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August, 2012:

Analysts React to Chevron, Shell Gas Asset Swap

August 21, 2012

By Gillian Tan

Analysts covering Woodside Petroleum have reacted to Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell’s deal to swap interests in two multibillion dollar Australian liquified natural gas projects.

Macquarie (Outperform, Price target A$39.00): “While the timing of Chevron’s exit is concerning, Shell’s further buy-in to Browse in the wake of Japan Australia LNG‘s entry points to momentum at Browse and growing belief among parts of the JV that this gas will be commercialized,” analysts said in a note to clients. read more

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Shell and Chevron swap Austalian assets

Royal Dutch Shell has increased its stake in some Australian LNG fields by swapping assets with US oil major Chevron

Garry White By : 4:31PM BST 20 Aug 2012

Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron have agreed to swap assets in Australia, with the Anglo-Dutch energy giant increasing its interest in a key liquefied natural gas project.

Shell will pay Chevron $450m (£287m) and swap its interest in 2 offshore oil fields in return for Chevron’s interest in the Browse liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Australia’s Woodside Petroleum is the operator of the Browse project, in partnership with Shell, BP, Chevron and BHP Billiton. Following completion of this transaction, Shell will hold a 35pc interest in West Browse and 25pc interest in East Browse. 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.

Delays Leave Shell With Only Weeks to Drill in Arctic

An artist’s rendition of the Arctic Challenger barge. The vessel needs at least 14 days to get from Bellingham, Washington, to the exploration area, Shell said. Source: Superior Marine Technical Services

By Kasia Klimasinska on August 20, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) has spent seven years and $4.5 billion, and fought off at least 50 lawsuits, for a chance to tap what is thought to be the biggest source of oil in the U.S. outside of the Gulf of Mexico.

With the last of more than 30 permit applications still pending, time is running out to get much drilling done off the coast of Alaska before having to stop for winter. read more

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Nigeria took 40 pct of Shell security spend in late 2000s-NGO

Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:30am EDT

* Shell says security of staff, equipment its top priority

* Nigeria’s oil region beset by violence, oil theft

* Human rights groups question Shell spending on gov’t forces

By Joe Brock

ABUJA, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell spent almost 40 percent of its $1 billion global security budget between 2007 and 2009 in Nigeria, pressure group Platform said, adding much of the money went to the country’s security forces which it described as corrupt. read more

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Gas fracking should not be allowed anywhere, says top environmentalist

The Irish Times – Monday, August 20, 2012

FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor

THE GOVERNMENT would “become the shoeshine boy of the [shale gas] industry” if it allowed fracking to take place anywhere in Ireland, according to the Nigerian human rights activist who heads Friends of the Earth International.

Nnimmo Bassey said Ministers “should not be allowed to sacrifice the environment on the altar of corporate greed” – as they had done for decades in his own country, where “the entire nation was Shell’s concession”. read more

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Chevron, Shell Swap Australian Natural Gas Assets

Published August 20, 2012: Dow Jones Newswires

Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) agreed Monday to swap stakes in two multibillion dollar natural gas projects in Australia, betting on the country’s ability to feed Asia’s growing energy demand just as competition from Africa and North America intensifies.

Chevron, the second-biggest U.S. oil company by market value after ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM), said in a statement that the deal involves transferring its interest in the proposed US$30 billion-plus Browse project to Shell. read more

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Shell Arctic Project Risks Getting Put on Ice

By TOM FOWLER

Royal Dutch Shell RDSB.LN +0.28% had high hopes for its plans this summer to start drilling the first oil wells in U.S. Arctic waters in 20 years, backed by an Obama administration eager to show it wasn’t opposed to offshore exploration.

But the closely watched, multibillion-dollar project isn’t going the way the company or the government hoped—illustrating the continuing challenge of plumbing for natural riches in one of the world’s most unforgiving locations.

Sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the northern Alaska coast was slow to break up this year, leaving the drilling areas inaccessible much later than anticipated. Meanwhile, one of Shell’s two drilling rigs slipped its anchor while waiting in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and almost ran aground. Shell also still isn’t finished working on a spill-response vessel that under new federal regulations must be in operation before drilling can begin. 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 spending millions of dollars on security in Nigeria, leaked data shows

Shell is paying Nigerian security forces tens of millions of dollars a year to guard their installations and staff in the Niger delta, according to leaked internal financial data seen by the Guardian. The oil giant also maintains a 1,200-strong internal police force in Nigeria, plus a network of plainclothes informants.

Internal documents reveal oil company spent $383m over three years protecting staff and installations in Niger delta region

Shell is paying Nigerian security forces tens of millions of dollars a year to guard their installations and staff in the Niger delta, according to leaked internal financial data seen by the Guardian. The oil giant also maintains a 1,200-strong internal police force in Nigeria, plus a network of plainclothes informants.

According to the data, the world’s largest company by revenue spent nearly $1bn on worldwide security between 2007-2009: if it were a country Shell would have the third highest security budget in Africa, after South Africa and Nigeria itself. 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.

Government officials accused of ‘schmooze-athon’ with Shell

Jim Footner, head of Greenpeace’s climate and energy campaign, said: “These documents show that one of the world’s most environmentally damaging companies has shocking levels of access to some of the government’s top mandarins. Shell has effectively locked themselves in a room for days with powerful civil servants to promote their own agenda. Our government officials should not be allowed to take part in a two-day schmooze-athon with this company.

Energy giant hosted officials from 10 departments at two-day ‘training course’, according to freedom of information papers

Senior Whitehall officials from 10 government departments and agencies attended exclusive “training courses” laid on by Shell over two days at its London headquarters, according to documents released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) following a freedom of information request.

The documents show that in June this year and last, “30-40 mid- to senior-level civil servants” attended the two-day “Shell energy course for Whitehall”, laid on at the energy giant’s expense at its UK head office on London’s South Bank. 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 way of containing or cleaning up a major oil spill in the Arctic Ocean

BY A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR, A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF SHELL OIL CO

We all know that Royal Dutch Shell has no way of containing or cleaning up a major oil spill in the Arctic Ocean offshore of Northern Alaska. They don’t have the equipment to handle such a disaster. This has been stated by the US Coast Guard, the US Geological Survey, and other USG agencies. Even the US government does not have the equipment to handle such a disaster and it is making no real effort to bring such equipment to the North Slope area, just in case. Yet the Dept. of the Interior, etc., are granting Shell the permits to go ahead and drill in both the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea leases. 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 under fire over secrecy on toxic discharges

FROM OUR AUGUST 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE

The Age (Australia): Shell under fire over secrecy on discharges

“Shell Australia has been accused of withholding data showing that high levels of potentially cancer-causing benzene have been released from the oil giant’s Geelong refinery.”

Thursday 18 August 2005
By Ewin Hannan

Geelong Grammar in the foreground with the Shell Geelong oil refinery in the background.
Photo: Craig Abraham

Shell Australia has been accused of withholding data showing that high levels of potentially cancer-causing benzene have been released from the oil giant’s Geelong refinery.

Former CSIRO scientist Chris Mardon, who analysed benzene data recorded by Shell’s air-monitoring equipment, claims record levels of benzene emissions came from the refinery, which is near Geelong Grammar and primary schools, over 13 days in April. 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.

Arctic Drilling Will Begin This Year, Shell Official Says

By

A version of this article appeared in print on August 18, 2012, on page B2 of the New York edition

HOUSTON — Despite embarrassing delays and trouble with its equipment, Shell remains confident that it will get final approval from regulators and be able to begin drilling for oil in Arctic waters off the Alaskan coast this summer, the oil company’s top Alaska executive said on Friday.

“We absolutely expect to drill this year,” Peter E. Slaiby, Shell’s vice president in charge of Alaskan operations, said in a telephone interview. “Our confidence continues to grow, and we are feeling good.” read more

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Shell continues to delay drilling, waiting for containment barge

Week of August 19, 2012: Vol. 17, No.34

Shell continues to delay drilling, waiting for containment barge

Although Shell has sent three of the vessels from its Arctic drilling fleet north to the Chukchi Sea, in preparation for its planned outer continental shelf exploratory drilling, the company’s drilling program remains on hold, waiting for the completion of retrofit work on the company’s containment barge, the Arctic Challenger, and U.S. Coast Guard certification of the vessel.

The company has installed its new Arctic oil containment system in the barge as part its oil spill contingency arrangements. And before the vessel can depart Seattle, where the system retrofit is being done, all work on the vessel must be completed and the Coast Guard must certify the vessel as safe for its intended use. 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 campaigners under scrutiny, Shell to Sea claims

The Irish Times – Friday, August 17, 2012

LORNA SIGGINS, Western Correspondent

SHELL TO Sea says it has received “further evidence” of monitoring of campaigners opposed to the Corrib gas project by a private security company.

The group has released scans of pages from two notebooks, which it says comprises notes taken by security staff employed by Integrated-Risk Management Services (I-RMS). I-RMS is employed by Shell EP Ireland and Corrib gas developers on the project.

The notebooks with records dated between April and June 2010 included names of campaigners, and a reference to a “covert camera”. 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 says leak contained, locals report oil slick

A landmark U.N. report in August last year slammed the government and multinational oil companies, particularly Shell, for 50 years of oil pollution that has devastated the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta.

Fri Aug 17, 2012 6:49pm IST

* Shell says oil contained, locals say it has spread

* Oil spills common in Africa’s top energy producer

By Tife Owolabi

EWELESUO, Nigeria, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Shell said on Friday it had contained oil leaked from a failed pump within a flowstation on Nigeria’s Nembe Creek though local residents disputed this, saying it had spread to mangrove swamps.

“There was no oil spill, and there was no impact on the environment,” said Precious Okolobo, spokesman for Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC), a joint venture majority owned by the state oil firm.

“The pump was immediately shut down. However, some oil escaped from the seal into the saver pit in the flowstation, with some sheen observed,” 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.

Problems with Shell’s Arctic Drilling Give Administration a Chance to Hit Pause

Frances Beinecke’s Blog

August 16, 2012

Shell is under tremendous scrutiny as it launches its first foray into Arctic waters—the harshest environment for offshore drilling. The company must put its best foot forward in order to win public trust and secure future drilling rights.

Instead, it is trying to lower the bar. If Shell is already asking for loopholes and exemptions in the nation’s drilling safeguards now, imagine what it might do when attention has moved on and its rigs are operating in the world’s last wild ocean. 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.

OGONI AUTONOMY – A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE

OGONI AUTONOMY – A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE

By – KorneBari Nwike

The declaration of political autonomy by Nigeria’s indigenous Ogoni people is apparently borne out of their desire for freedom, liberty, and the protection of their rights as human beings. In fact, the United Nations see the need for the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights when the UN General Assembly by its resolution 45/164 of 18 December 1990 proclaimed 1993  International year of the World’s indigenous people.

The United Nations pointed out that, “For indigenous peoples all over the world, the protection of their cultural and intellectual property has taken on growing importance and urgency. They cannot exercise their fundamental human rights as distinct…, societies, and peoples without the ability to control the knowledge they have inherited from their ancestors.” Definition of political autonomy by Wikipedia collaborate the above narrative: “ Political freedom (also known as Political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in western history and political thought and one of the most important (real or ideal) features of democratic societies , it has been described as a relationship free of oppression or coercion; absence of disabling conditions for an individual and the fulfillment of enabling conditions or the absence of lived conditions of compulsion, for example, economic compulsion in a society.” The question to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Mr. Joseph Dauda, the outgoing president of the Nigerian Bar Association, is where does the charge for treasonable felony and succession comes in here? 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.

Groups call for study of Arctic Ocean corals

By Dan Joling on August 16, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two environmental groups say cold-water corals discovered near a proposed Shell Oil drilling site in the Chukchi Sea deserve additional review, but the company contends they have been studied and are not threatened.

Greenpeace USA and the Center for Biological Diversity in a letter Thursday called on Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to block drilling until the department conducts a supplemental environmental review of potential damage to the corals.

Shell hopes to drill at least one exploratory well this year during the summer open water season. Environmental groups have strongly opposed drilling, claiming too little is known about the Arctic ecosystem and that petroleum companies have not demonstrated they can clean up a spill in ice-choked waters. read more

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New evidence of Shell’s covert surveillance operations

News Release – Issued by Shell to Sea – Thursday, 16th August, 2012

NEW EVIDENCE OF SHELL’S COVERT SURVEILLANCE EMERGES

— Scans of two IRMS notebooks sent to Shell to Sea —

This week Shell to Sea received further evidence of the surveillance operation that has been mounted by private security firm IRMS against campaigners opposed to the Corrib Gas project. The evidence consists of scans of pages from two IRMS notebooks that contain notes taken by IRMS personnel between April and June 2010. These scans of the notebooks can be viewed here: http://www.shelltosea.com/content/irms-notebooks-2010

Among the notes made was one which stated “VU Covert Camera Not in Box I-RMS 10” and also how the security went on the 5th June 2010 (while a gathering was taking place at Rossport Solidarity Camp) to “gather intel” and to take “Pics and names if possible”. The names of three campaigners are noted in one of the books. 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.

Arctic drilling: Shell’s spill-containment barge was once for the birds

Royal Dutch Shell’s quest to open the U.S. Arctic Ocean to oil drilling, an undertaking that’s involved years of preparation and cost more than $4.5 billion, hinges on an old icebreaking barge that sat idle so long it literally went to the birds.

The Arctic Challenger, the troubled centerpiece of Shell’s oil-spill response plan, features a remarkable past — once glorious and, well, not so glorious.

At one point, hundreds of Caspian terns, gulls, cormorants, pelicans, ravens, crows and even an owl turned the 300-foot barge into a giant’s bird nest, coating the deck with bird dung and other gunk. That was in California’s Long Beach Harbor in 2007, where the downtrodden vessel became a bit of a media celebrity as wildlife regulators raced to save the protected terns and their chicks. 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.

Shareholder in Corrib project, Vermilion, has €10m loss at Irish arm

By John Mulligan

Thursday August 16 2012

THE Irish arm of Canadian resources firm Vermilion Energy, which is a shareholder in the Corrib gas project, recorded a €10.5m loss last year. That compared with a €27.1m profit a year earlier.

The large disparity between the two figures — revealed in the firm’s latest filed accounts — is due to the reversal in 2010 of a previously recorded €38.7m impairment, which inflated its profits that year. Without it, it had posted an €11.6m loss. 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 Arctic Oil Drilling Window Closing As Permits Awaited

August 15, 2012

By Selina Williams

LONDON–The short window for Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) to drill exploratory wells off Alaska’s Arctic coast is rapidly narrowing as the company still hasn’t completed the retrofit of its vital oil spill response vessel or received final permits for its use.

Shell initially planned to begin exploration activities in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas in July. However, the company said Wednesday that it is still working with U.S. officials on a schedule for inspections and deployment of the converted barge, the Arctic Challenger, which needs to be in place before drilling can start. read more

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The day it seemed Total was on the brink of a takeover bid for Shell

FROM OUR SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE FOR 15 AUGUST 2004

SUNDAY 15 AUGUST 2005, THE DAY IT APPEARED TOTAL WAS ON THE BRINK OF MAKING A TAKEOVER BID FOR ROYAL DUTCH SHELL, THE OIL GIANT WEAKENED BY THE OIL RESERVES FRAUD IN WHICH SHELL SHAREHOLDERS AND EMPLOYEES WERE INNOCENT VICTIMS

The Observer: Ailing Shell braced for French bid

Oil giant ‘could merge with rival Total’: “the possibility of a deal is now the subject of fevered speculation in the City.”

Nick Mathiason

Sunday August 15, 2004

Royal Dutch/Shell is bracing itself for a takeover bid, with Shell executives now conceding that it is vulnerable to a predator.

Insiders at the Anglo-Dutch oil giant fear Total, the French oil group, will launch a raid. Total, the world’s fourth-largest oil firm, is considered the only predator capable of gaining regulatory approval for what would be a spectacular merger.

Total is smaller than Shell, with a market cap of £68 billion against Shell’s cap of more than £94bn. 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.

Rossport Five call for Shell to lift injunction

FROM OUR AUGUST 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE

Ulster TV (Ireland): Rossport Five call for Shell to lift injunction

“In an open letter the Rossport Five say they accept the call for dialogue by the company but cannot follow through on it until they’re released.”

MONDAY 15/08/2005 12:45:28

The Mayo men jailed for contempt of court seven weeks ago are calling on Shell to lift the injunction so they can enter into talks with the company.

In an open letter the Rossport Five say they accept the call for dialogue by the company but cannot follow through on it until they`re released.

They were imprisoned indefinitely in June for breaching a court order directing that they not obstruct work on the Corrib Gas pipeline.

The men`s spokesman Mark Garavan says apologising to the court isn`t an option. 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.

Exxon and Shell win Ukraine oil bid: FT

LONDON | Wed Aug 15, 2012 6:05am IST

(Reuters) – Ukraine has approved a joint offshore exploration bid led by ExxonMobil (XOM.N) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) to unlock oil and gas reserves deep under the Black Sea, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper cited three people familiar with the situation as saying the grouping, which also includes Romania’s OMV Petrom and Ukraine’s state company Nadra, was chosen in a tender process over Russia’s Lukoil (LKOH.MM). 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.

Safety alert lifted at Shell refinery in Martinez after gas leak sealed

By Rick Hurd and Sean Maher Oakland Tribune

Posted:   08/14/2012 01:39:01 PM PDT
Updated:   08/14/2012 09:22:58 PM PDT

MARTINEZ — A gas leak that caused black smoke to rise from the Shell oil refinery in Martinez on Tuesday was sealed by 3 p.m., in time for people to resume their outside activities, officials said.

“It is safe to be outside,” said Randy Sawyer, the Chief Environmental Health and Hazardous Materials Officer for Contra Costa County.

A leak starting about 12:40 p.m. caused the black smoke, a refinery spokesman said. A piece of safety equipment called a flare began burning off the gas so the leak wouldn’t combust, Shell spokesman Steve Lesher said read more

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Black Smoke in Martinez – Authorities Investigating Strong Natural Gas Odor at the Shell Refinery

We just received this photo from a Claycordian in Martinez, who says she saw this black smoke, which came from the area of the Shell Refinery in Martinez.

As we reported just a little while ago, authorities are investigating a strong smell of natural gas at the Shell Refinery in Martinez. They say there is no shelter-in-place, but say anybody with pre-existing respiratory issues such as asthma should avoid the area or stay indoors.

The Contra Costa Health Department says two puffs of black smoke were sent into the air from a flare at the Shell Refinery earlier today. read more

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Malfunction triggers smoke, shuts Shell California refinery

Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:46pm BST

(Reuters) – A malfunctioning unit released heavy black smoke and was shut down at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s (RDSa.L) 156,400 barrel per day (bpd) Martinez, California, refinery on Tuesday, according to the Contra Coast County Health Department Hazardous Materials Program.

Shell advised nearby neighbours that they might smell a propane odour while they were shutting down some equipment, according to a message sent to area residents.

A Shell representative was not immediately available to discuss refinery operations. read more

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Interior chief says Shell equipment behind Arctic drilling delays

By Jennifer A. Dlouhy: Updated 9:48 p.m., Monday, August 13, 2012

WASHINGTON – Neither thick Arctic ice nor government red tape is holding back Shell’s plans to search for oil in waters north of Alaska this summer, a top Obama administration official said Monday.

Instead, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters, the delays are Shell’s own making.

A key oil spill containment system and the barge carrying it have not cleared a required Coast Guard inspection or been tested in front of federal drilling safety regulators. Instead, the 36-year-old Arctic Challenger barge has been docked and undergoing renovations in Bellingham, Wash. read more

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Shell Plans $2.5 Billion Issue in First Bond Sale Since 2010

By Charles Mead on August 14, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s largest oil producer, plans to raise $2.5 billion with its first bond offering in two years with a three-part sale.

The company intends to issue $1 billion of five-year notes that may yield 50 basis points more than similar-maturity Treasuries, an equal portion of 10-year bonds with a 70 basis- point spread, and $500 million of 30-year debt that may pay 82 basis points more than benchmarks, according to a person familiar with the offering who asked not to be identified, citing lack of authorization to speak publicly about the sale. The bonds may be rated Aa1 by Moody’s Investors Service, its second-highest grade, the person said. read more

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Corrib coverage should come with more balance

Fr Kevin Hegarty

In the John Millington Synge play ‘The Playboy of the Western World’, the hero, Christy Mahon regales three awed young women with the dramatic and false story of how he killed his father. Susan responds that it is a ‘grand story’ to which Honor says, ‘he tells it lovely’.

I believe that some local media commentators indulged in some Christy Mahon style of lurid embroidery in their coverage of the lorry bound for the Corrib Gas terminal at Bellanaboy which got stuck at Glenamoy junction. To me, it seems as if they did a partisan trawl of the Corrib archive to cast doubts on the overall integrity 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.

Selection of links: 14 August 2012

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 Said to Seek $7.9 Billion Selling Gulf of Mexico Fields

By Cathy Chan, Matthew Campbell and Brian Swint on August 14, 2012

BP Plc (BP/) is seeking as much as $7.9 billion before tax payments for a group of Gulf of Mexico oilfields as it unloads assets following its 2010 spill in the region, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

The oil producer, Europe’s biggest after Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), has prepared preliminary information for prospective buyers of assets including the Horn Mountain, Holstein, Diana Hoover and Ram Powell fields, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the sale process is confidential. 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.

Troubled Arctic Challenger cited for small illegal discharges

By Kim MurphyAugust 13, 2012, 6:49 p.m.

SEATTLE — The containment vessel designed to capture oil in the event of a spill during exploratory drilling off the coast of Alaska has itself been responsible for four minor illegal fluid discharges during the last three weeks, the Coast Guard confirmed Monday.

The discharges all involved hydraulic fluid and were generally limited to about a quart each time, all of which was contained and cleaned up. The fine was just $250. But the discharges signal Shell Exploration’s continuing problems with the vessel, the Arctic Challenger, whose trouble-plagued retrofit in Bellingham, Wash., has delayed the launch of the first major offshore oil drilling in the U.S. Arctic in 20 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.

Shell: To Break Ground for $100 Million Lubricant Plant in Northern China

Dow Jones Newswires: Published August 14, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN) will break ground for a $100 million lubricant blending plant in northern China on Thursday, Mark Gainsborough, Shell executive vice president of Global Commercial Business, said Tuesday. 

Located in the city of Tianjin, the world-scale plant will start commercial production in early 2015 and produce 300,000 metric tons of lubricants annually, Mr. Gainsborough said in a media briefing in Beijing.

The plant is planned to suit growing demand for lubricants in Asia, especially in China, Mr. Gainsborough said. read more

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More than 1,000 turn out for ‘Rossport Five’ demonstration

FROM OUR AUGUST 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

Ireland On-Line: More than 1,000 turn out for ‘Rossport Five’ demonstration

Posted Sunday 14 August 2005

Supporters of the “Rossport Five” took their case to Galway this weekend where more than a thousand people attended a rally in the city centre.

The campaigners have been demanding that the Shell oil company abandons its plans to build a gas pipeline in their land.

The five Mayo men have now spent six weeks in jail for opposing the project.

Green Party councillor Niall O’Brolchain said that the men are prepared to stay there as long as it takes to prove the oil giant’s plans are not safe. read more

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An oil giant’s road from Rajasthan to ruin

 FROM OUR AUGUST 2004 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

Michael Harrison’s Outlook: An oil giant’s road from Rajasthan to ruin

“Shell, by contrast, has endured the most humiliating, torrid and damaging period in its 100-year history. It is hard to think of a more spectacular fall from grace or a more abject example of management failure.”: “The deeper it dug itself into this hole, the more Shell was forced to lie” 

Fortunes; Failure; Scramble

14 August 2004

It is a long way from the arid deserts of Rajasthan to the Shell Centre on London’s South Bank. But two events this week provide a link.

One was the announcement by Cairn Energy that it had made yet another significant oil discovery in a region of India hitherto better known for its sumptuous pink palaces and backpacking tourists. The other was the disclosure that Shell’s former head of exploration and production, Walter van de Vijver, is to receive a £2.5m pay-off after being sacked for his part in the company’s reserves scandal. 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.

Time running out for Shell drilling in Arctic, Salazar says

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE | Mon Aug 13, 2012 6:47pm EDT

(Reuters) – Time is running out for Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) to drill exploration wells in Arctic waters off northern and northwestern Alaska, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Monday.

Shell’s long-awaited plan to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea has been held up by its inability to win approval for an oil-spill barge that is a required piece of safety equipment, Salazar said. The barge remains in Bellingham, Washington undergoing inspections and awaiting certification from the U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping, he said. read more

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Shell refinery fire put out in Martinez

Vivian Ho: Updated 9:12 p.m., Monday, August 13, 2012

A small fire broke out in the light oil processing unit at the Shell refinery in Martinez but was quickly put out Monday, a spokeswoman for the refinery said.

It was the second refinery fire in a week in the Bay Area, still jittery from the big Aug. 6 blaze at the Chevron refinery in Richmond.

The Shell fire began at about 2 p.m. and was knocked down at about 2:15 p.m. by Shell fire crews, said Erin Hallissy, a spokeswoman for the refinery.

The cause is under investigation.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @VivianHo read more

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Shell Is to Blame for Delay in Arctic Wells, Salazar Says

By Kasia Klimasinska on August 13, 2012

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is chiefly to blame for delays in procuring permits to drill off the north coast of Alaska, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.

Shell, which had planned to start exploration in July, is reworking the barge Arctic Challenger in Bellingham, Washington, to satisfy U.S. Coast Guard requirements. The vessel is a part of the system Shell has designed to collect oil spilled in case of a well blowout in the Arctic.

“They have not been able to get it done,” Salazar said of Shell at a press conference today in Anchorage, Alaska, monitored by telephone. “If they had got it done, they would already be up there 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.

Fire at Shell Refinery Reported

Monday, Aug 13, 2012

The Contra Costa County Health Services has reported that there is a fire at Shell Refinery in Martinez. There is no shelter in place at this time. There was a false alarm for a fire at this facility last week.

HazMat staff are responding to a fire at the Shell Refinery in Martinez. The fire is causing a small amount of smoke. There is no shelter-in-place but people with pre-existing respiratory issues such as asthma should avoid the area. More info will be updated as it becomes available. 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.

Money talks for Shell’s singing director

FROM OUR AUGUST 2004 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

The Independent: Michael Harrison’s Outlook: Money talks for Shell’s singing director

“Shell is hardly a byword for good corporate governance, and yesterday it lived up to its reputation by producing another stonker…”: “As usual, Shell is unable to cast any light in the darkness as to why the two men’s severance arrangements are so different in size and nature. Perish the thought that one of them is being paid to grass up the other.”

13 August 2004

Shell is hardly a byword for good corporate governance, and yesterday it lived up to its reputation by producing another stonker of a pay-off for one of the directors caught up in its reserves reporting scandal.

On this occasion, however, there is a twist in the tail. Walter van de Vijver is going to have to sing for his severance. In order to qualify for his full £2.5m package, the company’s former head of exploration and production will have to co-operate with the “relevant authorities” as they conduct their various criminal inquiries into how Shell came to invent quite so many non-existent barrels. 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.

My turn: No more dithering feds: Let Shell move forward now

By SEN. CATHY GIESSEL

Some of us in Alaska have been as attuned to Shell’s offshore drilling plans as we are to the summer Olympics. For years, we have watched Shell jump over hurdle after hurdle, much like a gold-medal Olympian, only to be delayed by baseless litigation by opposition groups and regulatory strangulation by the federal government. Now, with Shell in the final stages of approval by the feds, a final — hopefully surmountable — hurdle remains.

Currently, Shell is awaiting approval by the U.S. Coast Guard for its Arctic containment system — a barge named the Arctic Challenger tasked with assisting in the cleanup of an oil spill. Without this approval, the U.S. Department of the Interior will not issue the final permits to drill, and, consequently, Shell cannot begin moving its vessels into the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Delays and restrictions on the drilling season have already forced Shell to reduce the number of wells it can drill down to two. Further delays may seriously jeopardize Shell’s ability to drill even one 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.

Shell loses Royal Dutch Shell PLC Domain Name Battle

FROM OUR AUGUST 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

ShellNews.net: Shell loses Royal Dutch Shell PLC Domain Name Battle

As a result of their gross incompetence this *scandal ridden multinational finds itself in a highly embarrassing position. It has publicly laid claim to the domain name and will consequently suffer a considerable loss of face with its shareholders, the public and its competitors, as a result of the unanimous verdict.

Friday 12 August 2005: 01.35am ET

Unanimous verdict against Shell in Royal Dutch Shell PLC Domain Name proceedings

By John Donovan

A three person administrative panel appointed under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organisation has given a unanimous decision in favour of ShellNews.net website owner, Alfred Donovan, in respect of three Shell related domain names, including www.royaldutchshellplc.com

The WIPO decision document: http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/decisions/html/2005/d2005-0538.html 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.

Miami Herald: Shell, Texaco clients seek refunds

FROM OUR AUGUST 2004 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

Miami Herald: Shell, Texaco clients seek refunds

“faulty fuel sold by Shell”: “said it has received about 70,000 claims: “figure will easily run into the tens of millions of dollars.”; About 70,000 claims have been filed due to the fuel-quality problem that shut down Shell and Texaco stations in May, but as many as 500,000 people could be affected.; all supplied with the substandard fuel from a Port Everglades terminal operated by Motiva Enterprises

BY PATRICK DANNER

[email protected]

Posted on Thu, Aug. 12, 2004

Some 25,000 Floridians have sought reimbursement for damage to their automobiles that they claim was caused by faulty fuel sold by Shell and Texaco gas stations, Shell Oil Products disclosed.

The fuel-quality fiasco that shut down Shell and Texaco stations over the Memorial Day weekend impacted other companies as well. BP, ConocoPhillips, Colonial Oil and Valero Energy Corp. were all supplied with the substandard fuel from a Port Everglades terminal operated by Motiva Enterprises, a refiner partially owned by Shell, a Shell spokesman said. Those companies, however, reported few — if any — complaints from customers. 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.

Selection of articles

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Controversy Over Ogoni Political Autonomy: It’s Time Ogoni Intellectuals Educate the Public

See also: Ogoni Declares Self-Government

By Ben Ikari

Dear Ogoni Intellectuals,

I am seizing this medium to greet you all in the greatest name of Ogoni. May I also state categorical clear that, what is happening down the street or say in Nigeria currently affect Ogoni seriously than some or most  may think. It is serious Ogoni business and not Goodluck Diigbo’s even though his actions caused it. Therefore, I ask humbly and respectfully that you should wear your fine armor of patriotism for Ogoni and use your general, expert and knowledge of Ogoni struggle, the Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR), which isn’t strange to Nigeria to educate Nigerians in particular and the world about the Ogoni demand for Political Autonomy. 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 security firm ‘acts responsibly’

The Irish Times – Saturday, August 11, 2012

LORNA SIGGINS, Western Correspondent

THE COMPANY which provides security for the Corrib gas project in Co Mayo has said it is working “to the highest standards”.

Integrated Risk Management Services (IRMS) was responding to disclosure of a company “situation report”, recording movements at a protest camp located on private land overlooking the Corrib gas pipeline worksite.

The report by IRMS’s “Aughoose Command and Control Centre” comprises a timeline of movements on June 29th and 30th last, from 7am to 7am. 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.

Environmentalists oppose Shell drilling

A group of environmental organizations have urged the Obama administration not to allow oil giant Shell to begin planned exploratory drilling in Arctic seas off Alaska’s coast this summer.

Published: Aug. 10, 2012 at 2:43 PM

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (UPI) — Environmental organizations urged the Obama administration not to allow oil giant Shell to begin planned exploratory drilling in arctic seas off Alaska this summer.

After a series of delays, Shell was to begin its long-planned drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas during the brief ice-free period this summer. But the company’s window for drilling is narrowing, as it faces a Sept. 24 deadline when it must cease operations in hydrocarbon-bearing zones in the Chukchi and by Oct. 31 in the Beaufort. 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.

Convenience Store News: Shell Settles Class Action with Workers

Convenience Store News: Shell Settles Class Action with Workers

FROM OUR AUGUST 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

“The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. employees after it revealed it had inflated its oil and natural gas reserve numbers.”

Posted 11 August 2005

HOUSTON — The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. employees after it revealed it had inflated its oil and natural gas reserve numbers.

On Jan. 9, 2004, when Shell admitted to overstating its reserves by 20 percent, the stock sank. Shell Transport and Trade dropped 7 percent that day. Royal Dutch Petroleum dropped 8 percent.

After several more revisions that year, Shell ultimately admitted to overstating oil and gas reserves by more than 40 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.