Man Isn’t Alone; Apes Also Suffer Midlife Crises

August 30, 2013, 7:38 p.m. ET

BY ROBERT M. SAPOLSKY

The petroleum industry is still absorbing the recent, surprising resignation of Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell. Mr. Voser had been riding high with many successes during his stewardship of the petroleum giant. Yet, at the peak of his game at age 54, he resigned, wanting a “lifestyle change,” and to spend more time with his family.

If this constitutes a midlife crisis for Mr. Voser, he appears to have dealt with it with a steady hand. But there is no shortage of people, amid their own midlife crises, going off the rails in ways both small—sudden obsessive exercising, … read more

Nigeria's unemployment situation is set to worsen, as the fate of about 10,000 workers in the Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas project, OKLNG, is currently on the line, following the pulling out of Chevron and Shell, which threatens the continuation of the project.

Research released last year revealed that Shell is the brand most targeted by activist groups. The company has seen a particular rise in activist criticism because its Arctic drilling plans, which are the target of a high-profile Greenpeace campaign. read more

Shell’s oil refinery in the Jutland city of Fredericia was invaded by about 40 Greenpeace activists dressed up like polar bears early this morning.

The activists forced entry to the Dutch oil giant’s refinery just after 6am and a group of them immediately began climbing up one of the refinery’s large silos , where they hung a banner featuring an image of the well-known yellow and red Shell logo juxtaposed with a polar bear’s face.

“We are here to reveal Shell’s true face. The company is leading the hunt for oil in the Arctic, despite having shown us that they are completely unable to protect the vulnerable environment and unique nature in Greenland and the rest of the region,” Helene Hansen, a 28-year-old activist, told Ekstra Bladet tabloid. read more

Zurich chairman Ackermann resigns over suicide of CFO

By Katharina Bart

ZURICH | Thu Aug 29, 2013 4:07am EDT

(Reuters) – Josef Ackermann, the chairman of Zurich Insurance (ZURN.VX) and former Deutsche Bank boss (DBKGn.DE), resigned on Thursday over the apparent suicide of the insurer’s chief financial officer, further roiling the top ranks of the firm.

Ackermann said the family of Pierrer Wauthier, who worked at Europe’s No. 3 insurance group for 17 years, believed he shared some of the blame for his death.

“I have reasons to believe that the family is of the opinion that I should take my share of responsibility, as unfounded as any allegations might be,” he said in a statement on Thursday. read more

The latest news is that Roadbridge, the main contractor on the scandal ridden Corrib Gas Project has categorically denied allegations by a sub-contractor, OSSL, that Roadbridge was involved in handling any invoice related to “illegal or unethical activity”. Does this mean that Roadbridge will join the long queue of parties that appear to have grounds for a defamation action, but for some reason, do not actually launch legal proceedings?

By John Donovan

For several months Mr. Alan Shatter TD, the Irish Minister for Justice, has been aware of the Shell Garda Corruption scandal that has led to the Garda being the subject of public ridicule on YouTube and in the print media.

Printed below is his answer to a question kindly raised on my behalf in the Irish Parliament by Clare Daly TD.

It is followed by a response email sent directly to me on his behalf.

The latest news is that Roadbridge, the main contractor on the scandal ridden Corrib Gas Project has categorically denied allegations by a sub-contractor, OSSL, that Roadbridge was involved in handling any invoice related to “illegal or unethical activity”. read more

Roadbridge confirms it handled invoices for OSSL in 2007

Garda directing vehicles at Shell’s gas refinery site at Ballinaboy in north Mayo. A former Shell contractor, OSSL, claims it made deliveries of alcohol to Belmullet Garda station between 2005 and 2007, claims which Shell denies.

Lorna Siggins: Wed, Aug 28, 2013

The Corrib gas projects main contractor Roadbridge has confirmed it handled invoices for the company in dispute with Shell E&P Ireland over alleged non-payment for alcohol deliveries.

However, Roadbridge chairman Jim Mulcair has told The Irish Times his company “categorically denies” that it would have handled or paid any invoice related to “illegal or unethical activity”. read more

In a statement by spokesman John Monaghan, the community group reiterated the fact that it was ‘committed to solving the continued difficulties with the ongoing Shell-Statoil Corrib Gas controversy’, but was ‘extremely concerned about the most recent developments regarding allegations of bribery and deception involving senior members of An Garda Siochána and agents acting on behalf of the Corrib developers’.

Áine Ryan: [email protected]: Tuesday, 27 August 2013 12:03

A SENIOR garda confirmed yesterday he ‘was in the process of arranging a meeting’ with the former Corrib gas contractor who claims he delivered almost €30,000 worth of booze on behalf of Shell to Belmullet Garda Station before Christmas 2007, while smaller amounts were delivered as festive gifts the previous two years.

Supt Thomas Murphy of Swinford Garda Station told The Mayo News he had just returned from holidays and had contacted Mr Desmond Kane of OSSL to arrange a meeting. read more

Blogpost by Brian Fitzgerald – August 27, 2013 at 13:49

Video of our rather hilarious hijack of Sunday’s Shell-sponsored Formula 1 ceremony has been pulled by YouTube following a “Copyright” (AKA “Embarrassment”) complaint. While the take down appears to have been ordered by the Formula 1 organisers, we suspect Shell is pleased. They may even be behind it. Now, why would we think that?

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time that a corporation has tried to silence a Greenpeace parody or critical piece by claiming they own their name and therefore any content mentioning them. read more

By John Donovan

A month has passed since the death of my father, Alfred Donovan, at the age of 96. A war disabled and decorated veteran who spent 12 years in the British Army.

I have received many moving tributes and messages of condolences from friends and critics, for which I am most sincerely grateful.

But not one word from Shell. No gallantly shown towards a formidable opponent of Shell in recent decades (and the Japanese invaders in Burma during World War 2).

The company has been well aware for several years that if it stipulates that a communication sent to me is not for publication, that stipulation would be respected. So it could have said something off the record, but chose not to make even that minimal gesture of respect. read more

Royal Dutch Shell Plc shale gas drilling plans for South Africa’s Karoo semi-desert are pitting the government and its energy goals against farmers and conservationists like billionaire Johann Rupert who say the land will be spoiled.

Shell applied for permission in 2011 to drill 24 exploratory wells in the Karoo. Source: GO!/Gallo Images/Getty Images

By Paul Burkhard: August 27, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s shale gas drilling plans for South Africa’s Karoo semi-desert are pitting the government and its energy goals against farmers and conservationists like billionaire Johann Rupert who say the land will be spoiled.

The government estimates enough gas can be discovered to generate 1 trillion rand ($100 billion) of sales within three decades and help bring a country that imports 70 percent of its crude oil needs closer to supplying its own energy demand. Landowners are lining up against the water-intensive drilling techniques that Europe’s biggest oil company intends to use. read more

Activist hijacks Belgian GP podium just metres away from celebrating Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton on day of protests at F1 race

By Phil Duncan and Joe Strange

PUBLISHED: 13:55, 25 August 2013 | UPDATED: 16:14, 25 August 2013

A Greenpeace activist managed to scale the Belgian Grand Prix podium as Sebastian Vettel was celebrating his fifth victory of the Formula One season.

The female, protesting against race sponsor Shell and their Arctic oil programme, managed to unfurl a banner which read ‘Congratulations! Now help us save the Arctic!’ while abseiling above the podium celebrations.

Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Britain’s Lewis Hamilton were seemingly oblivious to the huge security lapse as the crowd jeered the activist later named as Julia Ritschard. read more

Iraq’s oil ministry, struggling with sputtering output, has blamed Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell over $4.6 billion in lost revenue due to production delays, in a letter seen by AFP on Monday.

BAGHDAD (AFP) 26 Aug 2013

Iraq’s oil ministry, struggling with sputtering output, has blamed Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell over $4.6 billion in lost revenue due to production delays, in a letter seen by AFP on Monday.

The document, dated July 21, 2013, sharply criticises the foreign energy firm for shortfalls in oil extraction at the giant Majnoon field in south Iraq, and comes as oil exports have fallen to their lowest level in 16 months even as Baghdad has looked to cement its role as a key global energy producer. read more

Published in Phoenix magazine – the Irish equivalent of Private Eye. Click on image to enlarge.

The Corrib Chronicle – €35m Garda Beer Pipe Opens

By: The Phoenix – funnies

There were wild scenes yesterday after the official opening of the Shell to Belmullet Garda beer pipe.  Top brass from the Gardai Siochana were on hand to join in one of the biggest piss-ups in the force’s history.  The beer pipe was officially opened at 12 noon and within 30 minutes Gardai could be seen vomiting, cavorting and stumbling all over the place.

Speaking exclusively to the Chronicle after 18 pints, Sgt Padraig Lawlor of Belmullet Garda station said “Thishh ish what great abouth dish country – free drrrink for de Gash! We cant tank Shhelll enough!” – he then collapsed. read more

Greenpeace activists attempted to disrupt the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix after unfolding a large banner on the main start-finish grandstand.

After two para-gliders flew over the circuit trailing a banner protesting against race sponsor Shell’s Arctic drilling plans, four activists from Greenpeace Belgium scaled the roof of the main grandstand in the hour before the start.

As local police struggled to find a way of stopping the protest, the protestors unfolded a 20-metre long banner that read: “Arctic oil? Shell no!”

In a statement issued following the protest, Greenpeace international executive director Kumi Naidoo said: “I was a fan of Grand Prix racing when I was growing up, but I am not a fan of what Shell is doing in the Arctic. read more

Written by Paul Williams: Published on Friday, 23 August 2013 11:33

This field is located in the Walker Ridge area, at a water depth of approximately 2,900 meters.

Technip was awarded by Shell Offshore Inc. an engineering, procurement and installation contract for the development of subsea infrastructure for the Stones field.

This field is located in the Walker Ridge area in the US Gulf of Mexico, at a water depth of approximately 2,900 meters (9,500 feet).

The development will host the deepest floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit in the world and will be Shell’s first FPSO in the Gulf of Mexico.

Technip will be in charge of installation of the subsea production system and Stones lateral gas pipeline, inclusive of associated project management, engineering and stalk fabrication. read more

Shell is facing legal action in a UK court on behalf of 11,000 members of the Niger delta Bodo community, who say the company is responsible for spilling 500,000 barrels in 2008. Shell has admitted liability for two spills in the Bodo region but estimates the volume is far lower.

• Reuters in Yenagoa
• The Guardian, Friday 23 August 2013 19.33 BST

Royal Dutch Shell‘s Nigerian unit is containing an oil spill in the Niger delta, the company said on Friday, after the military reported liquid “jetting” out of a pipeline. Massive oil theft, sabotage of infrastructure and leaks from ageing pipelines are all cutting into the profits of the big oil companies operating in Nigeria, as well as damaging public finances.

The hundreds of spills a year in the Niger delta do serious environmental damage, destroying fishing communities and poisoning water used for drinking and bathing. read more

By Sandy Mazza, Daily Breeze: 08/22/13

Shell Oil Co. was ordered this week to revise major portions of its plan to clean the soil in Carson’s highly contaminated Carousel tract neighborhood.

This is the first time the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has acknowledged the validity of arguments that Shell is shirking its responsibilities since the agency ordered Shell to clean the 50-acre property more than two years ago. The latest order comes just a few weeks after the Carson City Council declared a local environmental emergency at the housing development, which sits on land that housed an oil tank from the 1920s to 1960s. Large amounts of waste oil seeped into the ground beneath the tract. read more

By John Donovan

Anyone who has read the postings made on this website in recent years by insiders working on the Motiva Refinery expansion project should not be in the least surprised by the series of serious mishaps following the restart, which taken together, can only be described as a complete and utter shambles.

Troubled Motiva refinery, biggest in U.S., faces lengthy 2014 work: sources

MOTIVA PORT ARTHUR REFINERY: ANOTHER SHELL PROJECT HUMILIATION

Motiva Enterprises is jointly owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Aramco. read more

The biggest U.S. oil refinery could shut its main crude distillation unit for up to three months next year to replace a vibrating pipe that prevents the 325,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) unit from running at full capacity, sources familiar with operations said. That would be another blow to the Motiva Enterprises, 600,000-bpd plant since the $10-billion (U.S.)refinery, in Port Arthur, Tex., opened last year. Motiva is owned by Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco.

ERWIN SEB: HOUSTON — Reuters: Published Wednesday, Aug. 21 2013, 4:54 PM EDT

The biggest U.S. oil refinery could shut its main crude distillation unit for up to three months next year to replace a vibrating pipe that prevents the 325,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) unit from running at full capacity, sources familiar with operations said.

That would be another blow to the Motiva Enterprises, 600,000-bpd plant since the $10-billion (U.S.)refinery, in Port Arthur, Tex., opened last year. Motiva is owned by Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco. read more

Various statements, it claims, have been issued in recent days by Shell and the police force, and notes with dismay that neither group has yet denied the accusations, but merely pushed them away with talk of repeated internal investigations with no possibility of independence.

HEADLINE: Garda Ombudsman Admits a Complaint on alleged Delivery of Alcohol to Belmullet garda Station was Received but was Inadmissable

Created on Thursday, 22 August 2013 12:51

Today the Garda Ombudsman’s Office has admitted to Midwest News that it had received a complaint about an alleged large delivery of alcohol to the garda station in Belmullet sent to it by Shell, at Christmas 2007.

The office has indicated to RTE News on Tuesday that it was not investigating the matter because no complaint was made to it.

Today a spokesperson for the office says it should have stated that no admissible complaint was made to it about the alleged incident. read more

You can bring this whole episode to a speedy conclusion if Shell simply states that the OSSL allegations are entirely false and the items listed on the related invoice dated 24 August 2012 entirely fictitious.  It would follow that if the allegations are false and the items on the invoice false, then bearing in mind that OSSL has been pressing Shell for payment on false grounds, Shell must surely be legally bound as a public company to call in the Garda and/or the UK police to immediately investigate the relevant Irish or UK citizens responsible for what would undoubtedly be a very serious criminal act. If Shell fails to clarify the situation by making an unambiguous statement along the lines I have suggested, then the good people of Ireland will be able to draw their own conclusions.

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

From: John Donovan <[email protected]>
Subject: OSSL Allegations
Date: 21 August 2013 21:30:07 GMT+01:00
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]

Mr Brandjes

I first wrote to you about the OSSL allegations nearly a year ago and have been regularly publishing articles on the matter ever since.

In recent days your company has stated that it unequivocally rejects the allegations made by OSSL.

Is that rejection based on your internal investigation?

If it is, it undermines the validity of the rejection because your investigation was carried out by Shell employees and consequently was not independent. read more

OSSL EMAIL TO SHELL EP IRELAND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MICHAEL CROTHERS

From: THE OSSL COMPANY <[email protected]>
Date: 21 August 2013 16:58:10 BST
To: Michael Crothers <[email protected]>, Peter Voser <[email protected]>, Michiel Brandjes <[email protected]>, “<Iain[email protected]>” <[email protected]>
Subject: Police alcohol ..your open discussions …  Confirming the existence of alcohol deliveries

…..Michael …we won’t stand by and let the authenticity of the outstanding invoice be questioned ,
You have had open and frank discussions on the matter in the presence of your legal lady Julia Busby and OSSL legal Marc Fitzgibbon both in London on the 9th of March 2012 in Shells HQ,and in the Burlington Hotel Dublin two months later. read more

Pobal Chill Chomain Press Release – SHELL/STATOIL GARDA BRIBERY – 21/08/2013

As a community group committed to solving the continued difficulties with the ongoing Shell/Statoil Corrib Gas controversy, we are extremely concerned with the most recent developments regarding allegations of bribery and deception involving senior members of An Garda Siochana and agents acting on behalf of the Corrib developers; i.e. the long-term bribery of Garda members with gifts of alcohol, and misleading a Garda Ombudsman investigation.

These allegations strike at the heart of our community, but strike also at the basic notion of democracy and transparency in this country, and must be rooted out at their foundation if we are to move on from conflict and mistrust. read more

RTE TV NEWS CLIP: Garda­ in Belmullet: Shell denies supplying alcohol to gardai in Bellmullet: Shell Ireland have again rejected claims of supplying alcohol to garda­ in Belmullet… read more

By James Paton: August 21, 2013

Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL), Australia’s second-biggest oil producer, is waiting for an Israeli court decision later this year before completing a deal to invest in the Leviathan natural gas project.

Israeli’s high court is expected Sept. 17 to consider whether the cabinet’s gas export plan, which affects the Leviathan project, needs to be approved by the parliament, Woodside Chief Executive Officer Peter Coleman told analysts today on a call. A court decision after the hearing is expected in the second half of 2013, he said. read more

• Nicolas Perpitch and Andrew Burrell
• From: The Australian
• August 20, 2013 12:00AM

THE development of vast natural gasfields off Western Australia’s Kimberley coast has suffered a setback after the state’s Supreme Court found the environmental approvals for a critical gas-processing hub north of Broome were unlawful.

In an embarrassment for the Barnett government, Chief Justice Wayne Martin yesterday ruled the environmental approvals needed to build a gas hub for Woodside Petroleum’s $40 billion-plus Browse Basin project at James Price Point should be set aside because of conflicts of interest among the environmental watchdog’s board members. read more

• Andrew Burrell
• From: The Australian
• August 21, 2013 12:00AM

COLIN Barnett’s push to create thousands of construction jobs by keeping the huge Browse gas project onshore has suffered another blow after Woodside Petroleum said it wanted to develop the project using radical floating LNG technology.

Woodside and its joint venture partners are now expected to formally commit within months to using FLNG for the Browse gas fields.

ACCESS TO FULL ARTICLE (Subject to subscription)

Here are a few links that report findings by the US Government Accounting Office about drilling in the Alaskan Arctic.

Your readers might be interested in what they have to say.

GAO finds Arctic offshore-drilling risks despite toughened oversight … read more

COMMENT BY A KNOWLEDGEABLE SOURCE ON SHELL SPONSORED ALCOHOL FOR THE GARDA: CHRISTMAS GIFT OR BRIBE?

John

Shell have a rule that gifts are acceptable up to a certain value.  I don’t know the current figure, but 100 Euros would probably be about right.

300 garda times 100 Euros = 30,000 Euros, so if OSSL only spent 29,500 Euros that would mean that they were 1 Euro below the limit at which the gift would have been a bribe and hence unacceptable. So Shell can probably hold their hands on their hearts and say that they did not (according to their own definition) bribe the garda. Hence rejection rather than denial. read more

By John Donovan

I have published this email from OSSL because I know for a fact (including from my own experience) that Shell has used undercover agents to intimidate perceived enemies of the company and has engaged in widespread industrial espionage using former MI6 agents. I have the documentary evidence to prove what I say is 100% true.

I do not know whether the concerns expressed by OSSL in this email are well founded, but thought it best, for safety’s sake, to put their concerns into the public domain, so that senior Shell executives cannot afterwards claim that they were unaware of these matters. read more

By Michael Eboh, 20 August 2013

Nigerians were once again the losers, as six international oil companies — Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhilips, Chevron, Total, Eni and ExxonMobil — paid their shareholders a dividend of $38.76 billion (N6.201 trillion) in 2013.

The dividends were for the 2012 financial year, which was approved by their respective shareholders a couple of weeks ago.

The dividends declared by the six oil majors represent about 52.93 per cent of the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s, NSE, market capitalization of N11.714 trillion. read more

By John Donovan

As can be seen from the transcript of a Drivetime segment broadcast on RTE Radio 1 yesterday evening, Shell has been cornered into making what is described as a much more robust denial of the allegations made by its former “Mr Fixit” in Ireland, OSSL.

In so doing, Shell appears to have given OSSL grounds for a defamation action.

I have redacted from the statement attributed to Shell the potentially defamatory words used by Shell and broadcast by RTE.

I am not a lawyer, but I do have experience in successfully suing Shell for libel. My late father did the same. Shell settled both actions as part of wider settlements. read more

From Politics.ie/forum

Any difference between ‘reject’ and ‘deny’???

Probably on front page of IT today, available on IT site now:

Shell rejects claims over delivery of alcohol to Garda – The Irish Times – Mon, Aug 19, 2013

Also up already on Donovan site:

Shell rejects claims over delivery of alcohol to Garda | Royal Dutch Shell plc .com

I have a little difficulty with Shell’s use of language here …

I believe the ubiquitous ‘reasonable person’ would read ‘reject’ as ‘no thanks’/’don’t want that’/’refuse to accept’ etc etc whereas ‘deny’ would be read as ‘it didn’t happen’. read more

Sources said refinery managers spoke of their frustration on Monday with problems that have plagued the expanded plant.  “It was a bad weekend for us,” said one source. “We’re all feeling snake-bit. It just seems like we get up and going and then something else goes wrong.”

Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:28am IST

* ‘Feeling snake-bit’
* Second fire in week
* Vibration problem lingers

By Erwin Seba

PORT ARTHUR, Texas, Aug 19 (Reuters) – A fire at the largest oil refinery in the United States has knocked out more than half of its output for at least two weeks, the latest in a string of mishaps following a $10-billion expansion at the Motiva plant in Port Arthur, Texas.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc – which owns the refinery with Saudi Aramco – said the fire on Saturday, the second in a week, slowed and shuttered units at the 600,000 barrel-per-day plant and hurt production. read more

Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL), Australia’s second-biggest oil producer, will recommend using Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s floating liquefied natural gas technology to its partners to develop the Browse project.

The selection of floating LNG requires the approval of the Browse partners, including BP Plc (BP/), PetroChina Co. and Shell, Perth-based Woodside said today in a statement.

“A compelling case has emerged for floating LNG as the best option for early commercialization” of Browse, off the West Australian coast, Chief Executive Officer Peter Coleman said in the statement. read more

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL has shut down parts of a refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, after a fire broke out following a £6.4billion expansion scheme.

Shell closed units at the Motiva refinery, which is run by a joint venture of the oil giant and Saudi Refining, after the second blaze in a week is said to have started near the biggest of the plant’s three crude oil units.

The first attempt to start the unit, at the end of a five year upgrade of the refinery, was hampered by a chemical leak in June 2012.

The unit has been running at reduced rates since it began production early this year.

The company may shut the crude unit in the autumn of 2014 to fix the problems. read more

Shell E&P Ireland (Sepil) has said it “unequivocally rejects” the allegations “regarding delivery at any time of alcohol to An Garda Siochána” on its behalf by a former contractor, OSSL. In a statement issued yesterday, the company said it “also therefore rejects the claim that OSSL were paid for delivering alcohol to the Garda”.

Contractor claims Christmas deliveries made in 2005-2007

Lorna Siggins: Mon, Aug 19, 2013

Shell E&P Ireland (Sepil) has said it “unequivocally rejects” the allegations “regarding delivery at any time of alcohol to An Garda Siochána” on its behalf by a former contractor, OSSL.

In a statement issued yesterday, the company said it “also therefore rejects the claim that OSSL were paid for delivering alcohol to the Garda”.

“Such actions would constitute a serious breach of the Shell Group’s long established business principles and code of conduct to which Sepil fully commits in the conduct of its operations,” it says. read more

NEW YORK | Mon Aug 19, 2013 2:12pm BST

(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) said it shut down an unspecified unit at its joint-venture 600,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Motiva refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, on Saturday, following an operational problem.

“Several units that are integrated to this unit will run at reduced rates and others are being shut down,” while repairs are underway, shell spokeswoman Kimberly Windon said in an email on Monday.

Sources said Motiva shut a hydrocracker at the refinery following a fire on Saturday. read more

The NNPC said that contrary to the outrageous figures Shell is dangling as volume of crude oil lost to thieves, the combined efforts of the government and the international oil companies (IOCs) have resulted in a significant drop in the level of pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft, with a corresponding increase in daily crude oil production. Shell and NNPC jointly own several oil blocs which the Anglo-Dutch multinational oil concern manages as the operator.

Posted: August 19, 2013 – 10:09

By Ifeanyi Izeze

The rate principal actors are jostling for space in the unfolding drama of the gross dishonesty between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its transnational joint venture partners in accounting for the produced crude oil in this country, is at best disheartening and only shows how unserious we are as a nation.

First it was the “principality” in this joint venture of frauds, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) that confronted the “rulers of darkness of this nation” in Abuja at the recently concluded Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) 2013 Exhibition and Conference by challenging President Goodluck Jonathan that instead of gallivanting to European and other foreign countries to seek for help on tackling crude oil theft, the Goodluck Jonathan administration should move against “principalities and powers in high places,” who are the sponsors of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta. read more

Oil companies are hitting the brakes on a U.S. shale land grab that produced an abundance of cheap natural gas — and troubles for the industry.

The spending slowdown by international companies including BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) comes amid a series of write-downs of oil and gas shale assets, caused by plunging prices and disappointing wells. The companies are turning instead to developing current projects, unable to justify buying more property while fields bought during the 2009-2012 flurry remain below their purchase price, according to analysts. read more

Today we have learned that confirmation of alcohol distribution by SHELL CORRIB DIRECTORS in Ireland has taken place ..confirming what we have been telling you all along.

EMAIL FROM OSSL TO SHELL CEO PETER VOSER RE CONFIRMATION OF ALCOHOL GIFTS (BRIBES?)

From: Des <[email protected]>
Date: 19 August 2013 11:20:01 BST
To: Peter Voser <[email protected]>
Subject: New confirmation of alcohol deliveries by Shell

My Dearest Peter ,

Thank you for the courtesy extended to Neil and myself when we called to see you in Den Haag.

We had a story to tell, you listened intently, you appointed Iain Middleton to meet with us, he listened intently, he was offered  a walk through (physically)to visit the evidence he needed to rectify our damnable situation created by Shell middle management on Corrib corruption….but amazingly he declined saying he had heard enough to take a view …..and that he fully understood our outrage. We pressed him for a reply over the next number of weeks with a view to reaching the resolution you spoke about in Den Haag when he did reply …even more amazingly he said there was no new evidence ….was he listening ? read more

In an attempt to improve relations, Shell recruited John Egan, a former BBC journalist and Mayo native, in late 2005.  James Laffey, the editor of The Western People, has confirmed that Egan sent him six bottles of wine before Christmas 2005 but that he returned them.

The Sunday Times

Times Website Headline: Shell’s contractor delivered three loads of booze to gardaiâ

Newspaper headline: Fresh claims against Shell in alcohol row

Published 18 August 2013 Ireland

By Aine Ryan

A contractor in a dispute with Shell over a delivery of a large consignment of alcohol to Belmullet garda station before Christmas 2007 claims that the oil giant also paid it to deliver liquor loads to the station in 2005 and 2006.

OSSL, a contractor on the Corrib gas project which Shell allegedly hired to make the deliveries, claims “the same pattern” occurred in 2005 and 2006, but “the delivery on both these occasions was modest”. read more

Until recently, Barbara Post struggled to get people to react with urgency to her claims that Shell Oil’s contamination of her Carson neighborhood caused her neighbor’s 132 tumors, her daughter’s flesh-eating disease and her deceased husband’s irregular heartbeat.

By Sandy Mazza, Staff Writer
[email protected] l, @sandymazza on Twitter

Posted: 08/07/13, 8:27 PM PDT |

Until recently, Barbara Post struggled to get people to react with urgency to her claims that Shell Oil’s contamination of her Carson neighborhood caused her neighbor’s 132 tumors, her daughter’s flesh-eating disease and her deceased husband’s irregular heartbeat.

After all, state health officials have repeatedly said the extensive contamination found underneath the 50-acre Carousel tract does not pose an immediate threat to human health. Constant exposure to the air may result in a slightly increased cancer risk over dozens of years, experts said. But there was no apparent rush to get people out of the area when large deposits of waste oil were found there about five years ago. read more

EMAIL FROM OSSL REGARDING SHELL GARDA CORRUPTION SCANDAL

From: THE OSSL COMPANY <[email protected]>
Subject: Note this …..info on Connor Byrne …. A request for detail from the press
Date: 17 August 2013 12:15:10 GMT+01:00
To: John Shell News <[email protected]>, Ed Vulliamy <[email protected]>

A man in the Shell team at Corrib called Brian Foley …….senior Contracts manager knows all about the gifting ……he is Connor Byrnes lifelong buddy …..ask him about alcohol ….he knows all about it ….he held a meeting in the Broadhaven Bay Hotel minuted by Shell ….where the outcome was to pass invoices for payment to OSSL ….by Roadbridge     Which Roadbridge had not received  the goods for because the invoices were false …….he instructed them to be paid in their  falsified state ……….falsified by Shell ……..in order to hide the true content ……. read more

By Rob Davies

PUBLISHED: 22:00, 16 August 2013 | UPDATED: 22:00, 16 August 2013

Shell lobbied the Government to send millions of pounds of weapons to Nigeria that may have fallen into the hands of militants guilty of human rights abuses, a report has warned.

Oil theft in Nigeria cost Shell some £460million in its last set of quarterly results and the Anglo-Dutch firm has sought Government help to deal with the fragile security situation in the West African county.

But sending weapons to Nigerian security forces risks further destabilising a dangerous situation, said campaign group Platform. read more

A new piping problem may force the newest crude distillation unit at Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery, the largest plant in the United States, to run up to 75,000 barrels-per-day below capacity through fall of next year.

By Erwin Seba

HOUSTON | Fri Aug 16, 2013 12:45pm EDT

(Reuters) – A new piping problem may force the newest crude distillation unit at Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery, the largest plant in the United States, to run up to 75,000 barrels-per-day below capacity through fall of next year.

Sources familiar with refinery operations said one of the pipes taking crude oil into the 600,000 bpd refinery’s new CDU has suffered continuous vibration problems when it runs at or near full capacity for more than five months. read more

Members of the news media: give Shell and the Garda PR people a call. See if you can obtain a straightforward denial from either that the events revealed in The Observer article took place?  At the moment you are being deceived by trickery into believing that Shell and the Garda are innocent of the charges, when in fact they are guilty as hell.

By John Donovan

As a long term Shell shareholder I demand that Royal Dutch Shell issues a high court writ against the publisher (me) who for many months has repeatedly posted articles online, picked up by Google News, stating as a matter of fact that Shell has corrupted the Irish Police Force, the Garda.

Shell has an army of several hundred in-house lawyers led by Peter Rees QC. Why are they so reticent on this matter?

If Shell is certain that the events that its former Mr Fixit company OSSL says took place, are in fact an invention by OSSL, then it is duty-bound to issue proceedings to defend the companies reputation against these scandalous lies.  read more

It took an  excellent piece of reporting by a London based newspaper, for your company to find its voice ….over three hundred unanswered communications on the matter of police alcohol alone …before we mention the falsifying of a police statement demanded by Shell CEO Terry Nolan. There is much evidence to all matters of GIFTING FAVOURS …you have declined an offer to visit the evidence …..perhaps you will have a rethink ……you trashed OSSL to cover your tracks …..but you will not make liars of us in the national press.

From: THE OSSL COMPANY <[email protected]>
Subject: Now you speak …..police alcohol ……your forensic investigation
Date: 16 August 2013 11:10:24 GMT+01:00
To: Michael Crothers <[email protected]>, Aine Ryan <[email protected]>, John Shell News <[email protected]>, Michiel Brandjes <[email protected]>, [email protected], Peter Voser <[email protected]>, Thomas Murphy <Thomas.G.Murp[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected] read more

BY TIM BRADNER, ALASKA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE

Published: 2013.08.15 10:56 AM

A top federal official offered fresh assurances that new rules governing drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf off Alaska’s Arctic coasts will be out by the end of the year, and that Shell’s special Arctic “capping stack” and containment system for spilled oil have been given final approvals.

“Those systems are now certified. The engineering problems have been overcome,” said James Watson, director of the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, or BSEE. read more