin test drilling north of Alaska in July. A venture that Royal thinks will be a hydrocarbon bonanza comes with plenty of risk both for the company and for cute little Coca-Cola polar bear cubs. This is mostly uncharted territory for drillers of course as it is NORTH of Alaska. Have a look at this map: (Source: Google)

In fairness to Royal here are their safety plans for 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 Allowed to Restart Drilling Off French Guiana

by  Dow Jones Newswires: Wednesday, June 20, 2012

PARIS – Royal Dutch Shell PLC will soon be allowed to resume oil exploration off the coast of French Guiana, lawmakers from the overseas French department said Wednesday.

The exploration “will be allowed to restart,” probably on Monday, said a lawmaker after a meeting with the French minister for the overseas departments, Victorin Lurel.

Two other lawmakers, Georges Patient and Chantal Berthelot, confirmed that Guiana has been given “the authorization to sign off” on the permits greenlighting the relaunch of the 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 Schools: Supporting Expat Families

by  Jon Mainwaring: Rigzone Staff: Thursday, June 21, 2012

A key concern for many oil field workers, whether based offshore or onshore in a remote location, is how to maintain a family life – particularly if the oil worker has a young family.

For a worker based out of Aberdeen, Scotland operating in the North Sea is a straightforward deal: several weeks of well-paid work on a rig followed by a few weeks of quality time at home with the family.

Regular, quality time with your family becomes a bit more complicated if you are working halfway across the world from them. Oil and gas operations in remote locations often do not have the kinds of facilities nearby that are required by a young family. 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 expansion cost in range of $10 billion: Saudi Aramco CEO

PORT ARTHUR, Texas | Thu May 31, 2012 2:37pm EDT

(Reuters) – Saudi Aramco SDABO.UL Chief Executive Khalid Al-Falih said the total cost of expanding the Motiva Enterprises MOTIV.UL Port Arthur, Texas, refinery to 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) was “in the range of” $10 billion, double its original estimate.

The Port Arthur refinery is the largest investment Saudi Aramco, which is a 50-50 partner with Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) in Motiva, has made outside the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Falih told reporters on Thursday. 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.

Tax is no deterrent for investors, says Shell boss

David Wroe: June 21, 2012

THE chief executive of Shell, Peter Voser, has applauded the Gillard government’s $23 carbon price, saying it should not deter investment in Australian resources projects and countries that failed to follow suit would fall behind.

Shell, the world’s second-largest energy firm, is investing more than $30 billion in Australia in the next five years. Mr Voser told the ABC’s 7.30 program last night the company already assumes a $40 carbon price when it judges whether or not a project will be profitable. 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 the dock over major oil spills in Nigeria

By Ben Amunwa: 18 June 2012

Shell will appear in the High Court in London today to be held accountable for its oil spills in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Over 11,000 Nigerians from Bodo town in the Ogoni region of the Delta are suing Shell over the environmental damage caused by two devastating oil spills in 2008 and 2009. Shell has admitted liability but refuses to provide adequate compensation to the many thousands of victims of the spills. The court hearing will deal with matters of civil procedure. 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 the USA

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John,

I read your blog today and the article about how much Shell hopes to gain financially from any discoveries it makes in the offshore Arctic.

Market Report: $10bn if Shell cracks it with Arctic drilling

The estimate of $10 billion is way low, I believe. My guess is that Shell’s economic analysis and projections range anywhere from $100 billion to $500 billion, depending upon how recoverable oil and gas are actually discovered and the price per bbl for the oil. Estimates are that there are around 25 billion bbls of recoverable oil in US Arctic waters. And at a measly $10 per bbl after tax profit that equates to roughly $250 billion in profit. If oil prices stay high Shell could easily make $30 per bbl after tax profit. And then there is the natural gas. 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.

Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co: Harvard Law School Intervention

U.S. Supreme Court: Harvard Lawyers Reflect Spirit of American Revolution, says Dr. Goodluck Diigbo

MOSOP President and Spokesman, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo has welcomed the filing by the Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic of an amicus curiae brief with U.S. Supreme Court in the case, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. as a significant legal American enlightenment action.

Diigbo said: “This Harvard amicus curiae brief will remind all American citizens and the United States government of the very core values that led to the American Revolution, which provoked a series of social, political, and intellectual transformations that ultimately rejected colonial tactics in order to break free from the British Empire.” 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.

Market Report: $10bn if Shell cracks it with Arctic drilling

Toby Green Wednesday 20 June 2012

Environmentalists may want to look away now. Royal Dutch Shell’s search for oil in the Arctic has not been short of controversy, coming under attack from, among others, Xena: Warrior Princess actor Lucy Lawless, who earlier in the year boarded one of the energy giant’s ships in protest against the drilling.

Yet yesterday came a reminder why Shell is pushing on with its quest — money, and rather a lot of it. Ten billion dollars (£6.4bn) in fact, according to the calculations of Nomura’s analysts, who think that is how much Shell could net from 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 Faces Pushback As Alaska Drilling Nears

June 19, 2012

by

The federal government could soon give the final go-ahead for Royal Dutch Shell to begin drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean. Shell has spent $4 billion since 2007 to prepare for this work, and is hoping to tap into vast new deposits of oil.

But the plan to drill exploratory wells is controversial — opposed by environmental groups and some indigenous people as well.

You can get a feel for this controversy by stepping aboard the Nanuq. Shell plunked down $100 million for this 300-foot-long, Arctic-class spill-response vessel. And unlike similar vessels that serve the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico, there’s no foul-smelling black smoke coming out of the stacks. 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 Motiva Texas CDU might stay shut for a year

New Motiva Texas CDU might shut for 12 months-sources

HOUSTON, June 19 | Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:48pm IST

(Reuters) – A new 325,000 barrel per day crude distillation unit at Motiva Enterprises’ 600,000 bpd Port Arthur, Texas, refinery may be shut for up to 12 months to repair extensive corrosion, sources familiar with refinery operations said on Tuesday.

Motiva, a joint-venture of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Aramco, has yet to make a final determination of the cause of the corrosion or the scope of work needed to repair it, the sources 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.

World’s Largest Shale Gas Discovery

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John,

This is news about the newest shale gas discovery in Canada. Apache just announced this shale gas discovery. It is perhaps the largest shale gas discovery ever. Canadian gas reserves are expanding at a tremendous rate. Canada provides the US with 90% of its imported natural gas. This discovery will almost double Canada’s proven natural gas reserves.
 
Apache finds massive Canadian shale-gas field‎
(Reuters)

Apache Corp Make the World’s Largest Shale Gas Discovery in British Columbia (OilPrice.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.

Shell’s corrupt practices in Libya

Shell drafted letter Tony Blair sent to Gaddafi while Prime Minister

By John Donovan

We have received further confidential information from disgruntled Shell Libya security staff; namely VIP Recruitment Records for Shell Libya.

These records shows a system was set up by Shell so that relatives of senior members of the Gaddafi regime, including  government ministers, Libyan Ambassadors, the head of the Libyan Investment Fund and officials from the Libya National Oil Corporation, were all given preferential treatment for Shell job applications.  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 to lift mine from oil pipeline

Oil giant Shell is preparing to remove a World War II mine threatening one of the UK’s most important gas pipelines.

Ryan Crighton
Aberdeen Press and Journal
June 18, 2012

Oil giant Shell is preparing to remove a World War II mine threatening one of the UK’s most important gas pipelines.

A subsea bomb squad is planning an attempt to reach the device, which lies in the North Sea 62 miles off St Fergus, in August.

The mine has been monitored by the firm with independent professional input since it was first found in 1993 and is said to be stable.

But it lies beneath a pipeline responsible for 5% of the UK’s daily gas supply. 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.

The Shell Oil Hoax: Is Your Brand Next?

Beware: Tools to Create a Faux Ad Campaign Are Cheap and Easy to Use

(Credit: Daniel Hixon via Shutterstock/Salon)

By: Jonathan Salem Baskin Published: June 18, 2012

The viral video clip looked as if it had been shot at a press conference announcing Shell’s plans for new Arctic drilling. So it was particularly ironic when a soda-pop dispenser shaped like an oil rig malfunctioned and sprayed revelers with cola (they used tiny polar bear dolls to sop it up). When the video got hundreds of thousands of views and was reported in mainstream media, Shell threatened legal action. If people were interested in the real story, they could visit the company’s site, ArcticReady.org, which detailed the opportunities for profit created by global warming. 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 board to visit Australia

Peter Klinger and Andrew Probyn, The West Australian June 19, 2012, 7:09 am

Royal Dutch Shell’s board is a who’s who of global business, befitting of a company worth $213.5 billion.

Shell’s chairman Jorma Ollila used to run Nokia. Fellow director Josef Ackermann was in charge of Deutsche Bank while another Shell director, Charles Holliday, heads the board of Bank of America. Also on Shell’s board are Vodafone Group chair Gerard Kleisterlee and Heineken director Hans Wijers.

This week they and the rest of Shell’s board will visit WA to see firsthand some of the growth projects that underpin the future for the world’s second-biggest listed oil and gas company. It is the full board’s first visit to Australia. 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 Oil Chief: Obama, Industry Have ‘Very Stressed Relationship’

Monday, 18 June 2012 23:30

Written by 

Shell Oil Company’s chief U.S. official congratulated the White House for accepting the “strategic importance” of oil resources off the Alaskan coast, but asserted that overall tensions between President Obama and the oil industry prevail. “I think you see a lot and you hear a lot about it being a very stressed relationship, and that’s real,” Shell Oil Company President Marvin Odum affirmed Sunday in an interview with Platts Energy Week TV. “We should just be honest about the fact that that’s real.” 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.

Corrosion seen in shut Motiva Texas crude unit -sources

Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:28am IST

(Reuters) – Extensive corrosion, that may require up to five months to repair, has been found inside Motiva Enterprises new 325,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude distillation unit at its 600,000 bpd Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, according to sources familiar with refinery operations.

The root cause of the corrosion, found in vessels and piping on the crude distillation unit (CDU), has not been determined, the sources said.

Damage from a fire on the CDU during an attempted June 9 restart was seen as negligible, the sources 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.

Gazprom to wind up Shtokman operator – paper

MOSCOW, June 19 | Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:56am EDT

(Reuters) – Russian group Gazprom is winding up the entity it created to operate the Shtokman gas field and may set up a new company as it prepares to sign a deal that will see Royal Dutch Shell join the project, Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month urged partners in the project to make a final investment decision on its plan to extract gas from the Arctic seabed, delayed by years of talks over financing. 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 takes lead in race to export natural gas from Canada to Asia

Laurel Andrews | Jun 18, 2012

The race is on between energy companies to be the first exporter of Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia, Bloomberg reports.

The competition comes as Alaska’s leaders continue to struggle with developing the North Slope vast natural gas fields, the largest proven reserves of conventional gas in North America.

Bloomberg reports that Royal Dutch Shell has selected Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. to build a $4 billion pipeline to carry natural gas from British Columbia to the Pacific coast, a move that pushes Shell ahead of its three competitors in the race to tap Asian markets. 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 upbeat about Alaskan prospects

Published: June 18, 2012 at 8:27 AM

WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) — Washington recognizes the strategic importance of untapped oil reserves off the coast of Alaska, an executive from Shell said.

Shell aims to launch a drilling campaign in the coming months in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off the Alaskan coast after having its oil-spill response plan approved by federal regulators.

Shell President Marvin Odum told the Platts news service the importance of oil reserves offshore Alaska is well-understood by the White House. 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 Reduced Nigeria Gas Flaring 60% in Nine Years

By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo on June 18, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), operator of Nigeria’s largest oil fields, said the flaring, or burning, of natural gas at its deposits in the West African country fell by more than 60 percent in the past nine years.

“Flaring dropped by more than 60 percent from over 0.6 billion cubic feet of gas a day to about 0.2 billion cubic feet,” the company said today in an e-mailed statement from Lagos, the commercial capital. The decline followed investments of more than $3 billion to build gathering facilities since 2000, Shell 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.

Potential political impact exportation of US LNG could have in international markets

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John

Here is an article on the potential political impact the exportation of US LNG could have in international markets.

Canada may likewise have huge reserves of gas that would only add ‘fuel to the fire’, no pun intended.

North American Natural Gas is Fueling an International Political …

The issue/target here is natural gas supplies controlled by despotic regimes.

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 Shock – The Secrets and Spin of an Oil Giant

FROM OUR ARCHIVES…

Shell Shock – The Secrets and Spin of an Oil Giant: “The financial wires and reporting services went into meltdown. In banks, boardrooms, newsrooms, bourses, investment offices and oil ministries across the world, there was incredulity and disbelief. Careful, ultra-conservative, Calvinist Royal Dutch/Shell caught by its own admission massaging the numbers? And by almost four billion barrels?

Posted Saturday 18 June 2005

A new book by Ian Cummins and John Beasant,

Published by Mainstream Publishing £16.99

Click on this link to purchase the book

Summary of the book:

Royal Dutch/Shell is a multinational behemoth. Every four seconds of every day, 1,200 cars fill their tanks with petrol on Shell forecourts, while at airports around the world civil airliners are refuelled with Shell aviation spirit every ten seconds.

The company has long been regarded as a world leader and a model for other corporations. That is, until January 2004. In a truly dramatic statement, the company told an incredulous world that estimates of Shell’s reserves had been inflated by a staggering 3.9 billion barrels. It was the first of a series of admissions that brought into question Shell’s reputation for rectitude and sent its share price tumbling. 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.

How Shell changed its culture and lost its way

FROM OUR ARCHIVES…

Financial Times: How Shell changed its culture and lost its way

By Ian Bickerton

Published: June 17 2004 21:36

Posted 18 June 2004

It is rare to find Royal Dutch/Shell in openly confessional mood. Yet as Jeroen van der Veer, its managing chairman, stood with the applause of the oil group’s 400 senior executives ringing in his ears at a conference in Houston, Texas, last month, he will have known that the response was an expression of relief that the century-old Dutch-British company had finally come clean.

“Did the mid-90s transformation bring the desirable behaviours?” asked Mr van der Veer. “Or did it erode professionalism, corporate cohesion, ‘enterprise first’ thinking and loyalty?” 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.

Marvin Odum blathering on

FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John,

I just read your latest blog where Marvin Odum (right) blathers on about the strategic importance of Alaska to the domestic energy production future of the US and how Royal Dutch Shell and the White House have found ‘common ground’ on this matter. Really, and to whom besides Shell is it strategically important???

And since when is the White House (or DoI or DoE) considered competent on energy policy issues. Institutionalized competence is the issue here.

The simple fact of the matter is that with proven US natural gas reserves climbing steadily (as a result of advances in drilling technology and exploration in the lower 48 states) it is these on-shore natural gas reserves of the lower 48 state that are of strategic importance to the US. And will be of increasing importance as gas reserves continue to climb. 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.

On Alaska, White House and industry find common ground, for a change: Odum

On Alaska, White House and industry find common ground, for a change: Odum

Washington (Platts)–17Jun2012/1248 pm EDT/1648 GMT

Relations between the oil industry and the Obama administration may be strained in many regards, but there is agreement on at least one issue: the strategic importance of developing resources offshore Alaska, Shell Oil President Marvin Odum said in an interview aired Sunday.

While the industry has criticized the administration of slow-walking permit applications for the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, Shell has been successful in getting approval for its plans to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort 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 exec says offshore Alaska exploration a different kettle of fish

by Dermot Cole: Jun 16, 2012

Peter Voser, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, tells the Canadian publication MacLean’s that the company’s Alaska exploration plans  are centered on safety.

Here is the relevant exchange from Maclean’s with the Swiss-born oilman:

Q: After BP’s blowout in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, public concern about offshore activity also spiked. Your company is planning to drill this summer in Alaskan waters, and Canada is contemplating Arctic drilling. What do you say to critics who contend it’s just too dangerous in such a fragile 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.

Lavishing tax-free gifts on Royal Dutch Shell

Kelly: Corbett’s lavishing tax-free gifts in pursuit of potentially toxic refinery

By Chris Kelly: Published: June 17, 2012

Sinking in the polls as he continues to gut funding for education, the sick, the elderly and the poor, Gov. Tom Corbett, R-Drillers, is about to show his critics that there are some people he really does care about.

In fact, his concern for their welfare knows no limit.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC may seem an odd name for an individual, but the international energy behemoth is, indeed, a person, just like you and me. Ask Mitt Romney. Or the U.S. Supreme Court, any Wall Street gangbanker or cheerfully exploited tea party patriot eating Hamburger Helper minus the ground chuck as Rush Limbaugh earns $45 million a year explaining why it’s all the Kenyan-in-Chief’s fault. 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.

PUBLICATION OF LEAKED SHELL INTERNAL EMAILS

EMAIL FROM JOHN DONOVAN TO ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC COMPANY SECRETARY & GENERAL COUNSEL CORPORATE, MR MICHIEL BRANDJES

SENT SUNDAY 17 JUNE 2012

From: John Donovan <[email protected]>
Subject: Disgruntled Shell Libya Security Staff
Date: 17 June 2012 16:01:20 GMT+01:00
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]

Dear Mr Brandjes

As you will no doubt be aware, over the last few days we have published whistleblower articles containing leaked Shell emails emanating from Shell Libya.

We published the most recent Shell internal email on the same day it was widely circulated inside Shell i.e. yesterday 16 June 2012.

The information is being supplied by a group of disgruntled Shell Libya security staff who have made serious allegations of misdeeds. 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.

Bloomberg.com: Shell Oil Must Pay $153.6 Mln Award to Union Carbide

From our archives… Another example of Shell IP theft

Bloomberg.com: Shell Oil Must Pay $153.6 Mln Award to Union Carbide

Posted 17 June 2004

June 16 (Bloomberg) — Shell Oil Co., a unit of Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Europe’s second-largest oil company, must pay Dow Chemical Co.’s Union Carbide Corp. $153.6 million in damages for infringing a patent for catalysts, a federal judge ruled.

Chief U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson in Wilmington, Delaware, added more than $40 million in interest to an original judgment of about $112 million that was imposed during a 2003 jury trial, according to court papers. 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 undignified exit from Libya

By John Donovan

We have already published an article containing a leaked email purportedly sent on 14 June 2012 by disgruntled Shell Exploration & Production Libya staff to senior Shell managers. Shell claims that it is withdrawing from Libya because of a deteriorating security situation. It self-evidently prefers to do business with dictators (a policy stretching back to Hitler).

The disgruntled employees – 17 in total, are all members of Shell’s security staff in Libya.

We now have a Statement of Complaint signed by all 17, detailing serious allegations against Salah Alshaafi, the chief of the Shell Security team. 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.

Ice could delays Shell’s work in Alaska

Published: June 15, 2012 at 6:35 AM

WASHINGTON, June 15 (UPI) — Drilling operations in the arctic waters off the coast of Alaska might be scaled back if there is late ice cover in the region this summer, Shell said.

Shell aims to launch a drilling campaign in the coming months in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off the Alaskan coast.

Shell President Marvin Odum told the Platts news service the program might get scaled back from five exploratory wells to three if there is late ice cover in the region.

“It’s a little ironic, isn’t it, that this is the year it looks like we’ll finally move forward with the drilling process and what we find through our analysis is there’s more ice in the Arctic this year than there has been in the last decade,” he 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.

No timeline for restart of Texas refinery unit-Motiva

Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:52pm EDT

* New 325,000 bpd CDU may be shut for up to five months -sources

* CDU furnace may have been heavily damaged -experts

By Erwin Seba

HOUSTON, June 15 (Reuters) – The operator of the largest U.S. oil refinery said on Friday it did not know how long a newly commissioned giant crude distillation unit, a center piece at the Port Arthur, Texas facility, would be shut down.

Motiva Enterprises said that there was no schedule for the crude distillation unit’s return to production at the 600,000 barrel per day (bpd) Texas, refinery. Sources familiar with refinery have said the unit would be down five months for repairs. 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.