Posts from ‘March, 2015’

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN
Published: Mar 31, 2015 at 1:57 pm EST

Royal Dutch Shell plc. (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) has postponed its $100 million-plus exploration well in Australia’s north-east cost. The Den Haag-based energy company’s project known as the Cronus-1 was initially scheduled to start drilling in the first quarter of 2015 in the Browse basin. However, now the project has been postponed, reportedly till the end of this year.

Many are speculating that the project is postponed because of more than 50% plunge in the crude oil prices since June 2014. A spokesman of Shell denied that the decline in crude oil prices has resulted in postponing the Cronus project. However, the spokesman failed to give any reason for the delay. read more

By Grant Bradley Aviation, tourism and energy writer for the Business Herald

New Zealand’s next energy game changer could be the “super resource” of gas hydrates, says Shell New Zealand chairman Rob Jager.

Speaking to the Advantage New Zealand Petroleum Summit yesterday, he said “ice gas” beneath the sea off the coasts were recognised internationally as having significant potential as a future energy resource.

“One [government study] explains this resource could possibly be about 10 times as big as the giant Maui gas field when it was first found,” Jager said. “GNS science says we have some of the biggest deposits of ice gas in the world, with the potential to meet all New Zealand’s needs and create a gas export for decades.” read more

Extracts from a Bloomberg article published 31 March 2015

Iran riches coveted by big oil after decades of conflict

Now, as Iran and the US enter 11th hour negotiations to reach a nuclear deal and ease sanctions, the West Asian country is emerging again as a potential prize for western oil companies such as BP, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Eni SpA and Total SA.

The restoration of Western oil investment appears to be a priority for Iran in its nuclear talks with the U.S., U.K, France, Germany, Russia and China. A year ago, the new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani used a speech during the World Economic Forum in Davos to court the European oil majors. read more

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell will resume drilling off Alaska after suspending operations for two years in the wake of an accident, the special U.S. envoy to the Arctic said on Monday, but gave no details as to when.

Shell has been moving oil rigs to Alaska as it awaits the green light from U.S. authorities. It froze operations in 2013 after the grounding of a rig in Alaska prompted protests from environmental groups.

“Clearly Shell and others will resume drilling and exploration up off the North Slope of Alaska,” Admiral Robert Papp said in an interview during a visit to Canada.

Papp, noting the accident had happened in December 2012 after that year’s drilling season had ended, said the Anglo-Dutch oil major understood the importance of taking all the necessary precautions. read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN
Published: Mar 30, 2015 at 10:40 am EST

Shell Oil Company, subsidiary of multinational oil giant Royal Dutch Shell Plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS), is conducting drilling tests in Bellingham, Washington, ahead of potential regulatory approval for drilling in the Arctic.

According to media reports, government officials in Washington are observing Shell’s oil spill response system, which is to be deployed in the Arctic. The testing comes two years after the oil company’s previous venture ended abruptly in 2012, after it failed a deployment test because of damage to its emergency containment system. The failure led to heightened concerns over environmental safety. However, the system, which was deployed on a barge, has since been certified after repairs were carried out. read more

By John Donovan

The third successive year of a pre-AGM email bombardment of Shell by its former “Mr Fixit” company in Ireland, OSSL, is fully underway.

Several emails are sent every day by OSSL, not just to top executives at Shell, such as Ben van Beurden  but to the Irish Justice Minister and Senior Irish Police Officers.

The subject is always the same.

The alcohol purchased by OSSL on behalf of Shell, which OSSL distributed to senior Irish police officers on behalf of Shell. Police officers who took delivery are named in the emails. They were also named in a taxation invoice sent to Shell by OSSL for some £30,000 worth of police alcohol.  read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN: Published: Mar 30, 2015 at 9:26 am EST

Despite largely unfavorable movement in crude oil price during the recent months, some of Europe’s biggest oil companies are finding support from trading desks as they face a prolonged slump, which has seen oil price hit six-year lows.

In the three years before the summer of 2014, crude oil price had been averaging over $100 per barrel. However, oil price have crashed 50% since then, owing to record-high US oil production levels, coupled with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ reluctance to cut output. This led to a supply glut in global oil markets. read more

From an article published by The Guardian on Monday 30 March 2015

Shell cynically blocking action on climate change, says ex-diplomat

Shell and its oil and gas peers are narcissistic, paranoid and psychopathic, and engaged in a cynical attempt to block action on global warming, according to the UK’s former climate change envoy. read more

From an article by Joshua King published on 30 March 2015 by the Aberdeen Press & Journal under the headline:

Plans for revolutionary Peterhead energy project revealed

Extracts

Plans for a pioneering clean energy project in the north-east have been formally tabled with Aberdeenshire Council in a major milestone for the multimillion-pound scheme.

The carbon capture and storage (CCS) development planned for Peterhead Power Station could bring hundreds of jobs to the Buchan town and would be the first of its kind in the world.

Spearheaded by giant Shell, it involves pumping tens of millions of tonnes of harmful CO2 back into depleted North Sea gas wells, 62 miles offshore. read more

From an article by Angela Macdonald-Smith published Monday 30 March 2015 in the Sydney Morning Herald:

Royal Dutch Shell delays WA drilling plans as crude oil price dives

Extracts

Royal Dutch Shell’s delay of the drilling of a $100 million-plus exploration well off Australia’s north-west coast is the latest example of modified plans in the wake of the plunge in crude oil prices, which sources say have driven some companies to renege on work commitments.

Shell’s Cronus-1 well was due to start drilling this quarter in the Browse Basin, targeting a large gas discovery, but the well has been put back until later in 2015. Wells by Japan’s Inpex Corporation and Santos planned off Western Australia’s coast have also been deferred recently, while several others have sought modifications to permit terms to allow them to cancel or delay work. read more

By Andrew Critchlow, Commodities Editor for publication in The SundayTelegraph 29 Mar 2015 under the headline:

Arctic braced for oil rush as Shell eyes return to Alaska

When the wreck of Royal Dutch Shell’s Kulluk drilling rig washed up on the coast of Alaska in 2012 following a storm at sea, many environmental campaigners hoped that the incident would draw a line under big oil’s quest to explore in the Arctic, the last remaining great frontier for fossil fuel reserves.

In rough seas, with waves as high as 18 feet and winds gusting at around 50 miles per hour, the drilling rig broke free from its towing rope and was cast adrift for four days in the northern Gulf of Alaska before washing ashore. It was carrying 560,000 litres of diesel fuel and drilling lubricant along with 18 crew. read more

From an article by Jared Goyette published 27 March 2015 by Public Radio International under the headline:

How one woman fought one of the world’s biggest oil companies — and won

Officials in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, are currently mulling a proposal from Shell Oil to build a new chemical plant in their backyard. But before they make a decision, they might want to listen to some advice from a 71-year-old retired teacher who lives in another small town thousands of miles away.

“You should have input in what is going on,” warns Margie Richard of Norco, Louisiana.

Richard’s words of caution come from experience: She fought her own battle against a Shell chemical plant in her hometown — and won. read more

Article by Carl Surran published 25 March 2015 by SeekingAlpha.com

Shell moving rigs to north Alaska ahead of possible drilling permit

• Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) is moving oil rigs to Alaska in anticipation of the possible resumption of its Arctic drilling program two years after the grounding of a rig led to a huge uproar from environmental groups.
• Also, Shell’s Arctic oil spill response system is undergoing drills in waters near Bellingham, Wash., with government officials observing the exercises; the drills were set to begin in earnest today and span several days, and are meant to put the equipment through its paces for regulators who will decide whether the company wins other critical government approvals.“
• Bellingham, Wash. in March is not Barrow, Alaska in October,” Greenpeace retorts. “Even if these tests appear successful, they have almost no bearing on whether or not Shell can safely drill in the Arctic.”

SOURCE

RELATED ARTICLES

Shell conducts drills with Arctic oil spill response system

Alaska Dispatch

WASHINGTON — Shell’s Arctic oil spill response system is undergoing drills in waters near Bellingham, Washington, with government officials observing the exercises.

Shell Oil Co. is conducting the testing as it plans a new round of exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska later this year.

FULL ARTICLE

US industry group pushes for arctic lease changes

Washington, 27 March (Argus) — The US National Petroleum Council (NPC) is urging policy makers to rethink the leasing terms governing arctic oil and gas exploration. read more

Indispensable for a fair trial: an independent, impartial Judge

By John Donovan

Last weekend, The Sunday Times devoted almost an entire double-page spread and their main editorial to a series of court cases  involving The Sunday Times that raised questions about whether judges should declare their interests.

The Sunday Times was being sued for libel and malicious falsehood by Peter Cruddas in relation to allegations about a “cash- for-access” report involving the Conservative party. 

After a senior judge Mr Justice Tugendhat, had initially found in favour of Mr Cruddas on all counts in July 2013, The Sunday Times found out that the judge had close family links to the Conservative party. One of his sons, Tom, was being adopted as a Tory candidate.  read more

Article by Kevin McGwin published 26 March 2015 by The Arctic Journal under the headline:

What the Shell is going on? Legal action hopes to make Shell port-less in Seattle

On March 22, The Guardian, a British media outlet popular among the left-of-centre, announced that Shell’s approval to resume its Alaska drilling programme this summer appeared imminent.

Nothing is certain, but the assumption is that Sally Jewell, the US interior secretary, will indeed affirm a recommendation by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a regulator, that the 2008 sale of drilling licences to Shell and several other firms be permitted to stand.

The BOEM, which falls under Ms Jewell’s jurisdiction, had been ordered by a court last year to review the $2.6 billion sale of eight licence areas after conservation groups challenged the federal environmental impact assessment that cleared the way for the deal. read more

Shell E&P Ireland says it is still on schedule to have gas flowing from the Corrib Gas Field within the next six months.

An 800 metre section of a water discharge pipe, which will carry treated surface water from the terminal at Bellanaboy in north Mayo 12 kilometres out to sea once the plant is opertional, had come loose from the seabed and was floating on the surface of Broadhaven Bay two weeks ago.

However, the problem has not had any impact on the target date to have gas flowing by the middle of this year.

A spokesperson for Shell E&P Ireland said the ducting has now been temporarily repositioned on the seabed and remediation work is ongoing to find a more permanent solution within the next few weeks. read more

From an article by Jennifer A. Dlouhy published 26 March 2015 by fuelfix.com

Shell conducts drills with Arctic oil spill response system

WASHINGTON — Shell’s Arctic oil spill response system is undergoing drills in waters near Bellingham, Washington, with government officials observing the exercises.

Shell Oil Co. is conducting the testing as it plans a new round of exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea north of Alaska later this year.

Shell’s last venture, in 2012, was cut short when the emergency containment system was damaged during a deployment test — preventing the equipment from making it to the Arctic in time to safeguard drilling into oil- and gas-bearing zones more than 1,000 feet below the sea floor. read more

26 March 2015

(Reuters) – Motiva Enterprises said on Thursday that operations at its Convent and Norco, Louisiana, refineries will be integrated to take advantage of increased production of lower-cost U.S. shale oil.

Motiva, which is co-owned by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Aramco, said the first step in the integration project is the construction of the Maurepas pipeline system that will bring advantaged crude to the Norco refinery and connect the production systems at the two plants. read more

Here’s Why Royal Dutch Shell Is Cutting Jobs In The North Sea

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN: Published: Mar 26, 2015 at 1:13 pm EST

Royal Dutch Shell plc. (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) has announced to cut 250 jobs in the UK North Sea region. The move comes ahead of more than 50% decline in crude oil prices. As a result, life in the exploration and production companies has become difficult. The job cut announced by Shell comes just a week after the announcement of the treasury to offer tax cuts in order to stimulate growth in the industry.

The North Sea oil and gas sector holds great value to the state. The sector employs over 400,000 people and is estimated to have a worth around $7.47 billion. Despite the massive size of the sector, investment activity is slow. This is due to the high costs of production faced by the energy companies due to higher taxes and lower crude oil prices. Thus the tax cut by Britain was aimed at promoting investment in the sector. read more

Article by Norma Costello published 23 March 2015 by vice.com under the headline:

A Massive Pipe Came Loose in an Atlantic Gas Field and Irish Environmentalists Are Not Happy

The Corib Gas pipeline project by the Western Irish fishing village of Rossport, County Mayo, has always been a source of controversy. It was established amid arrests and police batons, against the wishes of locals and environmental protesters. The project is supposed to start pumping gas this summer, and those activists remain convinced that extracting fossil fuels from an area famed for its natural beauty is a bad idea.

Just over a week ago, an 800 metre pipe that was supposed to be fixed to the sea-bed floated to the surface. Feeling that their fears may have been justified, local activists are demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looks into it. I contacted the EPA who had previously said they would be investigating the issue. When I asked whether members of the EPA would visit the site, I was told they “don’t consider it necessary at this time”. read more

Article by Daniel J. Graeber published 26 March 2015 by UPI

Shell takes further steps away from Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria, March 26 (UPI) — The Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell said it made further progress in its divestment strategy by selling Niger Delta assets from $1.7 billion.

Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria said it completed the sale of oil mining lease 29 and the 62-mile long Nembe Creek pipeline to Aiteo Eastern E&P Co., a Nigerian company.

“This divestment is part of the strategic review of SPDC’s onshore portfolio and is in line with the federal government of Nigeria’s aim of developing Nigerian companies in the country’s upstream oil and gas business,” the Dutch supermajor said in a Wednesday statement. read more

Thursday 26 March 2015

(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) is planning further job cuts in its UK North Sea oil and gas business in 2015, the company said on Thursday, just a week after a package of tax cuts from the Treasury aimed at encouraging growth in the industry.

“Shell UK plans to reduce the number of staff and agency contractors who support the company’s UK North Sea operations by at least 250 in 2015,” Shell said in an emailed statement.

The reduction is in addition to 250 job losses announced in August, Shell said, and follows North Sea job cuts by BP (BP.L), Talisman Sinopec, Chevron and ConocoPhillips. read more

Article by Carl Surran published 25March 2015 by SeekingAlpha.com

Shell sees only 15%-20% of Canada LNG projects advancing

A top executive at Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) says he expects only 15%-20% of liquefied natural gas export projects already approved by the Canadian government to go ahead in the next decade.

Markus Hector, Shell’s general manager of global LNG, says the low forecast success rate is partly due to the scale of the infrastructure projects and the competition for people with the skills to build them.

Shell itself is the lead partner in a consortium planning the LNG Canada facility on British Columbia’s northern coast and is not expected to make a final investment decision until at least 2016. read more

Shell completes $1.7 billion sale of Nigerian assets to Aiteo

ABUJA (Reuters) – Oil major Shell said on Wendesday it completed the sale of its 30 percent stake in the Nigerian oil block 29 and the Nembe Creek trunk line to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Co for $1.7 billion.

Total and Eni’s Nigerian arms also assigned their interests of 10 percent and 5 percent, respectively, to Aiteo, which ended up with a 45 percent interest in total for both assets.

(Reporting By Julia Payne; Editing by Tim Cocks)

© Thomson Reuters 2015 All rights reserved read more

John Donovan, Co-founder Royal Dutch Shell Plc.com

Email sent by John Donovan to Garda Slochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) 25 March 2015

SHELL CORRUPTION OF IRISH POLICE AS ADMITTED BY ITS AGENT/CONTRACTOR: OSSL

Dear Sirs

I attach for your information a copy of a letter dated 12 March 2015 from Ms Frances Fitzgerald, T.D., Irish Minister for Justice and Equality, addressed to Mr Bernard J Durkan TD. 

This is similar in content to replies sent recently to other T.D’s – all of whom kindly took this matter up with the Minister on my behalf, who has now invited me to supply the GSOC with evidence.

I want to keep this simple, so I will restrict my comments to one item of evidence which has already been supplied, but not acted upon, plus important items of evidence that have emerged since the GSOC Report published in July 2014. read more

An article published 25 March 2015 by ContractorUK.com under the headline:

Royal Dutch Shell cuts IT contractor pay rates

Royal Dutch Shell has reduced pay for IT contractors, telling such temporary technology workers to lower their rates by 15% or face termination.

The Angel-Dutch oil giant told ContractorUK that current market volatility has made the need to reduce costs “across our business” more urgent.

But a Shell spokesman suggested that the company hasn’t just singled out IT contractors, as it is currently “pursuing a number of [other] initiatives to manage costs”.

He declined to be drawn on how Shell arrived at the figure of 15% as the cut IT contractors have been asked to make, even when reminded that BP has reduced rates by the same margin. read more

From an article by Liz Ruskin published 24 March 2015 by Alaska Public Media under the headline:

26th Anniversary of Exxon Spill Prompts anti-Shell Protest at White House

It’s the 26th anniversary of America’s second largest oil spill, when an Exxon tanker leaving Valdez Arm ran aground, leaking 11 million gallons of North Slope Crude into Prince William Sound. In Washington D.C., environmental activists marked the occasion with a demonstration in front of the White House. Their message was less about Exxon and tanker safety than it was about Shell and its plans to drill in the Chukchi Sea.

“Hey, Obama: Yes you can! Stop Shell Oil’s dirty plan,” the crowd chanted. read more

“THE NIGER DELTA, Nigeria—Oil is so cheap these days that for people around here, it isn’t even worth stealing anymore.”

An article by Igoniko Oduma published 24 March 2015 by AllAfrica.com/Daily Independent (Lagos):

Nigeria: Oil Spill – Era/FoEN Accuses Shell of Denying Communities JIV Reports

Yenagoa — The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) has raised the alarm that Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria has been denying host communities in the Niger Delta access to Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) reports indicting the company over oil spill incidents.

The group, in a statement on Monday by Alagoa Morris, Project Officer and Head, Niger Delta Resource Centre,Yenagoa, also accused Shell of deploying security operatives “to intimidate and deny communities of the JIV reports”. read more

UK Government must defend against big oil and mining dirty tricks

Oil and mining bodies together with companies such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell have drafted industry compliance guidelines that weaken the impact of new UK anti-corruption laws.

21st March 2015

Anti-corruption campaigners urge the UK Government to divorce itself from industry guidelines that would create transparency black-holes

Oil and mining bodies together with companies such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell have drafted industry compliance guidelines that weaken the impact of new UK anti-corruption laws. (1) A coalition of over 800 organisations including Global Witness, CAFOD, Oxfam, Christian Aid and ONE are urging the Government to reject industry’s proposed guidelines which suggest that the law allows companies to keep certain payments secret. (2) read more

FROM AN ARTICLE BY CHRIS MOONEY PUBLISHED BY THE WASHINGTON POST ON 23 MARCH 2015 read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN
Published: Mar 23, 2015 at 10:54 am EST

According to the Guardian, Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) will most probably get an approval by the US government to drill in the Arctic. An approval last month was given by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BEOM).

A formal statement is expected to come from the US interior Secretary Sally Jewel. The decision might spark opposition from environmentalist groups that are not in favor of Shell operating in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of Alaska. read more

From an article by Prabhat Sakya published 24 March 2015 by The Motley Fool under the headline:

BP plc And Royal Dutch Shell plc: Why The Oil Price Could Fall Even Further

The oil price has fallen dramatically since last summer. This has meant difficult times for the oil producers, including companies such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell.

…people have been buying more fuel-efficient cars, and there has been huge investment in technologies such as hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles.

So supply has been steadily increasing, and demand has been falling, and the world now has too much oil. Oil prices have begun a downtrend; and I don’t think that this fall will just last a few months, before bouncing back. read more

By Seattle Times editorial board published 23 March 2015 under the headline:

Terminal 5 Shell lease is not the right arena to debate climate change

SOON, two huge oil rigs will be parked at the Port of Seattle, preparing for a summer sailing to the Alaskan Arctic and for exploratory drilling.

The Port’s decision in February to lease Terminal 5 to Foss Maritime, which will service the Royal Dutch Shell rigs, was appropriate because facilitating the maritime economy is what the Port does.

Environmental activists are arguing — loudly — that the Port should scuttle that lease as part of a proxy war over climate change. A coalition of groups have sued and on Friday learned their lawsuit will go forward. read more

An article by Ejiofor Alike published 24 March 2015 by ThisDayLive.com

Shell Gives Conditions for More Investments in Nigeria

Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has given conditions for it to invest in Nigeria, saying that though it has divested assets, it is also ready to invest more than it has divested if the operating environment is right.

Speaking at a special panel session of the recently concluded Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) conference in Abuja, the new Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Osunbor said his company was committed to long-term presence in Nigeria. read more

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Quo Vadis – Budget 2015: a further step in the right direction

Hannon Westwood welcomes the changes to the North Sea tax regime announced by the Chancellor on Wednesday, aimed at stimulating and prolonging investment in the UKCS. Significant and positive steps have been taken to relieve the overall tax burden and this will assist with counterbalancing the effects of the recent collapse in oil price and consequent job losses in the industry.

The key measures are: a ten percentage cut in the supplementary charge, effective from 1 January 2015 – a decrease from 30% to 20%, following a 2% cut implemented in the 2014 Autumn Statement; a cut in the rate of petroleum revenue tax (PRT) from 50% to 35% for PRT-paying fields as of 2016; a new UK Continental Shelf Investment Allowance aimed at simplifying the existing system of complex offshore field allowances. The new allowance will exempt a portion of profits equal to 62.5% of a company’s qualifying investment expenditure from the Supplementary Charge. It will be available for projects in new and existing fields, and will apply to investment expenditure incurred on or after 1 April 2015. read more

From an article by Sam Richards published 23 March 2015 by Contra Costa Times

Bay Point: Removal of ‘Shell Pond’ polluted soil set to start in April

BAY POINT — More than two years after an aborted attempt to clean up the old “Shell Pond” along Suisun Bay, PG&E will soon begin removing 8,400 tons of dredged polluted soil from land adjacent to the pond on the community’s north edge, with an eye toward starting cleanup of the 73-acre pond itself in 2017.

The utility is set to begin, in mid-April, removing soil containing petroleum hydrocarbons (“carbon black”), metals and other compounds dredged in 2012 from the waste pond about three-quarters of a mile north of Willow Pass Road along the waterfront and trucking it about two miles to the Keller Canyon landfill, said PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian. That work is expected to take approximately three months, she said. read more

From an article by Fyneface Aaron published 23 March 2015 by The Tide

Joint Investigation Visit Reports Indict Shell On Oil Spills In Bayelsa, Nigeria

(JIV) report on Seibou and several other oil wells that are spilling its contents into the environments in Bayelsa State operated by Shell Development Company has been attributed to equipment failure.

The reports estimated that some 549 barrels of SPDC,s crude stream was discharged into Ogboinbiri River in Southern Ijaw Local government area and impacted several other communities living along the coast.

The JIV report obtained on Monday, indicated that the visit was concluded on March 13,  2015, and traced the spills to raptured pipes which were fast ageing. read more

Robert Mugabe was a “key player” campaigning against the white settler regime in Rhodesia nearly 50 years ago, and remains the key player today, but considerably richer.  Some of this information, including the anti-Apartheid poster, comes from “A History of Royal Dutch Shell Volume 3. 

HOUSTON, March 22 (UPI) — Shell Oil Company, one of the largest oil companies in the world, will soon be allowed to drill for oil in the American Arctic.

The decision rests on the U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who is expected to announce the decision on Wednesday.

The drilling will occur in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of the Arctic, near Alaska. Environmentalists are concerned with the issue, since technology has not been prepared to deal with an oil spill in that region. The Environmental Impact Statement claims there is a 75 percent chance of a large spill occurring. read more

From an article by Terry Macalister published by the Guardian on Sunday 22 March 2015:

Shell oil drilling in Arctic set to get US government permission

The US government is expected this week to give the go-ahead to a controversial plan by Shell to restart drilling for oil in the Arctic. The green light from Sally Jewell, the interior secretary, will spark protests from environmentalists…

FULL ARTICLE

RELATED

Shell names new Alaska manager: Petroleum News: 22 March 2015

Shell has appointed Laurie Schmidt as vice president, Shell Alaska, effective February, Shell spokeswoman Megan Baldino has told Petroleum News. Schmidt replaces Pete Slaiby who has taken a new position for Shell, based out of Houston.  Schmidt has moved to Alaska from a position as the head of audit…. read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN: Published: Mar 22, 2015 at 9:56 am EST

As UK’s North Sea oil industry suffers from declining production and a prolonged slump in oil price, the government has given oil companies a good reason to rejoice.

George Osborne, UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced earlier this week the government’s decision to reduce tax applicable to energy investments made in the North Sea to help the struggling oil and natural gas industry. The Petroleum Revenue Tax will be reduced from its existing rate of 50% to 35%. read more

WORLDS BIGGEST LEAK OF STAFF DATA AFFECTED OVER 176,000 SHELL EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS

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. read more

FROM AN ARTICLE BY CORAL DAVENPORT PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK EDITION OF THE NEW YORK TIMES ON 21 MARCH 2015

New Federal Rules Are Set for Fracking

Extracts

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday unveiled the nation’s first major federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing, a technique for oil and gas drilling that has led to a significant increase in American energy production but has also raised concerns about health and safety risks.

The Interior Department began drafting the rules, focused on drilling safety, in Mr. Obama’s first term after breakthroughs in the technology, also known as fracking, led to a surge in the production of oil and gas. read more

Article by Joel Connelly published 20 March 2015 by seattlepi.com

Judge: Suit against Shell’s Arctic-drilling ‘homeport’ in Seattle can go ahead

Critics are on solid legal ground in a legal challenge to the location of a “homeport” for Shell Oil’s Arctic-drilling fleet at the Seattle waterfront, a King County Superior Court judge ruled Friday.

The ruling by Judge Mariane Spearman allows a suit against the Port of Seattle, brought by four environmental groups, to go ahead.

The judge backed up foes’ argument that proposed uses of Terminal 5 go far beyond the “cargo terminal” allowed under the current shoreline development permit that the port has with the city of Seattle. read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN
Published: Mar 20, 2015 at 9:35 am EST

As reported by Bloomberg, Amnesty International has indicated that Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) and Eni SpA (ADR) (NYSE:E) are finding it difficult to control the oil spills in Nigeria. Amnesty International asserted that both companies have been involved in over 550 oil spills in the Southern Niger Delta River. This is much higher than the average of ten oil spills per year in Europe from 1971 to 2011.

Nigeria is regarded as one of the major crude oil producers. According to Bloomberg, the country records daily production of two million barrels. Hence, it has attracted the attention of many major energy companies. The oil spills are a major source of concern for the residents of the country. The Nigerian community believes that oil spills lead to serious environmental concerns. The fisherman community, in particular, feels that the spills are damaging the fishing villages in the Niger Delta. read more

Cautionary note: Shell has a track record in Nigeria of repeated oil spills; toxic gas flaring without end; arming police thugs; hiring militant gang leaders; hanging Nigerian campaigners while in bed with one particularly despotic regime; paying bribes to corrupt Nigerian government ministers and infiltrating spies into the Nigerian government.

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands, March 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ —

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) (NYSE: RDS.A) (NYSE: RDS.B), has completed the assignment of its 30% interest in oil mining lease (OML) 18 and related facilities in the Eastern Niger Delta. Its interests in OML18 were assigned to Eroton Exploration & Production Company Limited. Total cash proceeds for Shell amount to $737 million.

This divestment is part of the strategic review of SPDC’s onshore portfolio and is in line with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s aim of developing Nigerian companies in the country’s upstream oil and gas business. read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN: Published: Mar 19, 2015 at 1:06 pm EST

Extracts

The Oil and Gas Journal, quoting US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), has reported that the Gulf of Mexico, Central Planning Area Lease Sale 235 attracted around 195 bids from 42 companies. Major energy companies such as Statoil ASA (ADR) (NYSE:STO), Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) and Royal Dutch Shell plc. (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) led the bids.

Shell was the highest bid placer placing around 17 bids amounting to $37.89 million. read more

Statoil’s disclosures deal a major blow to efforts by a small number of backward looking oil firms, including ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP, to weaken the U.S. transparency rule. Unless transparency rules include these elements, they will give companies a licence to continue making corrupt payments.

Extracts from a Press Release by Global Witness published 19 March 2015

Transparency campaigners call on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to follow Norway’s lead

The Norwegian energy giant Statoil today became the first major oil company to publish its payments to governments under a new, mandatory transparency standard being rolled out across the world. As the Securities and Exchange Commission works to create a similar transparency rule for US-listed oil and mining companies, campaigners in the Publish What You Pay coalition are calling on U.S. regulators to follow Norway’s lead. (1) read more

From an article by Wall Street Sector Selector Staff published 19 March 2015 read more

From an article by Tim McAleenan Jr. published 19 March 2015 by Seeking Alpha

Will Royal Dutch Shell Cut Its Dividend?

Summary