Royal Dutch Shell Plc board members Peter Voser, Simon Henry and Jorma Ollila, all members of the sinister Bilderberg Group and participants in the controversial 2013 Bilderberg Conference. How is their membership is such a secretive organisation compatible with Shell’s claimed core business principles of openness and transparency? (Comment by John Donovan)

Famous for being shrouded in secrecy, the Bilderberg conference took place in Britain for the first time since 1998 and conspiracy theorists believe this is where leaders plot world domination.

Several cars with blacked-out windows entered the gates of the Grove Hotel, near Watford, in Hertfordshire, were seen arriving the secretive meeting. Some were heckled by crowds of protestors outside.

BILDERBERG CONFERENCE 2013: FULL LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Chairman: Henri de Castries, Chairman and CEO, AXA Group

Paul M. Achleitner, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG

Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the Board, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd

Marcus Agius, Former Chairman, Barclays plc

Helen Alexander, Chairman, UBM plc read more

Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region is losing its battle against organised oil theft. According to the managing director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, Mutiu Sunmonu, oil theft by local groups currently results in a total of $6bn per year in lost revenue to the corporate giant. The “blood oil” industry, a term coined by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, is reportedly run by armed groups as well as activists calling for a fairer distribution of the country’s enormous oil profits. The majority of Nigeria’s 160 million citizens live in poverty – despite being residents of Africa’s biggest oil producer.

Tife Owolabi Last Modified: 28 Jun 2013

The illicit trade is blooming in Nigeria, where regulations are few.

An illegal refinery worker, John Sowawi, pumps water into the distilling equipment that is used to refine the stolen crude oil. Tife Owolabi/Transterra Media

Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region is losing its battle against organised oil theft. According to the managing director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, Mutiu Sunmonu, oil theft by local groups currently results in a total of $6bn per year in lost revenue to the corporate giant. Other major oil companies have also said they were losing a huge amount of money due to oil theft, and are paying huge amounts for security.

The “blood oil” industry, a term coined by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, is reportedly run by armed groups as well as activists calling for a fairer distribution of the country’s enormous oil profits. The majority of Nigeria’s 160 million citizens live in poverty – despite being residents of Africa’s biggest oil producer. read more

SUNDAY 30 June 2013

Extra gardai are on duty in Co Mayo this weekend after violence broke out at a protest against the Shell gas pipeline last Sunday when a security guard had his arm badly injured and €150,000 worth of damage was done to machinery, writes Jim Cusack. read more

London (Platts)–28Jun2013/902 am EDT/1302 GMT

Shell’s hopes for a new gas-to-liquids mega project on the US Gulf Coast would benefit from much-improved process efficiencies, but any resulting cost savings could be limited by the need to build most of the plant outside the US, Shell officials said this week.

Shell has improved its proprietary GTL technology to the point where it can achieve 50% gains in throughput volumes compared to its giant Pearl GTL plant in Qatar which came on stream in 2011, according to one of Shell’s top GTL scientists. read more

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 28 | Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:23pm EDT

(Reuters) – No one will drill in Arctic waters off Alaska this year, but there is still plenty of offshore work for the oil industry to do when conditions finally allow it next month.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, which canceled its 2013 Arctic offshore drill season after numerous troubles there last year, plans to send ships to study sites around oil prospects in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, according to permit applications. read more

Jennifer A. Dlouhy: June 27, 2013

The House of Representatives advanced two items on the oil industry’s wish list Thursday, by passing legislation that would unleash drilling in the Western Gap area of the Gulf of Mexico and waive new financial reporting requirements on companies’ foreign dealmaking.

The legislation passed 256-171 would implement a one-year-old agreement between the United States and Mexico that sets the framework for oil and gas development along the two countries’ maritime boundary. Although Mexico ratified the deal in April 2012, Congress has not acted on it — despite oil companies’ zeal to develop the region. read more

The litigation relates to a corruption case in which Shell was ordered to pay $48 million (£29.4m) in civil and criminal fines after its contractor (Panalpina Inc.) bribed Nigerian customs officials. It appears that Shell decided to try to make Robert Writt the fall guy for Shell’s involvement in the massive corruption scheme (targeting officials of a host country) by turning Writt in to the US federal authorities, in the belief that Shell was safe from legal retribution by him. The Appeals Court has decided otherwise.

By John Donovan

A Texas Appeals Court has reinstated a defamation action brought by a former Shell project manager, Robert Writt, against Shell Oil Co.

Shell had managed to have the case blocked on a legal technicality, but the Court of Appeals of the first District of Texas overturned the decision.

The case is:

NO.01-11-00201-CV ROBERT WRITT, Appellant

V.

SHELL OIL COMPANY AND SHELL INTERNATIONAL, E&P, INC., Appellees

I have provided access to a bundle of court documents running to 143 pages, which includes a judgement and opinion rendered on 25 June 2013. read more

Shell lawyers are panicking about the prospect of being compelled to hand over secret information to a US court hearing a case about alleged manipulation of the crude oil futures market. Shell mentions the protection of trade secrets. In my experience, that is probably trade secrets Shell has stolen from someone else, inevitably a smaller company, or an individual who made the mistake of trusting Shell and its sham business principles. 

By John Donovan

A Shell insider source has brought to my attention certain current litigation in the USA in which Shell Oil Company has involvement as one of a number of third parties.

Shell lawyers are panicking about the prospect of being compelled to hand over secret information to a US court hearing a case about alleged manipulation of the crude oil futures market.

For obvious reasons, the timing is rather unfortunate for Shell.

The case is:

U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION, Plaintiff, read more

€30,000 of €200,000 course funding to come from Corrib Gas Community Gain Investment Fund

Wednesday Jun 26, 2013

An innovative new art degree, to be part-funded by Shell, is causing controversy among staff at two third-level colleges. The proposed new visual art degree in Erris, Co Mayo, is being offered by the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and Mayo County Council, which administers the €8.5 million Corrib Gas Community Gain Investment Fund.

A DIT staff member has said that €30,000 of the €200,000 course funding – the bulk of which is from DIT – will come from the Corrib fund. This fund, which is to benefit the people of Erris, is being rolled out over five years by the council as an An Bord Pleanála condition for planning permission for the last phase of the Corrib gas pipeline. Its administration has nothing to do with Shell. read more

Eight Shell contractors were arrested by Nigerian security services in connection with the fire that broke out last week (19 June), following an oil spill at a section of the pipeline near Bodo that was being repaired by Shell contractors.

Posted: 26 June 2013

A major fire that forced Shell to close its Trans Niger Pipeline in southern Nigeria raises serious questions about the way the oil giant is operating, Amnesty International and the Nigerian National Coalition on Gas Flaring and Oil Spills (NACGOND) said.

The organisations called for an independent inquiry into the events that led to the fire at Bodo in Rivers State – an area already devastated by years of oil pollution.

Eight Shell contractors were arrested by Nigerian security services in connection with the fire that broke out last week (19 June), following an oil spill at a section of the pipeline near Bodo that was being repaired by Shell contractors. read more

By Antonia Juhasz: June 25, 2013 11:30 AM ET

EXTRACTS

How about Shell ­– the world’s largest corporation, according to Fortune? In 2010, the company launched an ad campaign called “Let’s Go,” hyping its efforts to “broaden the world’s energy mix.” The ads are still running today. But the numbers tell a different story. Shell reports spending about $400 million a year on alternatives, out of the $23 billion it spent on all expenditures in 2012. At its peak in 2007, Shell was spending just 2.5 percent of its total capital expenditures on alternatives. Today it’s down to 1.5 percent. read more

By Jeremy Heallen

Law360, Houston (June 25, 2013, 3:21 PM ET) — A Texas appeals court Tuesday revived a defamation suit against Shell Oil Co., ruling that the oil and gas giant could potentially be held liable for allegedly telling federal authorities that a former employee signed off on bribes to foreign officials.

The First District Court of Appeals rejected a trial court’s decision that Shell was immune from the suit under an “absolute privilege” that extended to statements made in the context of judicial proceedings because at the time the company told the U.S. Dept. of Justice… read more

June 25 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened a formal investigation into how prices of crude oil and petroleum-derived products are set, mirroring a European Union inquiry, two people familiar with the matter said.  The investigation, now in a preliminary stage, will probably broaden into a multi-jurisdictional affair…

U.S. FTC Said to Open Oil Price Probe, Mirroring EU Inquiry

June 25 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened a formal investigation into how prices of crude oil and petroleum-derived products are set, mirroring a European Union inquiry, two people familiar with the matter said.

The investigation, now in a preliminary stage, will probably broaden into a multi-jurisdictional affair like the inquiry into manipulation of the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, the people said. FTC investigators are reviewing the progress made by their European counterparts, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. read more

Shane Ferro

The Wall Street Journal has a painstakingly detailed article on how oil prices are benchmarked, and how those benchmarks can be manipulated. The EU has been investigating major oil companies, as well as the industry publication that sets the daily benchmark price, since last month. If the probe turns up damning evidence, this could be the biggest price-fixing scandal since Libor.

What’s going on here?

In mid-May, EU investigators raided the offices of Shell, BP and Statoil, three of Europe’s largest oil exporters. They also hit Platts, which takes pricing data from oil traders and uses it to set a daily oil-price benchmark. The raids come on the heels of the Libor scandal, in which some of the world’s largest banks were fined for manipulating interest rate benchmarks. read more

By Jeremy Heallen

Law360, Houston (June 25, 2013, 3:21 PM ET) — A Texas appeals court Tuesday revived a defamation suit against Shell Oil Co., ruling that the oil and gas giant could potentially be held liable for allegedly telling federal authorities that a former employee signed off on bribes to foreign officials.

The First District Court of Appeals rejected a trial court’s decision that Shell was immune from the suit under an “absolute privilege” that extended to statements made in the context of judicial proceedings because at the time the company told the U.S. Dept. of Justice that it believed project manager Robert Writt had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a criminal case had not yet been initiated. read more

By Obafemi Oredein: June 24, 2013

Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Shell spokesman Tony Okonedo said in a statement that the team that will visit the site on Tuesday includes regulators, Ministry of Environment officials, community members, SPDC officials and independent observers.

FULL ARTICLE

Nigerian soldiers have arrested eight people working for companies contracted by Royal Dutch Shell, military authorities said, following a pipeline fire that the company blamed on damage caused by oil thieves.

YENAGOA, Nigeria, June 24 | Mon Jun 24, 2013 3:54pm BST

(Reuters) – Nigerian soldiers have arrested eight people working for companies contracted by Royal Dutch Shell, military authorities said, following a pipeline fire that the company blamed on damage caused by oil thieves.

Shell’s Nigerian unit, Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. (SPDC), shut the 150,000 barrel per day (bpd) Trans Niger pipeline last week after an explosion and a fire in Bodo West, in Ogoniland, an area already heavily polluted by oil spills. read more

Because of the “royaldutchshellplc.com” domain name, we regularly receive job applications, business proposals, pension enquiries, and sometimes even terrorist threats meant for Shell. We deal with all such matters as agreed with Mr Brandjes, sometimes corresponding with third parties on behalf of Shell, occasionally passing on correspondence to him.  We have been offered oil wells and coalmines by third parties wrongly believing that we are Shell.

LETTER DATED 24 JUNE 2013 FROM ALFRED & JOHN DONOVAN TO SHELL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

24 June 2013

Mr. Gary Thomson

Shell International Limited

Shell Centre

London SE1 7NA

UK

Dear Mr Thomson

Data Protection Act 1998 Subject Access Request (SAR)

Thank you for your letter dated 19 June 2013.

Please find enclosed completed application forms together with cheques based on a fee of £10 per applicant, if that is appropriate.

The application is made on an annual basis in joint names; the formula sensibly requested by your former colleague Mr Richard Wiseman and agreed to by us.

The categories of  “Particular Personal Data” you have brought to our attention in the standard form supplied are not appropriate to our application. You do not have any category that is relevant to our relationship with Shell, which is unique. read more

Monday, June 24, 2013

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd as operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/SPDC joint venture announced that the SPDC JV (NNPC 55%, SPDC 30%, TOTAL 10%, NAOC 5%) has taken final investment decisions for the Trans Niger Pipeline loop-line and the Gbaran-Ubie Phase Two projects, both in Nigeria’s eastern Niger Delta. The total capital investment for the two bundles of projects is around $3.9 billion. SPDC has also announced a strategic review of the interests that it holds in selected onshore leases in the SPDC JV. read more

By Krithika Krishnamurthy: June 21 2013

(Reuters) – No pilot was required when the Aeryon Scout took off into the leaden skies of Alaska to inspect a stretch of oil pipeline. The miniature aircraft was guided by an engineer on the ground, armed only with a tablet computer.

The 20-minute test flight, conducted by BP Plc last fall, was a glimpse of a future where oil and gas companies in the Arctic can rely on unmanned aircraft to detect pipeline faults, at a fraction of the cost of piloted helicopter flights. read more

Now, just to refresh your memory, Shell is the oil company whose most notable adventure in 2012 consisted of trying and repeatedly failing to drill for oil off the coast of Alaska this summer. So why did the company win an award, as opposed to the ridicule of its peers? Are extra points awarded for transforming an oil drilling operation into a tragicomic circus show? Or maybe Shell won “Energy Company of the Year” by excelling at lying its ass off; After all, after it spent years and billions of dollars convincing U.S. regulators that drilling was safe, and then turned around and admitted its safety equipment in the Arctic was a joke.

Brian Merchant 

Somebody thought Royal-Dutch Shell did an extra-good job this year, and decided to give them a trophy: The oil giant was named “Energy Company of the Year” at the Platts Global Energy Awards. According to its website, Platts is the “leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals and metals information,” and is in no way related to screen legend Oliver Platt.

Now, just to refresh your memory, Shell is the oil company whose most notable adventure in 2012 consisted of trying and repeatedly failing to drill for oil off the coast of Alaska this summer. So why did the company win an award, as opposed to the ridicule of its peers? Are extra points awarded for transforming an oil drilling operation into a tragicomic circus show? read more

June 24, 2013

Shell was considering a further reduction in its oil production in the eastern Niger Delta, it said on Friday. Nigeria wants more of its oil and gas owned either by the state oil company or local firms, raising concerns among foreign oil majors they may lose smaller assets for nothing if they do not sell now, industry experts say. Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development of Nigeria, said on Friday that it would consult with its international and Nigerian partners over the future of the 28 leases that produce some 750 000 barrels a day of oil. – Reuters read more

Peter Klinger, The West Australian June 24, 2013, 7:30 am

Outgoing Shell Australia chair-woman Ann Pickard will use her last visit to Canberra today to plead for a return to political leadership capable of making “the important and hard decisions required” to keep the country internationally competitive.

Evoking the examples of reformist former prime ministers Robert Menzies, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard, Ms Pickard will use her address to a Committee for Economic Development of Australia function to call for “conviction in making hard, long-term decisions”. read more

By OGJ editors: HOUSTON, June 23, 2013

Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. (SPDC), operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC)/SPDC joint venture (SPDC JV), reported that the group has taken final investment decisions for the Trans Niger Pipeline loop-line (TNPL) and the Gbaran-Ubie Phase Two projects. Both are in Nigeria’s eastern Niger Delta.

FULL ARTICLE

Today The Wall Street Journal reports that “Shell Contractors” have been arrested in connection with the theft of oil. This relates to the explosion and fire earlier this week that resulted in the closure of the Trans Niger pipeline.

By John Donovan

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

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

A Guardian article confirmed from its own sources our long standing allegation that Shell has fuelled violence in Nigeria by paying rival militant gangs. These were the people attacking Shell oil pipelines thereby driving up the global oil price to Shell’s great benefit.

Today The Wall Street Journal reports that “Shell Contractors” have been arrested in connection with the theft of oil.  read more

By John Donovan: After the recent historic U.S. Supreme Court precedent setting decision in favour of the evil oil giant Royal Dutch Shell Plc and big business in the Kiobel vs. Royal Dutch Shell case, there is further disturbing evidence this week that the court is siding with multinational corporations against ordinary people and small businesses. WHY? The following extraordinary article by the Editorial Board of The New York Times is published today on page 18 of the New York edition.

Another Blow to Class Action

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

This week, the Supreme Court continued its aggressive effort to favor corporations by forcing customers to raise grievances through individual arbitration rather than a class action or some other joint legal challenge.

In American Express Company v. Italian Colors Restaurant, the court ruled 5 to 3 that a group of merchants could not bring a class action against the company even on antitrust grounds because each had signed a contract that required complaints to be taken to individual arbitration. read more

21 June 2013

NIGERIA’s daily crude oil output declined by 150,000 barrels, as Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC, joint venture, Thursday, said it has shut the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) following an explosion and fire at a crude theft point on the 28″ section of the facility at Bodo West in Ogoni land.

To this end, the country is currently losing about $14.73 million (N2.357 billion) daily, pending when the pipeline is restored.

A statement by Mr. Tony Okonedo, Corporate Media Relations Manager, said that prior to the incident, SPDC had shut down the 28″ TNP to remove crude theft connections, and has now closed the 24″ TNP as a precautionary response to the fire. This means that the entire TNP system, comprising the 28″ and 24″ pipelines have been shut-in. The 24″ TNP will be reopened when it is safe to do so, while the 28″ TNP will remain shut-in until the fire has been extinguished, and investigation and damage assessment completed.” read more

June 21, 2013

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC says it will spend $3.9 billion on investments in Nigeria, including an effort to strengthen the Trans-Niger Pipeline that was shut down this week after it was damaged in a theft attack.

In a statement Friday, the company said it plans to spend $1.5 billion on the pipeline, which carries 150,000 barrels of crude per day and is located in the eastern Niger Delta. Shell operates in Nigeria via a joint venture that is majority-owned by the country’s state oil company. read more

21 June 2013

LAGOS — Oil giant Shell announced Friday it may sell more of its onshore oil blocks in Nigeria, where theft and sabotage have repeatedly cut into production in Africa’s largest crude producer.

The British-Dutch firm, Nigeria’s biggest producer, also said the joint venture its Nigerian subsidiary operates was planning to invest $3.9 billion (3 billion euros) on gas projects and pipeline work.

Shell said it may continue with efforts to sell off its interests in onshore oil blocks. It has sold its interests in eight blocks since 2010 for a total of $1.8 billion, it said. read more

‘Shell Out Sounds’ campaign is protesting Shell’s sponsorship of the Southbank Centre
read more

Press release
Issued by the Rossport Solidarity Camp
For immediate release
21st June 2013

*Corrib campaigner released from Castlerea prison*

*Liam Heffernan released after 10 days imprisonment and 5 days on hunger strike*

Today at Harristown court, Castlrea Co. Roscommon, Liam Walsh Heffernan (28) of Castlebar Co. Mayo, was released from Castlerea prison after 10 days in custody. For the last 5 days of his imprisonment he had been on hunger strike protesting against his detention and the extraordinary conditions of the bail terms that he had thus far refused. read more

An article published on 18 June contains information about six potential front-runners to replace Peter Voser, the current Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell Plc

The six are: Simon Henry, Marvin Odum, Andrew Brown, Matthias Bichsel, Josef Ackermann and Hans Wijers.

Link to the article

Fri Jun 21, 2013 10:39am EDT

* Production flatlines at 3 mln bpd in first half

* Target of 3.4 mln by end year “doable”

* New oilfields due on stream include Shell’s Majnoon

* 2014 goal of 4.5 mln bpd seen as unachievable

By Peg Mackey and Alex Lawler

LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) – Iraq’s oil output target for 2013 is still within reach, even with flows stuck at 3 million barrels a day during the first half of the year, but a lofty goal for 2014 will be far more difficult to meet, oil executives and officials say. read more

Royal Dutch/Shell is considering a further reduction in its oil production in the eastern Niger Delta, where decades of spills and oil thefts have damaged the region’s environment and the reputation of the company.

LONDON/LAGOS | Fri Jun 21, 2013 3:57pm BST

(Reuters) – Royal Dutch/Shell (RDSa.L) is considering a further reduction in its oil production in the eastern Niger Delta, where decades of spills and oil thefts have damaged the region’s environment and the reputation of the company.

Nigeria’s government wants more of its oil and gas owned either by the state oil company or local firms, raising concerns among foreign oil majors they may lose smaller assets for nothing if they don’t sell now, industry experts say. read more

21 June 2013

Dow Jones Newswires reports that the boiler at the 156,000 barrel a day Martinez refinery tripped, sending emissions into the air.

FULL ARTICLE

Environmental activists accuse Shell Nigeria of using oil theft as an excuse to cover up accidental spills. The company has to compensate local communities for spills not caused by theft.

Shell Nigeria: Explosion forces closure of Trans Niger Pipeline carrying 150,000 barrels a day

By Associated Press, Published: June 20

LAGOS, Nigeria — Shell Nigeria says an explosion and fire caused by oil theft have forced it to shut down its Trans Niger Pipeline that carries 150,000 barrels of crude a day.Thursday’s statement said the theft of oil, known as bunkering, caused the conflagration at Bodo West in Ogoniland. The area in southern Nigeria already has suffered decades of oil spills.Shell’s Nigeria Director Mutiu Sunmonu described “another sad reminder of the tragic consequences of crude oil theft.”

Environmental activists accuse Shell Nigeria of using oil theft as an excuse to cover up accidental spills. The company has to compensate local communities for spills not caused by theft.

“Sabotage is a problem in Nigeria, but Shell exaggerates this issue to avoid criticism for its failure to prevent oil spills,” Audrey Gaughran of Amnesty International said.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Rossport campaigners say Liam Heffernan was arrested for blocking construction vehicles

CAMPAIGNERS AGAINST the construction of a Shell gas pipeline at Rossport in Co Mayo say one of their fellow campaigners is on his fourth day of a hunger strike over his arrest.

Liam Heffernan was arrested at Aughoose last Wednesday for allegedly obstructing Shell construction vehicles as they moved in to bore a tunnel to carry a pipeline in the area.

Campaigners claim his arrest was without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.

They say Heffernan was taken to Belmullet Garda Station where he was offered the opportunity to enter into a bail bond, on the condition that he stay away from Shell’s tunnelling compound at Aughoose. read more

By Benoit Faucon and Sarah Kent: June 20, 2013

LONDON–A key Nigeria pipeline operated by a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA, RDSA.LN) has caught fire following an oil spill, an eye witness and a local environmental activist said Thursday.

“The fire is on. I can see the smoke in the air,”

FULL ARTICLE ACCESS

Controversy relating to Shell’s evil track record in Nigeria is not limited to oil spill pollution. There is also the corruption, plunder, collusion, militants on Shell’s pay roll and Shell spying on the host government. Graphic from the Guardian Article: Unloveable Shell: the Goddess of Oil (Comments by John Donovan)

Claims by Shell that sabotage is responsible for most oil spilt in Nigeria have come under fire. A Dutch agency found that the oil giants statements were based on disputed evidence and flawed investigations.

Friends of the Earth International

Amnesty International

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, 19 JUNE 2013 – Claims by Shell that sabotage is responsible for most oil spilt in Nigeria have come under fire. A Dutch agency found that the oil giant’s statements were based on disputed evidence and flawed investigations. read more

On Monday 17th of June Shell Corrib Gas Project campaigner Liam Heffernan (right) began a hunger strike in protest against his continued detention in Castlerea prison.

Issued by Rossport Solidarity Camp

On Monday 17th of June Shell Corrib Gas Project campaigner Liam Heffernan (right) began a hunger strike in protest against his continued detention in Castlerea prison.

On Wednesday morning the 12th of June Liam Heffernan – a campaigner from the Rossport Solidarity Camp – was arrested at Aughoose, County Mayo under sections 8 and 9 of the Public Order Act for allegedly obstructing Shell construction vehicles without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. read more

Premier Colin Barnett has renewed his attack on Royal Dutch Shell’s “unreliable” floating gas processing technology, claiming its susceptibility to cyclones is worrying customers in Asia.

Premier Colin Barnett has renewed his attack on Royal Dutch Shell’s “unreliable” floating gas processing technology, claiming its susceptibility to cyclones is worrying customers in Asia.

In a remarkable intervention during Parliament’s Question Time yesterday, Mr Barnett also showed he had refused to accept the loss of a land-based LNG hub at James Price Point. He issued a veiled threat that he would strip Woodside Petroleum and its Browse Basin partners of their State-based gas retention leases next year if they pursued FLNG. read more

Peter Voser attacked the EU’s renewables subsidy as he claimed the continent’s approach to energy was failing. read more

Oil company Shell will resume talks next week in London with lawyers representing 15,000 of the poorest people in the world who are claiming millions of pounds’ compensation for oil spills on the Niger delta. But Martyn Day, of Leigh Day law firm which is acting for the communities, said the case could still go to a full high court trial in London in 2014.

The company has admitted liability for two spills but disputes the quantity of oil and damage done

• John Vidal, environment editor
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 June 2013 17.19 BST

Oil company Shell will resume talks next week in London with lawyers representing 15,000 of the poorest people in the world who are claiming millions of pounds’ compensation for oil spills on the Niger delta. But Martyn Day, of Leigh Day law firm which is acting for the communities, said the case could still go to a full high court trial in London in 2014.

The Shell petroleum development company of Nigeria (SPDC) has admitted liability for two spills from a pipeline in the Niger delta in 2008, but the company disputes the quantity of oil that was spilled and the damage that was done to livelihoods and the environment near the coastal village of Bodo in Rivers State. Oil spill experts working for the communities estimate that nearly 500,000 barrels leaked from the company pipeline over several months, Shell claims it was far less. read more

The changes come amid renewed interest from companies such as BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Imperial Oil Ltd. and the Canadian unit of Chevron Corp. in tapping offshore Atlantic and Arctic crude. Photograph by: Handout/United States Coast Guard , Financial Post

CALGARY • Ottawa is boosting the liability cap on oil companies with plans to drill in Atlantic and Arctic waters as it looks to rekindle interest in Canada’s offshore.

In changes announced Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said companies operating in the Atlantic would be on the hook for a maximum of $1-billion in the event of a spill, up from $30-million previously. Arctic drillers, who face high costs and harsh operating conditions in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, would also be responsible for a $1-billion liability limit, up from $40-million under existing rules. read more

BY RICHARD GILBER: staff write: June 19, 2013

The Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has approved Shell Canada Limited’s applications to construct and operate two pipelines and a single gas well battery in the Beaver Mines area of southern Alberta.

Shell applied for approval to construct and operate two pipelines that are about 1.2 km in length and are required for production at the company’s existing Waterton 68 well, which is located about 30 kilometres southwest of Pincher Creek. read more

By Sally Bakewell June 18, 2013

Carbon capture and storage, a way of cutting emissions from industry by burying them underground, needs more state support for the European Union to meet clean-energy goals, a Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) adviser said.

“We’ve got to be clear that the EU’s climate goals in the long run cannot be met without clear policy intervention and that CCS is vital for the delivery of that,” Graeme Sweeney, who advises Shell on carbon-dioxide strategy, said by telephone. read more

Promoters of Canadian tar sands development and the sale of large volumes of Canadian heavy oil never mention this hidden and unwanted ‘gift’ of high sulfur ‘coal’ that comes with the heavy oil. It is the ‘dirty little secret’ of the Canadian heavy oil crude that nobody in the oil industry wants to talk about. Where this stuff will be stored is a problem yet to be solved. At the present time it cannot be used as a fuel in the US because it is so polluting, worse that the dirtiest coal mined in the US.

Article authored by a regular contributor

John,

The following links tell a story about Canadian tar sands development that is interesting because they bring attention to a serious problem associated with the refining of the heavy crudes and bitumen from Canadian tar sand that has yet to be debated.

The refining of Canadian heavy crudes from the tar sands of Alberta in large volumes is going to produce vast amounts of a high sulfur content solid carbon by-product called ‘petroleum coke’, or ‘pet coke’. Disposal of this unwanted by-product will quickly become a problem for the refiners and nobody seems to be paying attention to that little fact. read more

…an independent investigation into how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s guidelines are enforced found ‘discrepancies’ between Shell’s story and other accounts of the size and cause of spills… urged Shell to publish all investigations carried out prior to 2011, potentially exposing the company to multi-million pound lawsuits…

By Rob Davies: PUBLISHED: 09:11, 19 June 2013

Royal Dutch Shell’s claims to be reducing the amount of oil it spills in Nigeria have been undermined by a report into how it publishes data on environmental disasters.

The Anglo-Dutch firm has been at pains to show that most spills in the Niger Delta are the result of thieves hacking into pipelines, a crime known as ‘bunkering’.

But an independent investigation into how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s guidelines are enforced found ‘discrepancies’ between Shell’s story and other accounts of the size and cause of spills. read more

The National Contact Point (NCP) agency will today give Shell a rap on the knuckles for its reporting of its spills in the Niger Delta region, some of which have been highly damaging to the environment. NCP has reached this conclusion following an investigation into accusations by Amnesty International and Friends of the Earth International that Shell has exaggerated the proportion of spills caused by sabotage to avoid paying compensation and to reduce damage to its reputation.

TOM BAWDEN: WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2013

Shell’s persistent claims that theft and sabotage are responsible for almost all the oil spills at its operation in Nigeria could have been exaggerated, an international watchdog has found.

The National Contact Point (NCP) agency will today give Shell a rap on the knuckles for its reporting of its spills in the Niger Delta region, some of which have been highly damaging to the environment.

The agency, set up to oversee OECD guidelines on multi-national companies, said: “Given the many years of discussion about the causes of oil spills in Nigeria, Royal Dutch Shell management should have had a more cautious attitude about the percentage of oil spills caused by the sabotage,” noting that the data they are based on is “not absolute”. read more

By Kevin Keane BBC Scotland reporter: 18 June 2013

A three-day conference to encourage people working offshore to think about the lessons of the Piper Alpha disaster is being held in Aberdeen.

A total of 167 men died in the tragedy on 6 July 1988 when explosions and a fireball ripped through the rig.

(Related article: Shell’s North Sea history of safety violations, blackmail and blacklisting)

About 750 delegates will take part in ‘Piper 25’ at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC).

The keynote speaker is Lord Cullen, whose report into the tragedy led to major safety changes. read more