Published Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 7:10PM ADT
A company that pioneered exploration off Nova Scotia in the 1960s is back in a big way, but Shell isn’t interested in natural gas. It wants oil, and it plans on spending $970-million looking for it as part of the second largest exploration project in the world.
Today, Shell executive Erik Goodwin drew a sold out luncheon crowd to hear about the company’s offshore exploration plans, which were first announced in January.
“We really are bringing our best technology to this venture and bringing significant deepwater experience,” says Goodwin.
Goodwin made it clear the company is strictly looking for oil, not gas, and if it finds gas, it isn’t interested.
“If we were to find gas we’d have to take another look at it because the economics are so poor,” he says.
He explained a lot needs to be done between now and the summer of 2015 when Shell plans to begin drilling, because the water off Nova Scotia is deep at 1.5 to 3.5 kilometres.
The first step beginning next year is seismic, which he says has improved considerably over the years.
He also says salt and rock formations in the area look good, but warned that Nova Scotians should control their expectations.
“These ventures fail more often than they succeed.”
Despite the warning, it was all good news to members of the Maritime Energy Association who attended today’s luncheon.
“Offshore Nova Scotia needs this boost,” says Barry Clouter of CHC Helicopters. “There’s a lot of confidence in the room today.”
Goodwin says Shell will be opening an office in Halifax next year for the seismic program. He wouldn’t comment on where a sea base would be located for the drilling program.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Rick Grant
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
