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Allseas backs down on Nazi ship name

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Allseas Abandons Ship name

By John Donovan 

Associated Press has confirmed that after protests, the Allseas Dutch-Swiss maritime engineering company said Friday it will change the name of a giant ship that had been christened after a convicted Nazi.

Allseas Group said that due to the “widespread reactions” Edward Heerema has announced that the name of the vessel will be changed.

“It has never been the intention to offend anyone,” the company said in a statement.

Earlier Friday, the company said it had no plans to change the name. The new name was not immediately announced.

“Wonderful, wonderful news. You’ve made my day,” Esther Voet of Dutch Jewish group CIDI said when she was told of the name change.

CIDI supported my petition to rename the ship.

I am pleased Mr Edward Heerema (above right) has decided to do so. All due praise to him for changing his mind when legally he did not need to do so. 

Must be a huge relief at Royal Dutch Shell and Lloyds Register.

SOURCE

COMMENT FROM AN OLD EP HAND

John,

Well done, your tenacious reporting on the name of the Heerema vessel has paid off. It came quicker than I thought, but they obviously weghed the pros and cons and decided to chuck it in.

I am telling you that Edward Heerema will be very angry. People like that hate to lose. And he may forgive you for now, he will never forget you so be careful!

Great stuff, chapeau!

COMMENT FROM MAURA HARRINGTON

Dear John,

Heartfelt congratulations and sincere thanks for your fantastic work re the ill-named Allseas superstructure.

You have performed a great service on behalf of very many people which will not be forgotten – by either side!!

Thank you again, Maura

COMMENT FROM IMPRESSED

Really impressed. Shows what can be achieved when someone is fearless and relentless. Noticed that Shell kept insisting that the name was a matter for Allseas until the heat got too hot to handle.

I signed your petition and congratulate you on the outcome.

COMMENT FROM UNION MAN

Great job. We picked up the story from your amazing website. It was only days ago that Shell was claiming the name had nothing to do with them.

STV ARTICLE 3 FEBRUARY HEADLINED Energy giant criticised over ship named after Nazi war criminal

QUOTE

“Shell has awarded a contract to Excalibur Marine Contractors, part of the Allseas Group, to provide for the lift and transportation to shore of the topsides of the Brent Alpha, Bravo and Delta. Shell cannot comment on the name of the vessel, which is entirely a matter for Allseas.”

UNQUOTE

Shell soon changed its tune and piled pressure on Allseas to cave in.

RELATED

Crane ship owners bow to pressure on SS name Financial Times 6 Feb 2015

Owner Forced to Rechristen Ship Named After Nazi Criminal, Used by Shell: 7 Feb 2015

UPDATE  9 FEBRUARY 2015

Allseas renames Pieter Schelte

Allseas has announced new name: Pioneering Spirit

UPDATE 9 FEBRUARY 2015

Vessel named after Dutch Nazi renamed after protests

Extract

Pieter Schelte Heerema was a convicted war criminal served in the Waffen-SS alongside Josef Mengele, the notorious Auschwitz doctor, during World War II. He also worked for the SS in the Netherlands, sending slave labor to the eastern front. In May 1940, he was working in Venezuela when Germany invaded his homeland, and returned to join the Nazi party and the Waffen-SS.He undertook active service with the 5th SS Panzer Division ‘Wiking’ in 1941 and 1942 in Yugoslavia and on the eastern front near Rostov-on-Don and in the Caucasus mountains. The unit has been linked to a number of war crimes.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

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