Nov 28th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Norwegian gas exports were cut by a fifth of peak capacity on Thursday after an outage at the plant processing gas from Royal Dutch Shell’s giant Ormen Lange field, limiting gas exports to Europe at a time of high demand.
Thu Nov 28, 2013 5:23am EST
* Norway’s gas exports cut by 17 pct on Thurs vs Wed
* UK gas prices rise on the news
* Gas exports cut to last until 0500 GMT on Friday
* Statoil’s gas output cut by 25.5 mcm/day on Thursday
OSLO, Nov 28 (Reuters) – Norwegian gas exports were cut by a fifth of peak capacity on Thursday after an outage at the plant processing gas from Royal Dutch Shell’s giant Ormen Lange field, limiting gas exports to Europe at a time of high demand.read more
Nov 28th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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The traders, represented by the New York-based law firm Kirby McInerney LLP, sued last month in Manhattan federal court claiming some of the world’s biggest oil companies, including BP Plc, Statoil ASA, and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, conspired with Morgan Stanley and energy traders including Vitol Group to manipulate spot prices for Brent crude oil for more than a decade.
By Bob Van Voris – Nov 27, 2013 9:27 PM GMT
Attorneys for four oil traders suing over alleged manipulation of crude prices copied much of their complaint and violated federal court rules in an attempt to control the litigation, a rival group of lawyers claimed.
The traders, represented by the New York-based law firm Kirby McInerney LLP, sued last month in Manhattan federal court claiming some of the world’s biggest oil companies, including BP Plc (BP/), Statoil ASA (STL), and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, conspired with Morgan Stanley (MS) and energy traders including Vitol Group to manipulate spot prices for Brent crude oil for more than a decade. The benchmark is used to price more than half the world’s crude and helps determine where costs are headed for fuels including gasoline and heating oil.read more
Nov 28th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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The Obama administration is weighing whether to allow Shell to resume drilling in Arctic waters after a series of mishaps halted its controversial oil exploration effort last year. Ken Salazar, allowed Shell to drill in the Arctic waters north of Alaska last year, only to later say the company “screwed up.”
By Sean Cockerham
McClatchy Washington Bureau: Posted on Wednesday, 11.27.13
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is weighing whether to allow Shell to resume drilling in Arctic waters after a series of mishaps halted its controversial oil exploration effort last year.
The decision is among the toughest issues faced by new Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who portrays herself as both an advocate for the environment and a supporter of drilling.
Jewell’s predecessor, Ken Salazar, allowed Shell to drill in the Arctic waters north of Alaska last year, only to later say the company “screwed up.” Interior Department spokeswoman Kate Kelly said Wednesday that drilling won’t resume until the agency has confidence that the effort addresses lessons learned.read more
Nov 27th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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On Oct 31, Shell reported third quarter 2013 adjusted earnings of $1.43 per ADR, well below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.70. This was the company’s second consecutive miss. The fourth quarter does not seem bright for the company either.
Shell Slips to Sell
by Zacks Equity Research Published on
On Nov 26, Zacks Investment Research downgraded Europe’s largest oil company, Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A – Analyst Report), to a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Why the Downgrade?
On Oct 31, Shell reported third quarter 2013 adjusted earnings of $1.43 per ADR, well below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.70. This was the company’s second consecutive miss.
Results suffered due to higher costs, lower output, supply disruptions in Nigeria and a drop in refining margin. Segmental performance was also weak with both the Upstream and Downstream segment earnings falling below the prior-year level.read more
Nov 27th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Without attributing the information to any sources, the paper also said Gazprom had invited Royal Dutch Shell, its partner in Russia’s only LNG plant, to join the project.
by Reuters: Wednesday, November 27, 2013
MOSCOW, Nov 27 (Reuters) – French oil major Total is looking for a stake in Russian gas firm Gazprom’s future Baltic liquefied natural gas plant after the partners decided to mothball their Shtokman LNG project, Vedomosti daily said on Wednesday.
Without attributing the information to any sources, the paper also said Gazprom had invited Royal Dutch Shell, its partner in Russia’s only LNG plant, to join the project.
Gazprom, Total and Shell in Moscow declined to comment.read more
Royal Dutch Shell has announced it is producing natural gas at its Changbei project in China at a major discount and plans to start test production in the second phase by late next year or early 2015.
In partnership with PetroChina, Shell is producing natural gas from the Changbei field at $1 per barrel, or 91% lower than PetroChina’s lifting cost of $11.74 per barrel as of 2012 in similar projects.
Shell, taking advantage of China’s unconventional gas sector, is investing a total of $1 billion in China this year, and the Changbei project’s cheap production is helping to offset investment costs. Shell has also said it would continue to invest the same amount annually in China.read more
Nov 27th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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FINANCIAL TIMES
November 26, 2013
In his first interview with the foreign media, the minister who persuaded the likes of Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Eni and Statoil to invest in the oil and gas sector in the 1990s despite US sanctions, said these companies were now among those he was seeking to attract back to Iran.
Peter Voser, Shell’s outgoing chief executive, told an industry conference last month that Iran had “vast resources”…
FULL FT ARTICLE
Nov 27th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Royal Dutch Shell , for example, has spent more than $5 billion on its Alaskan Arctic program with nothing to show for it. This time around Shell has signed a contract with Transocean on a rig that starts in July. Previously, Shell had used its own rig, Kulluk, and one owned by Noble Corp. . It was the Kulluk that ran aground in 2012…
Melting Arctic ice caps are springing forth a new frontier for global commerce. New sea lanes are starting to open and more activity is coming to the region. This changing landscape has some suggesting that the last frontier for oil and gas companies might soon be more accessible.
With these changes come new challenges. It’s not just global oil companies that are interested in exploring this final frontier. Countries like China and Russia are looking to stake claim to the region, which could one day prove to be an issue for national security. That is why this transformation will need to be handled with care to protect the already fragile environment and relationships with those nations seeking to extract the region’s natural resources.read more
Nov 26th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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*”This is unbelievable – why did it take so long for Shell to realise?
NIGERIA
Gas plant cut off by buildings
Royal Dutch Shell has shut its Obigbo natural gas processing plant in Rivers State, southern Nigeria, after buildings were erected over pipelines connected to the facility. About 40 million cubic feet a day of gas was shut in, affecting supply to industrial consumers and power plants, Precious Okolobo, a Lagos-based spokesman, said yesterday. The facility was halted on November 1 after “discovering different types of buildings and structures have been erected on high pressure gas pipelines, thereby exposing the occupants to considerable health and safety risk”, he said. Shell was working with the Rivers State government on “options to address the challenge”, Okolobo added, without providing further details. – Bloombergread more
Nov 26th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Europe’s biggest oil company is burning through cash at an extraordinary rate. Shell shareholders have long nursed a low level of dissatisfaction. Many were underwhelmed by the appointment of yet another chief executive from deep within the Anglo-Dutch behemoth, which is steeped in a profound love for big engineering projects and an apparently dismissive attitude to investors. Van Beurden started at the company in 1983. These are not fresh eyes. How long will investors give him before that simmering resentment boils over? Despite its issues, BP has left Shell in the shade.
THE SUNDAY TIMES: INSIDE THE CITY: DANNY FORTSON: PAGE 14 OF SECTION 3: BUSINESS: 24 NOVEMBER 2013
INVESTORS are sick of companies that spend oodles of cash on shiny new projects rather than handing it to shareholders. That is the reason behind the boardroom bloodbaths this year at the big miners. Rio Tinto BHP Billiton, Anglo American, African Barrick Gold, the list goes on. All of them parted company with chief executives after years of spending buckets of cash on mines and ill-fated takeovers that did little or nothing for investor returns.
The message, finally, came through: no more empire building.read more
Nov 26th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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ARROW Energy’s major shareholders are Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina. There are some disturbing signals coming from them that may see plans for the construction of a fourth LNG plant on Curtis Island go the way of the dodo.
Bob Lamont
26th Nov 2013 6:28 AM
ARROW Energy’s major shareholders are Royal Dutch Shell and PetroChina. There are some disturbing signals coming from them that may see plans for the construction of a fourth LNG plant on Curtis Island go the way of the dodo.
Just remember these words from an Arrow Energy spokesman reported in a national daily: “Arrow has previously stated that it is results and value-focused and not schedule driven.”
After state approval, a Federal Government decision has been put off until December.read more
Nov 25th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Shell’s financial losses associated with oil theft and sabotage in Nigeria have emerged as a quarterly theme this year, alongside the company’s struggling North American shale gas investments.
Joel Kirkland, E&E reporter: EnergyWire: Friday, November 22, 2013
To many, Nigeria’s claim to fame has nothing to do with its role as a major oil producer. It’s better known as the country of origin for an elaborate online fraud that starts with a polite email from a “barrister.”
For oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria, the email scams targeting unsuspecting Americans provide a tiny window into the industry’s daily operational challenges. Billions of dollars in potential revenues have been siphoned off by oil bandits in the southeastern Niger Delta region in recent years. All the while, billions more are spent by international oil companies to expand drilling and their capacity to export Nigeria’s oil and gas.read more
Nov 25th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Shortly after the presentation, the oil majors posted dreadful Q2 results, prompting Shell CEO Peter Voser to declare Shell would discontinue production guidance to focus on quarter by quarter cash flow growth. Goldman Sachs singled out Shell for excessive investment in low return assets…
Those who saw the ‘Capex Compression’ road show back in the summer will recall that Douglas Westwood expressed concern that oil prices would not rise to cover rising exploration and production costs, and that this would force the operators to cut Capex. Shortly after the presentation, the oil majors posted dreadful Q2 results, prompting Shell CEO Peter Voser to declare Shell would discontinue production guidance to focus on quarter by quarter cash flow growth. Moreover, the investment banks began calling for the oil majors to cut Capex. Goldman Sachs singled out Shell for excessive investment in low return assets, although the investment bank had indicated that deepwater should be spared.read more
Nov 25th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Monday 25 November 2013
A public inquiry into plans to redevelop the Shell Centre on the South Bank has begun.
The inquiry, which is expected to sit for a total of 12 days between now and mid-December, is being held at Hercules House near Lambeth North Station.
Planning inspector John Braithwaite has been appointed to report to communities secretary Eric Pickles on the proposed redevelopment of the Shell Centre.
Plans by developers Braeburn Estates to demolish most of the oil company’s office complex apart from the main tower and build new offices, shops and nearly 900 homes on the site were approved by Lambeth councillors in May.read more
Nov 25th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Shell and Eni deny paying any money to Malabu Oil and Gas. However, High Court proceedings and other evidence seen by Global Witness reveal that, in reality, Shell and Eni were aware and in agreement that the deal was for the benefit of Malabu, and had even met with Etete face-to-face on several occasions. In fact, testimony heard during the case indicates that an official from Shell previously negotiated directly with Etete over “iced champagne”…
25 November 2013
How secrecy in the oil & gas sector and the use of anonymous shell companies led to hundreds of millions of dollars being diverted away from Nigeria’s citizens and into the hands of a convicted money-launderer.
The Story
In May 2012, Global Witness pieced together detailed court documents and other evidence that exposed how Nigerian subsidiaries of Royal Dutch Shell and Italian oil giant Eni agreed to pay US$1.092 billion for one of Nigeria’s most lucrative oil blocks, OPL245.read more
Nov 25th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Yes, there is plenty to hate about Shell right now. It is currently under investigation for rigging petrol prices, and European Commission plans to prevent future commodity market abuse could force up prices. Maybe I’m clutching at straws, but that’s love for you.
Why I Love Royal Dutch Shell plc
Published in Investing on 25 November 2013
Extracts
There is something to love and hate in almost every stock. I still harbour warm thoughts towards Royal Dutch Shell,although sometimes I wonder why.
Shell has taught me the value of patience.
Patience is a virtue, they say. If that’s so, long-term investors in Shell must be very virtuous indeed. The stock is down 2% over the last two years, against a 28% rise in the FTSE 100. It is up just 3% in the past year, against 16% for the index. Shell is the straggler of my portfolio. Yet I simply refuse to believe this will continue.read more
Nov 25th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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The underperformance of the share price reflects investors’ dissatisfaction with the fact that “Europe’s biggest oil company is burning through cash at an extraordinary rate.” The appointment of van Beurden, head of Shell’s refining division who started at the company 30 years ago, has left investors unimpressed as they see him as yet another chief executive steeped in a culture of spending big on mammoth engineering projects.
iNVEZZ.com, Monday, November 25: Investors are concerned that Ben van Beurden, the incoming boss at the helm of Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSA, LON:RDSB), will not attempt to rein in the company’s massive spending on new projects. According to an article published yesterday by the Sunday Times, there has been no indication so far that van Beurden, who will replace Peter Voser as chief executive on January 1, 2014, is going to to rethink Shell’s plan to spend $130 billion (£80.1 billion) on new developments between 2012 and 2015.read more
Nov 24th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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One of the recipients of the OSSL email is the outspoken Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan (shown right), who appears to be under considerable pressure at the moment. He has issued an astonishing warning of ‘mass assassinations’ if the Ombudsman gain access to classified files.
By John Donovan
Printed below is a self-explanatory email sent to the Irish police and Shell regarding the Garda corruption scandal currently being investigated by the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission.
One of the recipients of the OSSL email is the outspoken Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan (shown right), who appears to be under considerable pressure at the moment. He has issued an astonishing warning of ‘mass assassinations’ if the Ombudsman gain access to classified files. I have no idea if this warning relates to the Ombudsman investigation of OSSL allegations.read more
“This far down the line, until Gilligan and the other police officers and Shell employees named are interviewed in depth, and make public, clearly worded and outright denials that NO alcohol was delivered at ANY time at Shell’s bequest – and accuse OSSL of total fabrication – we shall reasonably take OSSL’s account to be the truth. The police and Shell have had years to issue forthright denials, but have not, preferring instead convoluted constructions and the language of corporate public relations. We have meanwhile become aware of some compelling visual evidence. Their silence speaks for itself.”read more
Nov 22nd, 2013
by John Donovan.
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As previous agreed, I am sending two of my Investigators (Rody Butler and Sivan Govinder) to London on the 10th December 2013 to interview you at the Irish Embassy. Further details will follow closer to the date. We are making the booking today for them to travel to London and cannot be changed.
EMAIL SENT ON 22 NOVEMBER 2013 TO EVERY TD MEMBER OF THE DAIL (THE IRISH PARLIAMENT)
Shell Sponsored Corruption of the Garda
I last contacted you in May regarding serious allegations made by Shell’s “Mr Fixit” contractor in Ireland, OSSL.
At that time the Garda had already carried out an investigation of the allegations.
Since then, a second investigation has been carried out, this time a so-called “independent” investigation by a senior Garda officer, Supt. Thomas Murphy.
As a result of his investigation, a third investigation is currently under way, on this occasion by the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission.read more
Nov 22nd, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Companies including Syncrude Canada, Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil affiliate Imperial Oil are running out of room to store the contaminated water that is a byproduct of the process used to turn bitumen—a highly viscous form of petroleum—into diesel and other fuels. By 2022 they will be producing so much of the stuff that a month’s output of wastewater could turn New York’s Central Park into a toxic reservoir 11 feet deep…
Canada is blessed with 3 million lakes, more than any country on earth—and it may soon start manufacturing new ones. The oil sands industry is in the throes of a major expansion, powered by C$20 billion ($19 billion) a year in investments. Companies including Syncrude Canada, Royal Dutch Shell (RDS/A), and ExxonMobil (XOM) affiliate Imperial Oil are running out of room to store the contaminated water that is a byproduct of the process used to turn bitumen—a highly viscous form of petroleum—into diesel and other fuels. By 2022 they will be producing so much of the stuff that a month’s output of wastewater could turn New York’s Central Park into a toxic reservoir 11 feet deep, according to the Pembina Institute, a nonprofit in Calgary that promotes sustainable energy.read more
Nov 22nd, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Greenpeace has unveiled giant portraits of the activists arrested in Russia as part of the group’s continuing campaign against drilling in the Arctic. The images were placed outside the London offices of oil giant Shell.
Greenpeace has unveiled giant portraits of the activists arrested in Russia as part of the group’s continuing campaign against drilling in the Arctic.
The images were placed outside the London offices of oil giant Shell. The so-called Arctic 30 are awaiting trial on piracy and hooliganism charges after being arrested in the Arctic two months ago.
Greenpeace said it was drawing attention to Shell and its Russian partner Gazprom’s planned joint venture to drill for oil in the Arctic.read more
Royal Dutch Shell includes a high price for carbon dioxide when evaluating new projects. The $40 a metric ton price that Shell uses would — if widely adopted — reshape domestic and international energy consumption and investment trends.
Shell discussed this policy in its 2012 Sustainability Report, but it hasn’t received much attention. CDP (aka the Carbon Disclosure Project) is putting out a report next month detailing the efforts of many companies to price carbon internally, which may help spur coverage of this important topic.read more
Nov 21st, 2013
by John Donovan.
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I wonder how many ordinary stock holders in Royal Dutch Shell Plc are aware of the extensive reservations set out by Slaughter and May in Exhibit 5.1 attached to an SEC filing involving gazillionsof dollars, in which Royal Dutch Shell Plc is the sole guarantor?; e.g. “undertakings, covenants and indemnities contained in the Indenture may not be enforceable before an English court…”; Is this a prudent move bearing in mind the flood of recent negative news about Shell, with the CEO about to jump ship?
By John Donovan
I have published below the reservations of Slaughter and May in relation to a filing by SHELL INTERNATIONAL FINANCE B.V. with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on 13 November 2013 signed by Company Secretary, Michiel Brandjes. Royal Dutch Shell Plc is the guarantor.
Huge sums of money are involved.
US$1,000,000,000 0.900 per cent. Guaranteed Notes due 2016;
US$1,250,000,000 2.000 per cent. Guaranteed Notes due 2018;
US$750,000,000 Floating Rate Guaranteed Notes due 2015; and
US$1,000,000,000 Floating Rate Guaranteed Notes due 2016, read more
Nov 21st, 2013
by John Donovan.
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By Jasmine ColemanBBC News: 20 November 2013
Greenpeace set out to protest about oil companies drilling in the Arctic Ocean, but now finds itself fighting to free a group of 30 from a Russian jail. What effect is the case having on the group’s environmental aims?
“The primary focus is getting the Arctic 30 free and home with their loved ones. That’s what we are spending every hour working on.”
Ben Ayliffe used to be head of Greenpeace’s Save the Arctic campaign. But now even his job title is different.read more
Nov 21st, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Arctic-specific standards to guide offshore oil operations — rules crafted in response to Shell’s trouble-plagued 2012 drilling season — will be issued later than expected, the head of a key federal agency said on Wednesday.
Arctic-specific standards to guide offshore oil operations — rules crafted in response to Shell’s trouble-plagued 2012 drilling season — will be issued later than expected, the head of a key federal agency said on Wednesday.
A draft version of the new standards, initially expected by the end of the year, is now expected in early 2014, said Tommy Beaudreau, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and acting assistant Interior secretary for lands and minerals.read more
Nov 21st, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Oil traders including Morgan Stanley (MS:US) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) asked a Manhattan federal judge to block the release of millions of records to plaintiffs lawyers… The files include e-mails, depositions, trading records and audio files.
By Bob Van Voris November 20, 2013
The court-ordered disclosure of internal oil company documents including e-mails and trading records from a 6-year U.S. probe will be delayed at least six days while a federal appeals court considers speeding up review of a challenge to the ruling.
Oil traders including Morgan Stanley (MS:US) and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) asked a Manhattan federal judge to block the release of millions of records to plaintiffs lawyers — files that had been gathered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as part of its probe begun in December 2007.read more
Nov 20th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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By Aibing Guo – Nov 20, 2013 3:19 AM GMT
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s largest oil company, and PetroChina Co. (857) are producing natural gas from the Changbei field in China at a 91 percent discount to PetroChina’s average lifting cost last year across all of its assets.
The cost of output from the field in the Shaanxi province is $1 per barrel of oil equivalent and that’s much lower than similar projects, Xu Li, Shell’s general manager of the asset told a group of reporters at the unit’s headquarters on the outskirts of Yulin yesterday. PetroChina’s lifting cost in 2012 was $11.74 per barrel of oil, according to its annual statement.read more
Nov 20th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Kashagan field commercial production delayed until 2014
08 November 2013
Kashagan is a major oil and gas field in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea with reserves estimated at 38 billion barrels (six billion tonnes) of which eleven billion barrels are recoverable. The field also has over one trillion cubic metres of gas.
The consortium is led by Italian company ENI and commercial production was originally due to start in 2008. In late May 2012, the government of Kazakhstan signed an updated agreement stipulating the start of commercial production before June 2013. read more
Nov 20th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Some of the world’s largest oil traders including Vitol Group, Morgan Stanley and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) are asking a judge to stop the disclosure of millions of records gathered by the top U.S. commodity regulator during its nationwide investigation of the crude markets. The haul includes e-mails, depositions, trading records and audio files obtained by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission… Last month, four longtime traders on the New York Mercantile Exchange filed a lawsuit claiming they can prove that BP, Statoil and Shell conspired with other firms, including Morgan Stanley and Vitol, to manipulate Brent crude, a benchmark used to price more than half the world’s oil.
By Asjylyn Loder and Bradley Olson November 19, 2013
Some of the world’s largest oil traders including Vitol Group, Morgan Stanley and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) are asking a judge to stop the disclosure of millions of records gathered by the top U.S. commodity regulator during its nationwide investigation of the crude markets.
The haul includes e-mails, depositions, trading records and audio files obtained by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission since its probe of the oil market began in December 2007. The companies are appealing an Oct. 25 order by U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley that would allow the handover of the trove to lawyers leading a civil case alleging market manipulation by firms controlled by Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen.read more
Nov 19th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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It’s often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. So what should we make of Royal Dutch Shell’s decision to return to the Chukchi Sea? Is this pure folly, or is there method in Shell’s madness? A comedy of errors; Shell’s history in the Chukchi Sea reads like a rap sheet. Shell will have to make do without the albatross of its Kulluk rig, which the company has finally acknowledged is barely worth its value in scrap. That means another write-off in the fourth quarter of a few hundred million dollars, but, hey, who’s counting?
It’s often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. So what should we make of Royal Dutch Shell‘s (NYSE: RDS-A) decision to return to the Chukchi Sea? Is this pure folly, or is there method in Shell’s madness?
A comedy of errors Shell’s history in the Chukchi Sea reads like a rap sheet. Shell reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this September under which the company paid out $1.1 million for violations of the Clean Air Act. EPA cited “numerous violations” of Shell’s air permits.read more
Nov 19th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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The Transocean rig effectively replaces Shell’s Kulluk, a drillship that ran aground in January while being towed south after a troubled 2012 drilling season for the company off Alaska.
Mon Nov 18, 2013 6:07pm EST
Nov 18 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc has a contract with Transocean Ltd for a drilling rig to start work off the coast of Alaska starting July of next year – in time for the state’s traditional Arctic offshore drilling season.
Confirmation on timing of the previously announced contract came in Transocean’s monthly fleet status report, released late on Monday.
Speculation about Shell’s intentions for Alaska next year has bubbled since an executive said at the end of October he expected to submit an Alaska exploration plan in a “few weeks,” with a focus on the Chukchi Sea.read more
Nov 19th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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A leased drill ship, the Polar Pioneer, would substitute for the Kulluk — the conical, Shell-owned ship damaged in the now-notorious New Year’s Eve grounding — as the backup drill rig that would be used in a cleanup in the event of a well blowout.
Shell plans to drill five wells over several years at its Burger prospect in the Chukchi Sea, according to a revised exploration plan filed Nov. 6 and posted online by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Under the plan, Shell would use the leased Noble Discoverer drill ship to finish the well it started in 2012 and drilled to 1,505 feet. Five additional Burger wells also would be drilled.
“It is anticipated that this work will take place over a number of drilling seasons,” the 423-page modified plan says.read more
Shell has broken its vow of silence and issued a strongly-worded statement to defend itself against what it sees as “the growing number of untrue and often offensive allegations being made by Don Marketing”.
Shell is defending legal actions which allege that it wrongfully used two forecourt promotions devised by Don Marketing. Previously, the oil company has remained silent, preferring to “resolve the dispute in the courts which Shell believes is the proper forum for a commercial dispute.read more
Nov 17th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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If ever there was a “What’s your poison?” dilemma, this is it. First, history: Shell in Nigeria, Total in Burma… No brand gets off lightly…
Pumped up: choose an independent petrol station if you want to be an ethical motorist. Photograph: MBI /Alamy
Lucy Siegle: The Observer, Sunday 17 November 2013
If ever there was a “What’s your poison?” dilemma, this is it. First, history: Shell in Nigeria, Total in Burma… No brand gets off lightly, but Exxon (merged with Mobil in 1999 to make the world’s largest oil company) is famous for its campaign to de-legitimise climate science, not least by funding the influential US lobbying group Global Climate Coalition (GCC).
Until the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe – the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – BP had a better reputation. It withdrew from the GCC in 1996, accepted climate change in 1997, and spent the early 2000s investing in solar. Elf Aquitaine (later merged with Total) never contested climate change, but arguably hasn’t done much to help the planet either.read more
Nov 17th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Across the world, Greenpeace activists from all backgrounds are coming out including protesters at Shell gas stations, Hollywood elite stars and even presidents. The goal is to gather awareness and call for the release of the Arctic 30: the 28 activists and two journalists imprisoned in Russia. The Arctic 30 are being charged with piracy for their protest held at an oil rig in Russia.
Las Vegas Guardian Express: By Cayce Manesiotis on November 16, 2013.
Saturday, U.K. protesters were staged at Shell gas stations. This was a response to the news that Shell will embark with the Russian oil company, Gazprom, in Arctic shore drilling. The Shell gas station protesters gathered signatures for their petitioning of Shell to pull out of the Arctic endeavor with Gazprom.
The activists handed letters to Shell gas station managers, which outlined the Arctic 30’s arrest, their charges and how Greenpeace is against Arctic drilling given the disastrous risk to climate change. The Greenpeace coordinator in south London said Gazprom “were key in the locking up of 30 of our volunteers” and noted they asked for their arrest.read more
Nov 17th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Qatar Shell hosted a reception at The St Regis Doha last week to bid farewell to Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser, who is to retire from the company at the end of March 2014 after 29 years of service. The reception also welcomed the new CEO-designate, Ben van Beurden, who will take over from Voser on January 1, 2014.
HE Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, HE Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada and other dignitaries during the event.
Qatar Shell hosted a reception at The St Regis Doha last week to bid farewell to Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser, who is to retire from the company at the end of March 2014 after 29 years of service. The reception also welcomed the new CEO-designate, Ben van Beurden, who will take over from Voser on January 1, 2014.
Van Beurden has worked for Shell’s upstream and downstream businesses in Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States. The event was hosted by Wael Sawan, managing director and chairman of Qatar Shell.read more
Nov 17th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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By Linda Harris, Legal Reporter – email: Nov 15, 2013
Royal Dutch Shell is rethinking its plans for an ethane cracker in Western Pennsylvania and two other cash-intensive projects, leaving business leaders in the Mountain State to wonder if the spin-off economic growth they’ve been anticipating is ever going to come.
Shell CEO Peter Voser told analysts the company can’t afford to do the cracker in Pennsylvania plus a gas-to-liquids plant in Louisiana and a liquid natural gas plant in Canada. Voser said in the near future, the company will have to decide which of the three signature projects to give the green light.read more
Nov 16th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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SHELL, DRIVEN TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
The day of the huge integrated international oil company is drawing to a close
In the 1950s the seven sisters controlled some 85% of global reserves. Today over 90% of reserves are under the control of national oil companies (NOCs) which are owned, at least in part, by the governments sitting on the oil in question.
As well as missing some good opportunities, the supermajors seem to be pursuing some dubious ones. Shell’s misfiring attempts to explore the Arctic, now abandoned until 2014 after damage to vital equipment, look like an extreme example of lack of choice.read more
Nov 16th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Greenpeace supporters will hold protests at over 70 Shell petrol stations across the country in support of the ‘Arctic 30’ today. It comes as Russian officials have signaled they will ask that the Greenpeace group be detained an extra 3 months – meaning they could be behind bars over Christmas.
Sat 16 Nov 2013
Greenpeace supporters will hold protests at over 70 Shell petrol stations across the country in support of the ‘Arctic 30’ today.
It comes as Russian officials have signaled they will ask that the Greenpeace group be detained an extra 3 months – meaning they could be behind bars over Christmas.
Activists will be asking bystanders to sign a petition asking Shell to pull out of their joint oil drilling venture with Gazprom.
Protests will take place across Shell’s petrol stations in London, including: Bayswater, Holloway Road, Old Street, Southwark, Whitechapel, Grosvenor Road, Lewisham, Richmond Road and Staines Road.read more
Nov 16th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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After a series of calamities in Shell Oil Company’s 2012 Arctic drilling program, which included having its oil spill containment dome “crushed like a beer can” (BOEM officials words, not mine), having its drilling rig the Noble Discoverer slip an anchor (and at another point in time catch fire), and ending the season by losing control of its other drilling rig, the Kulluk, which ran aground off the coast of Alaska’s Kodiak Island, many questioned whether or not Shell would be back in the Arctic.
After a series of calamities in Shell Oil Company’s 2012 Arctic drilling program, which included having its oil spill containment dome “crushed like a beer can” (BOEM officials words, not mine), having its drilling rig the Noble Discoverer slip an anchor (and at another point in time catch fire), and ending the season by losing control of its other drilling rig, the Kulluk, which ran aground off the coast of Alaska’s Kodiak Island, many questioned whether or not Shell would be back in the Arctic.read more
On Geoje Island, off the coast of South Korea, as many as 5,000 workers have been building the largest vessel ever constructed. With a deck the size of seven football fields and containing three times as much steel as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Prelude will spend years anchored above a natural gas field off Australia, pumping fuel from under the seabed and turning it into a liquid that can be shipped to Asian customers.
Led by Royal Dutch Shell (RDS/A), the project could transform the global gas industry. Until now, liquefied natural gas projects, which chill the fuel until it turns into a liquid that can be transported on tankers, have relied on giant onshore plants. Putting an LNG facility on top of a ship will open up dozens of fields once considered too remote or too small to be viable. “It’s a very crucial technology,” says Shell Chief Executive Officer Peter Voser, who rates approving the project as the single most important decision he’s made while running the Anglo-Dutch company. “This will be a solution that works for many, many fields.”read more
Nov 14th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Platts’s oil-price reporting system “could be prone to collusion or distortion,” according to the European Union official in charge of the benchmark probe that led to raids on the premises of BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Statoil ASA. The EU probe is still examining two areas of concern — abuse of dominance and unlawful collusion, Gauer said.
By Gaspard Sebag November 14, 2013
Platts’s oil-price reporting system “could be prone to collusion or distortion,” according to the European Union official in charge of the benchmark probe that led to raids on the premises of BP Plc (BP/), Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Statoil ASA. (STL)
“The mere set up could be prone to collusion or distortion because it doesn’t take much to basically have strange reporting” by companies that participate in the pricing system, Celine Gauer, director at the European Commission’s antitrust unit for the energy industry, said today at a conference in Brussels.read more
Nov 14th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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By John
The OSSL email barrage seeking recovery from Shell of tens of thousands of euros allegedly spent by OSSL purchasing and supplying free booze to Irish cops on Shell’s behalf continues…
Nov 14th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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Jonathan French, a London-based spokesman for Shell, confirmed the company’s existing credit line expires in 2015. He declined to comment on the new debt facility.
By Stephen Morris November 14, 2013
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is seeking a $6 billion credit line to replace an existing loan as banks cut borrowing costs for Europe’s largest companies to the lowest in more than five years.
Europe’s largest oil and gas producer is offering to pay an interest margin of 12.5 basis points, or 0.125 percentage point, more than the benchmark rates on the five-year loan, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the terms are private. Barclays Plc is helping to arrange the financing for the company based in The Hague.read more
Nov 14th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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This Is Why I May Sell Royal Dutch Shell Plc Today
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (LON:RDSB) has become a chronic underperformer. Roland Head highlights some worrying figures and explains why he may head for the exit.
Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSB) (NYSE: RDS-B.US) is one of the longest-serving shares in my ISA portfolio. Over the last five years, it’s boasted an average dividend yield of 5.2%, and although annual dividend growth has only averaged 3.6%, it has been a good source of income.
Despite this, I’m starting to tire of Shell’s underperforming ways, and am wondering whether the firm is an oversized dog that has had its day. Should I cut it loose, and find a smaller, more focused business to invest in?read more
Voser, who has headed Europe’s largest oil and gas producer since 2009, steps down at the end of the year, 31 years after first joining the company.
On Shell and renewable energy:
“It would be stupid from the oil and gas industry to say that renewables will not play a major role in the energy system of the next few decades.read more
Nov 13th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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As the detention of Greenpeace’s ‘Arctic 30’ by Russian security services approaches its second month, a shift of campaign tactics is taking place. Now Shell, Gazprom’s partner in developing oil and gas on the Arctic Shelf, is in the firing line.
The Ecologist: 13th November 2013
As the detention of Greenpeace’s ‘Arctic 30’ by Russian security services approaches its second month, a shift of campaign tactics is taking place. Now Shell, Gazprom’s partner in developing oil and gas on the Arctic Shelf, is in the firing line.
Greenpeace is targetting Shell in a new round of protests aimed at securing the release of the Arctic 30 protestors arrested on a Russian oil platform owned by oil and gas giant Gazprom in the Arctic Ocean 56 days ago.read more
Nov 13th, 2013
by John Donovan.
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“The arts sponsorship that Shell is giving out is blood money, because people in Nigeria are suffering and even dying as a result of Shell’s operations. Land is taken, livelihoods are destroyed, and the environment is devastated as a result of Shell’s activities. “All they think is about is profit. Arts organisations shouldn’t be complicit in giving Shell a good image – it’s an insult to our daily struggle against their impact in the Niger Delta.”
A group of artists who perform at the Southbank Centre are calling on it to drop Shell’s sponsorship, saying it is damaging to its reputation.
Twenty-one artists, musicians and authors have signed a letter calling on the Centre to cut its ties with the oil giant.
The petition comes in the wake of the 18th anniversary of Ken Saro Wiwa’s execution. Saro Wiwa, a Nigerian writer, was campaigning against Shell’s activities in the Niger Delta when he was executed along with eight other activists in Nigeria in 1995.read more
OVER 500 EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS CITING OUR SHELL WEBSITES
See our link list of over 500 articles by the FT, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Forbes, Dow Jones Newswires, New York Times, CNBC etc, plus UK House of Commons Select Committee Hansard records, information on U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission websiteetc. all containing references to our Shell focussed websites, or our website founders Alfred and John Donovan. Includes TV documentary features in English and German, newspaper and magazine articles, radio interviews, newsletters etc. Plus academic papers, Stratfor intelligence reports and UK, U.S. and Australian state/parliamentary publications, also citing our Shell websites. Click on this link to see the entire list, all in date order with a link to an index of over 100 books also containing references to our websites and/or our activities.
John Donovan, the website owner A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
JOHN DONOVAN, THE OWNER OF THIS AND SEVERAL OTHER SHELL FOCUSSED WEBSITES
SHELL PRELUDE TO DISASTER
The links below are to a series of articles, many triggered by a well-placed whistleblower directly involved in the pioneering Royal Dutch Shell Prelude project. Includes articles by Mr Bill Campbell above, the retired distinguished HSE Group Auditor of Shell International and another retired Shell guru with a track record of spotting potential pitfalls in major Shell projects.
The campaign waged on this website by John Donovan to persuade Edward Heerema to rename the worlds biggest ship, The Pieter Schelte - which he named after his late father, Pieter Schelte Heerema, a former Officer in the German Waffen-SS - has been successful. On Friday 6 February 2015, Allseas announced that it was changing the ships name, and on 9 February announced the new name - Pioneering Spirit.
GLOBAL NEWS COVERAGE: FEBRUARY 2010
MORE INFORMATION: Contact details for over 176,000 employees and contractors of Royal Dutch Shell reached John Donovan and some environmental and human rights groups, ostensibly from disaffected Shell staff calling for a “peaceful corporate revolution” at the company. The database, from Shell’s internal directory, contained names and telephone numbers for all the company’s work force worldwide, including some home numbers. It was supplied with a 170 page covering note, explaining that it was being circulated by “116 concerned employees of Shell dispersed throughout the USA, the UK, and the Netherlands”, to highlight the harm done by the company’s operations in Nigeria. John Donovan brought the leak to the attention of Shell. Tests proved that the data was authentic and he destroyed the database after being informed by Mr. Richard Wiseman, the then Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, that the confidential information if publicly disclosed, could put Shell employees and contractors in real danger.
This is not a Shell website. That fact should be abundantly plain from the overall content of this home page and our sister Shell focussed websites, including shellnazihistory.com. Click on the Disclaimer link at top of this page for more information. You Can Be Sure Shell does not endorse or approve of this website. There are no subscription charges nor do we solicit or accept donations. It is an entirely free to use website drawing attention to the negative side of Shell while also publishing positive news about the company. The Shell logo image with the white text used on this website, as per the above example, is in the public domain because its copyright has expired and its author is anonymous. It can be found on WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. Our shellenergy.websitepublishes Shell Energy customer complaints posted on Trustpilot where there is an ample supply. Use this link for Shell’s own website.
Shell Breaking News
Shell Renewables Head to Leave Amid Fossil Fuel ShiftJune 30, 2023 14:49Financial PostBreadcrumb Trail Links PMN Business Shell Plc’s European renewable power boss Thomas Brostrom has decided to leave the company as the oil supermajor revises its strategy to focus more investment into fossil fuels. Author of the article: Bloomberg News …
Shell and BP take a beating as bank woes hit crude pricesMarch 15, 2023 17:36Proactive InvestorsBP PLC (LSE:BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (LSE:SHEL, NYSE:SHEL) shares have taken a hit, dropping over 8%, due to a sell-off in the banking sector.
The natural resources market has been volatile, with Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate falling by 4- …
Shell CEO Pay Up 50%March 9, 2023 21:23Manufacturing Business TechnologyCEO of Royal Dutch Shell Ben van Beurden speaks at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Shell paid outgoing Chief Executive Ben van Beurden a total of 9.7 million pounds ($11.5 million) in 2022 as the …
Former Shell CEO's pay jumped 53% to $11.5m in 2022March 9, 2023 11:17Gulf NewsBen van Beurden, chief executive officer of Royal Dutch Shell, speaks during the 26th World Gas Conference in Paris, France, June 2, 2015
Image Credit: Reuters
London: Shell's former chief executive, Ben van Beurden, received a pay package of 9.7 …
SHELL’S ROLE IN NIGERIAN OPL 245 BRIBERY SCANDAL
Whatever fig leaves they might be trying to use to hide the truth, Shell and Eni paid over $1bn to a company called Malabu for the OPL 245 licence. Even though the payment was channelled through the Nigerian government, it was clear that Shell knew that the ultimate beneficiary was Dan Etete, the former minister of petroleum. Etete is the owner of Malabu, to whom he awarded the licence when he was Nigerian Minister of Petroleum.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
MORE INFORMATION
Shell appeased and collaborated with the Nazis. The oil giant instructed its employees in the Netherlands to complete a form giving particulars about their descent, which for some, amounted to a self-declared death warrant. Shell used slave labor and was a close business partner in Germany of I.G. Farben, the notorious Nazi run chemical giant that also used slave labor and supplied the Zyklon-B gas used during the Holocaust to exterminate millions of people, including children. Shell continued the partnership with the Nazis in the years after the retirement of Sir Henri and even after his death. It was money generated on Shell forecourts around the world, profiteering from cartel oil prices, that funded the Nazi party and saved it from financial collapse. Evidence about Shell's Nazi connections can be found in extracts from "A History of Royal Dutch Shell" Volumes 1 and 2 authored by historians paid by Shell, who had unrestricted access to Shell archives. There are 67 pages in total, so takes some time to download.
Photograph (full size here) shows a Swastika flag flying at the head office of Royal Dutch Petroleum, 30 Carel van Bylandtlaan, The Hague, during the Nazi occupation of the in World War II (From Image Database Hague Municipal)
Sir Henri Deterding, the founder of the Royal Dutch Shell Group - known as "The Most Powerful Man in the World" - who became an ardent Nazi and financial supporter of Hitler and the Nazi party.
Reading between the lines in various legal documents, it seems that the allegations are that after the technology in question had been disclosed to a Shell company in the USA, the information was passed to Shell in the Netherlands in breach of confidentiality. And Royal Dutch Shell subsequently exploited the technology without payment or credit to the company holding the rights; Newton Research Partners. The inference seems to be that Twister B.V. was founded by Shell partly on trade secrets stolen from Bloom/Newton.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a Shell website nor is it officially endorsed by or affiliated with Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Originally co-founded by the late Alfred Donovan and his son John, it is now operated by John, Shell's "No.1 Enemy", aided by an expert team, with invaluable support from retired Shell senior executives and officials as guest contributors and leaked information from Shell insiders. (JOHN DONOVAN, WEBSITE OWNER) For nearly a decade, we have operated globally under the Royal Dutch Shell Plc top level domain name, dealing on Shell’s reluctant behalf with job applications, business proposals, Shell pension enquiries, shareholder enquiries, complaints, invitations to speak at conferences, an approach from the Dutch Defence Ministry and even terrorist threats. All meant for Shell. Prospect magazine has aptly described this website as being:"An open wound for Shell": WIPO proceedings by Shell to seize the domain name failed. NO SUBSCRIPTION CHARGES: All of our watchdog activities monitoring Royal Dutch Shell, including operating this website, are carried out on a non-profit basis. Any advertising revenues generated are used to recover and/or defray operational costs. We are a news aggregator and original content website. All information is available free for educational and research purposes. SHELL TACIT ENDORSEMENT: WHAT A WELL INFORMED SHELL OFFICIAL SAID ABOUT US:
"John and Alfred Donovan well known in UK/Hague. They perceive Shell played them and so have made it their mission to embarrass,belittle and criticize Shell, which they do quite well. Their website, royaldutchshellplc.com is an excellent source of group news and comment and I recommend it far above what our own group internal comms puts out."
WARNING TO SHELL EMPLOYEES: Shell Global Affairs Security "CAS") is spying on Shell employees globally trying to trace who is visiting, posting, or leaking information to this website from Shell premises. Threats, including death threats, have allegedly been made against conscience driven Shell whistleblowers supplying us with information. The worlds biggest leak of employee details as part of a claimed corporate revolution by 116 Shell employees, suggest the espionage operation, threats and draconian litigation have not been entirely successful in cutting off the supply of information to this website. The insider leaks had already cost Shell billions on the Sakhalin Energy project and the loss of SEIC Deputy Chairman, David Greer. We publish our own carefully researched articles about Shell e.g. "How Royal Dutch Shell saved Hitler and the Nazi Party". MEDIA COVERAGE: Prospect Magazine, The Sunday Times, and The Guardian, have all published major articles about us: "Rise of the Gripe Site";"Two men and a website mount vendetta against Shell' and "92-year-old's website leaves oil giant Shell-shocked”. SHELL PETROL STATION images displayed in the website header panel are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Information on copyright issues here.
John Donovan can be contacted at [email protected]
SHELL’S $500,000 WEDDING GIFT TO CORRUPT BRUNEI ROYAL FAMILY
EXTRACT FROM ASIAN JOURNAL ARTICLE IN LIST OF LINKS BELOW: "Fireworks will light up the sky for three nights. The local unit of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has donated 500,000 Brunei dollars (US$292,400; euro 243,700) for the display, and for cultural events to be hosted by popular performers from Malaysia."
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS:
THIS IS WHAT IT SAID:
Subject: This could be the most important whistleblower email you have ever received.
Some unfortunate Royal Dutch Shell workers have already lost their lives. More lives are at stake.
My name is Bill Campbell. I am a former Group Auditor of Shell International. I am writing to you on a matter of conscience in an effort to avert the inevitability of another major accident in the North Sea. The consequences could potentially impact on families in many constituencies, including your own.
As Royal Dutch Shell and the Health & Safety Executive would acknowledge, I am an expert on safety matters relating to offshore oil and gas platforms. In 1999, I was appointed by Shell to lead a safety audit on the Brent Bravo platform. The audit revealed a platform management culture that basically gave a higher priority to production than the safety of Shell employees. To our astonishment we discovered that a "Touch F*** All" policy was in place. Worse still, safety records were routinely falsified and repairs bodged.
I personally brought the shocking situation to the attention of senior management including Malcolm Brinded, the then Managing Director of Shell Exploration & Production. I revealed that ESDV leak-off tests were purposely falsified, not once but many times and that Brent Bravo platform management had admitted responsibility for the dangerous practices being followed. In response to my team ringing alarm bells, management pledged to rectify the serious problems which had been uncovered.
When I later complained that the pledges were not being kept, I was removed from my oversight function.
Four years later, a massive gas leak occurred on the platform. Two workers lost their lives. I have no doubt at all that the inaction of the relevant Asset Manager, the General Manager, the Oil Director and Malcolm Brinded, contributed in some part to the unlawful killing of two persons on Brent Bravo in September 2003.
Shell subsequently pleaded guilty to breaches of the HSE regulations and a record-breaking £900,000 fine was imposed. I thought this would bring about a real change in policy to put the emphasis on safety.
Unfortunately I was wrong. Although I supplied the evidence related to 1999, and the fact that there had been a collapse in controls of integrity from 1999 to 2003 on all 16 of Shell's North Sea offshore installations covered in a post fatality integrity review to the HSE for review by the Procurator Fiscal, none of this evidence was presented before the Sheriff at the subsequent Inquiry. The situation is explained in a letter to the Procurator Fiscal and the Sheriff (on 24th February 2007).
Shell management has engaged in spin to try to pretend that it is getting to grips with its safety problem. However, its atrocious safety record - the worst in the North Sea in terms of accidental deaths and absolute number of enforcement actions – tells a different story. This fact has resulted in a number of newspaper articles.
I have had meetings with senior Shell people including its CEO Mr. Jeroen van der Veer. I regret to say that I have found him to be economical with the truth. He prefers to support cover-up and deceit rather than confronting the underlying problems. Brinded is now Executive Director of Shell Exploration & Production. He believes in burying evidence.
My family and friends would probably prefer me to give up on this matter and enjoy my retirement after so many years working for Shell.
However, by writing to every MP in the UK, no one can ever say that I did not do my best to avert an inevitable further major accident event in the North Sea. When it happens (I pray that I am wrong) I will make this warning communication available to the media together with the vast amount of evidence in my possession.
At least my conscience is clear. I have done everything possible to ring the alarm bells about Shell management and its unscrupulous attitude to the safety of its employees.
Yours sincerely
Bill Campbell
ENDS
(Malcolm Brinded and Jeroen van der Veer are no longer with Shell. The Oil Director referred to in the email is Chris Finlayson, who left Shell to become Chief Executive of British Gas before being fired - his photo immediately below)
SIR PHILIP WATTS, THE GROUP CHAIRMAN OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL GROUP, FORCED TO RESIGN IN 2004
Shell’s reputation was destroyed in 2004 after FIVE consecutive cuts to its hydrocarbon reserves covering 55% of its total reserves. US and UK financial regulators imposed $150 million in fines on Shell for securities fraud. Shell was also rocked by class action lawsuits. Sir Philip Watts
and Walter van de Vijver (whose headcut images appear courtesy of The Wall Street Journal) were among the Shell executives forced to resign. More details at the foot of this column.
MORE DETAILS: The Shell reserves scandal brought about
the end of the Royal Dutch Shell Group in its original form as an Anglo-Dutch partnership.
Shell Transport & Trading Co and Royal Dutch Petroleum were unified into a single Dutch owned company - Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
Sir Philip turned to religion and is now a very wealthy priest after receiving a payoff/pension package from Shell reportedly worth $18.5 million. Walter van de Vijver in contrast was the victim of a sadistic sacking by his Shell senior management backstabbing colleagues.
Displayed below are some of the spectacular promotional campaigns my company Don Marketing created for Shell in the 1980s and 1990s. This was before the series of SIX high court actions we brought against Shell for stealing ideas (4) and for defamation (2) - all settled by Shell. This website is a permanent response by me to the malicious underhand tactics, including treachery, espionage and intimidation, used by Shell during and after the bouts of litigation. More information is printed at the foot of this column.
MORE DETAILS: After a solicitor acting for Shell threatened to make the litigation "drawn out and difficult" with the intention of draining the resources of a financially weaker opponent, my late father (Alfred Donovan) and I decided to mount a wide-ranging campaign as a counter-measure. We jointly founded the Shell Corporate Conscience Pressure Group, which nearly 15% of Shell UK retailers joined. We regularly conducted ethical surveys involving up to 1500 Shell petrol stations. All responses were opened and authenticated by an independent solicitor who supplied Affidavits confirming the results. In whole page announcements in trade magazines (examples above) we challenged Shell to commission and publish the resuits of independent research asking the same questions and offering respondents GUARANTEED anonymity. Shell never took up the invitation. Instead it asked the UK Advertising Standards Authority to investigate our Shell surveys. No problems were found. The head-cut image of Alfred Donovan appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
SHELL CONTROVERSIES
selection of memorable warnings/articles/images associated with the controversial track record of Royal Dutch Shell.
WARNING: DO NOT DISCLOSE YOUR IDEAS TO SHELL GameChanger OR SHELL Ideas360 WITHOUT TAKING EVERY POSSIBLE PRECAUTION. Shell management has ample funds to pay for intellectual property but prefers to steal it from small businesses and in our experience, gives its full backing to dishonest managers willing to do its bidding. We have sued Shell repeatedly in the High Court for the theft of our Intellectual Property. It is doubtful if anyone can match our dire experience in dealing with this ruthless unscrupulous serial poacher of other parties ideas. Expect threats, legal machinations and sinister action from Shell and its spooks if you object to having your ideas stolen.
Some years ago extensive documentary evidence was brought to the attention of Malcolm Brinded above, when he was Chairman of Shell UK, proving beyond any doubt that Shell executives had conspired to rig a tender for a major contract. A number of innocent firms were deliberately lured into signing confidentiality agreements and disclosing Intellectual Property to Shell under false pretences, in a carefully contrived plot. The firm which was awarded the contract never took part in the tender. One objective of the Machiavellian plan was to stop/delay IP trade secrets owned by the participants in the tender from being disclosed to Shell's rivals. This was achieved by outright deception, without paying a cent to the firms involved, who wrongly believed they were participating in an honest tender. Instead of sacking the ring leader, AJL - who had a personal relationship with the firm which miraculously won the race in which it never ran - Shell senior directors, including Brinded, gave AJL their full backing. Some of the Shell executives involved, including for example, Tim Hannagan, still hold high positions inside Shell - in his case, Global Brand and Visual Identity Manager. If Shell does not accept that this is a true, provable account of what happened, then it should sue for libel. How on earth is such predatory conduct compatible with Shell's claimed business principles?