The Canadian-owned entity that acquired Shell Ireland’s 45 per cent interest in Corrib gas has already taken €414.8 million in dividends from the operation of the gas field.
Dec 3rd, 2018
by John Donovan.
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Shell has sold its remaining stake in the Corrib gas field, formally marking its exit after nearly two decades of involvement.
The UK company, one of the largest oil and gas firms in the world, announced yesterday that it had completed a deal to offload a 45 per cent interest in the gas field to a unit of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
The deal, which was agreed in July last year, will include a cash payment of $958 million (€846 million), interest of $54 million and additional payments of $285 million, subject to gas prices and production from Corrib. The transaction could therefore be worth $1.3 billion (€1.1 billion).read more
The oil company Royal Dutch Shell has completed the sale of its shares in the Corrib gas field off the north Mayo coast.
The deal means Shell no longer has any involvement in the operation of the project.
Last year, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) agreed a deal to purchase all Shell interests on the Corrib venture, for €1.08 billion.
Gas was first detected off the north west coast in the late 1990s but the project to bring it ashore was mired in controversy and subject to several challenges.read more
Oct 29th, 2018
by John Donovan.
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A billion-euro acquisition deal struck last year by a giant Canadian pension fund for Shell’s holds in the Corrib gas field still has not been fully completed. (stock picture)
Fearghal O’Connor:
Pre-tax losses at Shell’s Corrib gas field operation fell substantially last year, from €187m to €89m, according to newly-filed financial results.
A massive billion-euro acquisition deal struck last year by a giant Canadian pension fund for Shell’s 45pc holding in the controversial gas field off the Mayo coast still has not been fully completed.read more
Aug 29th, 2018
by John Donovan.
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Public protests in Ireland about Shell led Corrib Gas Project
Gordon Deegan:
The Corrib Gas partners have reported a 25pc jump in revenues to €362m in the first half of this year in spite of external electricity supply issues hitting production at its gas terminal in the second quarter.
That is according to new quarterly figures provided by Canadian firm Vermilion.
It said production between April and the end of June decreased 7pc quarter-over-quarter and 11pc year-over-year for the first six months.
However, sales for the first six months were up by 25pc to €362m (Can$549m) on the same period last year.read more
Aug 3rd, 2018
by John Donovan.
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Seán McCárthaigh: August 2, 2018
The release of odourless gas into the national network last September, meaning 10,000 homes had to go without gas for days, was due to poor operating procedures at the Corrib gas refinery in Co Mayo.
A report by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) concluded that the emergency on September 21, 2017, was due to a technical failure at the Shell E&P Ireland terminal at Bellanaboy. The CRU said it had followed up its findings with enforcement actions against both Shell and Gas Networks Ireland (GNI), which operates the national gas network.read more
Aug 3rd, 2018
by John Donovan.
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Shell announced last year that it was disposing of its 45 per cent stake in the Corrib gas field to a unit of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in an €830 million deal, resulting in about €1 billion of losses. The decision was announced just over 18 months after first gas finally flowed from the field 83km off the Mayo coast, after over a decade of opposition…
Lorna SigginsWestern Correspondent: Wed, Aug 1, 2018
An investigation by the State’s energy regulator into the release of non-odourised gas from the Corrib gas refinery in north Mayo last year says it was caused by the upgrading of an information technology (IT) system.
“Deficiencies” in Shell E&P Ireland’s (SEPIL) operating procedures led to the incident last September, but there were no safety consequences for staff at the Corrib gas refinery or members of the public “in the immediate vicinity”, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has found.read more
Jun 8th, 2018
by John Donovan.
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Shell campaigner loses High Court case against Corrib gas pipeline
MAURA HARRINGTON – Campaigner against the Shell Corrib gas project in Co Mayo. Alone, unrepresented, faced four senior counsel.
By Ann O’Loughlin: 08/06/2018 – 12:15:57
A campaigner against the Shell Corrib gas project in Co Mayo has lost her High Court bid to overturn a ministerial consent for a pipeline bringing gas to a refinery at Ballinaboy.
Maura Harrington, who has opposed the project since 2001, has described it as “a land, sea and air attack on the place that is Erris”.read more
Jan 30th, 2018
by John Donovan.
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January 30th, 2018
Shell Ireland is one of eight industrial sites listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest list of industrial sites under its radar for breaches of environmental regulations.
The sites are included on the environmental watchdog’s National Priority Site (NPS) list, which is updated on a quarterly basis. Six of the sites account for more than half of all complaints received in 2017, the majority of which concerned odour, noise or dust.read more
Nov 1st, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Now, some of the financial cost to the Corrib Gas Partners, Shell Ireland, Statoil and Vermilion Energy from the odourless gas being pumped into the network can be revealed.
Gordon Deegan: Irish Independent: Wednesday 1
Corrib Gas Partners lost out on estimated natural gas revenues of around €38m in the third quarter of this year as a result of odourless gas getting into the network and a scheduled downtime.
Production ceased at the Bellanaboy gas terminal in Co Mayo on September 9th for a scheduled downtime and a total of 31 days of production were lost.
This was as a result of odourless gas being pumped into the gas network in the west of Ireland after the plant was restarted temporarily.read more
Oct 14th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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The field was discovered in 1996, but objections and protests by locals who feared the development’s impact on the environment delayed its development.
The Corrib natural gas field off the west coast lost €140 million last year, according to accounts filed by its operator, Shell E&P Ireland.
Global oil and gas giant, Royal Dutch Shell, is selling its 45 per cent stake in the Corrib operator to a Canadian pension fund for up to €1.08 billion.
Accounts for Shell E&P Ireland show that it lost €140 million in 2016 as the cost of running Corrib exceeded the revenues that it earned.
The figures show that the company’s sales were €182.2 million, but costs of €359.4 million and a near €10 million interest bill left it with losses of €187 million. A tax credit of €47 million reduced this to €140 million.read more
Sep 28th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Lefteris Karagiannopoulos: SEPTEMBER 28, 2017
(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) and Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) are working to remove unodourised gas that entered the network from the country’s Corrib gas field and has curbed output since last week, Shell said.
Due to a technical problem at the Shell-operated Bellanaboy Bridge gas terminal in Ireland, unodourised gas entered the network, forcing GNI to ask local customers to switch off their gas meters on Sept. 22-23, a Shell spokesperson said.read more
Sep 27th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Corrib flaring ‘frightening’
CLOSE ENCOUNTER RIGHT: A still of the flare from a video by Rossport resident, Mary Corduff.
By Áine Ryan: 26 Sept 2017
COMPANIES selling ‘potentially dangerous energy products’ are obliged ‘to ensure that there is no risk to the customer’. That was according to Minister Michael Ring in the aftermath of news breaking last Thursday night about the fact that odourless gas from the Corrib refinery had entered the network for Galway and Mayo. The crisis, which involved a 36-hour flaring operation at the Bellanaboy refinery in order to push the odourless gas back out of the network, has since been resolved as two State inquiries continue into the potentially dangerous situation.read more
Two State investigations are under way into the release of odourless gas into the natural gas supply in the west of Ireland after a “technical fault” at the Corrib gas refinery.
More than 9,000 customers in counties Galway and Mayo were advised to shut down supplies on Thursday until further notice for safety reasons, and the State’s national gas emergency plan was invoked.
Gas Networks Ireland said it had restored a safe supply to 60 per cent of those affected by Friday evening, mainly in Galway city and parts of the county.read more
Sep 22nd, 2017
by John Donovan.
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By Harry Manning: 21st September 2017, 9:51 pm
GAS Networks Ireland are urging customers in Mayo and Galway to turn off their gas supplies after odourless gas entered the system from the Corrib Gas terminal.
Natural gas customers in Galway city, Headford, Castlebar, Tuam Ballinrobe, Claremorris, Westport, Ballina and Crossmolina are being told to turn the supply at the meter box off until further notice.
Gas is an odourless substance until a smell is added so it is noticeable.
If a gas leak was now to occur, homeowners would not be able to smell it.
It was processed at the Ballanaboy terminal in Mayo however the odourless gas managed to enter the network, Shell EP confirmed.
In a statement issued by Gas Networks Ireland, the company confirmed a ‘quantity of odourless gas’ entered the network.read more
Sep 22nd, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Michael Ring said that he was “extremely concerned” over how the odourless gas managed to enter the wider network.
“Shell E&P Ireland (SEPIL) can confirm that a quantity of odourless gas has entered the Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) network,” a spokesperson said.
22 Sept 2017
A GOVERNMENT MINISTER has called for an investigation into how odourless gas from the Corrib gas field made it into the general supply.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring said that he was “extremely concerned” over how the odourless gas managed to enter the wider network.
“I am aware that the EPA is engaged with Gas Networks Ireland and the priority is that this situation is resolved safely and with minimal inconvenience to customers,” he said.
“However, we also need answers on how this was allowed to happen and we need them without delay.read more
Sep 4th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Protest event in Ireland during “Shell to Sea” campaign
Joe Brennan: 4 Sept 2017: Extracts from article: “Vayu warns of volatile prices for winter gas”
Ireland imports much of its gas needs through the UK, even though the Corrib field off the Mayo coast, which started production in late 2015, has the potential to meet up to 60 per cent of the country’s gas needs and is expected to supply fuel for up to 20 years.
“We are anticipating considerable energy price volatility this winter, which could be worrying for businesses as this is the time when their energy usage is at its highest,” said Keith Donnelly, an energy analyst with Vayu, noting that winter gas prices have risen by 8 per cent in the past six weeks.read more
Aug 4th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Friday, Aug 04, 2017
European upstream projects in the UK and Italy are among the eight Royal Dutch Shell proposals scheduled for a final investment decision (FID) before 2018.
Shell is considering a redevelopment of the Penguins cluster in the northern North Sea. This would see the installation of a new FPSO to replace the current 65-km tie-back of Penguins’ five deposits to the ageing Brent Charlie platform.
Charlie is the only one of four Brent platforms that is still producing oil, and Penguins requires a new outlet for processing once the field is finally decommissioned.read more
Aug 3rd, 2017
by John Donovan.
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By Áine Ryan: 02 AUGUST 2017
IT was so easy for sacked Sunday Times columnist Kevin Myers to mock and defame the Corrib Gas protestors in article after article over the years. From his perch in his eyrie somewhere in the rolling hills of Kildare, he picked on the protestors again and again without properly informing himself of the protest’s deep community nuances, cynically dismissing genuine fears as ‘pagan voodoo of the fir-bolgs’. Well, the Shell spin machine had ensured that official Ireland turned its back on this community, whose heritage and pristine environment is among the last bastions of a culture untainted by much of the consumerism and globalist capitalism that thousands of holiday makers who indulge in the area crave to escape.read more
Jul 18th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Áine Ryan: 18 July 2017
IT was always about ‘sovereignty’ for retired teacher and one of the Rossport Five, Vincent McGrath. So last week’s news that Shell is in the process of selling the controversial Corrib Gas project reminded him of the lines from the War of Independence poem, Shanagolden:
“These hills are at peace again, the Saxon stranger gone.”
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday (Monday), Mr McGrath, who with four other local men spent 94 days in jail in 2005 for flouting an injunction allowing Shell onto their lands, said: “For me it was always about sovereignty and the health and safety of our community and our Government ceded this to Shell and thus failed in their primary duty to protect their citizens in Erris.”read more
As George Orwell wrote in 1984, “doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them”.read more
The State could be a big loser from Shell’s heavy financial hit on the Corrib gas field. If tax losses racked up by Shell are carried over to the new owners, it will reduce the corporation tax receipts on what will be a profitable venture for some shareholders in the years ahead.
So how did Shell manage to lose nearly $1bn (€870m) on the enormous commercial gas find off the west coast? One easy but rather simplistic explanation is that the protests not only delayed the project but ended up costing Shell a fortune. But $1bn? Hardly.read more
Jul 16th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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The Shell to Sea campaign, led and supported by the miffeds, and backed by variegated bands of republicans, faced down the gardai in protest after protest.
Kevin Myers: 16 July 2017
Four binary questions divide most western societies. Which is the more important: mercy or justice? Idealism or pragmatism? Truth or freedom? Diversity or unity?
If you answered “mercy, idealism, freedom and diversity” you probably supported the Shell to Sea campaign and are delighted that Royal Dutch Shell, having got its fingers burnt in Co Mayo, is now leaving. You also think that anti-wind farm protesters are reactionary luddites who don’t care about global warming. Also, you are probably female or a “feminist” male, work in the public sector and are a soft republican. We’ll call you M-I-F-D: “miffed”.read more
Energy company Shell has sold its 45 per cent stake in the Corrib gas field to a unit of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in a deal worth $947 million (€830 million).
Below is a timeline of the controversial gas field’s past.
1996 – Corrib gas field discovery declared by Enterprise Energy Ireland Ltd, which submitted plans to pump it ashore and build an onshore refinery in north Mayo.
2001 – Government petroleum lease granted for Corrib field
April 2002 – Corrib acquired by Shell, which became lead developer with Norwegian company Statoil and Marathon.read more
Jul 13th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Development of the Corrib field sparked a series of confrontations between the Irish police and environmental demonstrators before the first gas was brought ashore two years ago: NIALL CARSON/PRESS ASSOCIATION
Emily Gosden: July 13, 2017
Royal Dutch Shell has sold its stake in the contentious Corrib gas project off the Republic of Ireland to a Canadian pension fund for up to $1.23 billion.
The Anglo-Dutch energy group agreed to sell its 45 per cent stake in Corrib, about 50 miles off Ireland’s northwest coast, to a subsidiary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
The latest deal in a $30 billion divestment programme comprises a $947 million payment up front and up to a further $285 million between 2018 and 2025, depending on gas prices and production.read more
Jul 13th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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13 July 2017
Energy groups behind the controversial Corrib gas field off the Mayo coast are as much €2.5 billion in the red on their investment, as Shell’s move to sell a stake to a Canadian state pension fund has left it with loss of up to €1 billion.
Shell, currently in the middle of selling up to $30 billion (€26.3 billion) of assets to cut its debt pile, has agreed to sell its 45 per cent stake to a unit of the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).
The deal could be worth as little as €830 million to Shell but its return may rise by up to €250 million over the next eight years subject to future gas prices and the field reaching certain production targets. This would also boost the value of the other investors’ stakes in the project.read more
The Corrib gas field has left Shell and its partners in the project with losses running to the best part of €2bn to date.
Shell announced yesterday it was exiting the project in a deal worth potentially as much as €1.08bn, selling its 45pc stake in the project to a Canadian pension fund, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).
The deal – which is expected to complete next year – will see Shell take an impairment charge of around $350m (€307m) and write off $400m (€350m) in historical currency movements that have impacted on its valuation of the asset.read more
Jul 13th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Shell’s disillusionment with the Corrib investment, where protests and opposition delayed production by more than a decade…
13 July 2017
No doubt, Shell is glad to see the back of the Corrib natural gas field, even if it is on track to lose about €1 billion on 15 years of heavy investment in the controversial project.
The sale of its 45 per cent interest in the gas field off the Mayo coast to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for €830 million is part of a $30 billion (€26.3 billion) asset sale programme by the Anglo-Dutch group as it seeks to cut its $90 billion debt pile following its takeover of smaller UK rival BG Group early last year.read more
Jul 12th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Barrington’s report highlighted Shell’s policy of employing former public officials, former gardaí and former journalists – “giving rise to the appearance that Shell is seeking to influence those who regulate them”.
Royal Dutch Shell’s proposed sale of its major share in the Corrib gas field came as little surprise to residents in Erris, Co Mayo whose views are still divided on the multibillion euro project.
After years of acrimony and protest the first delivery of gas from the field was taken in December 2015 and the project was formally opened the following month. This was some 20 years after the gas discovery was reported off the north Mayo coast.
Rossport farmer Wilie Corduff, who was one of five men jailed indefinitely over opposition to the project’s high pressure pipeline route, said the decision by Shell came “16 years too late, as the damage to the community is done”.read more
Jul 12th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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LONDON—Royal Dutch Shell PLC has sold its stake in a controversial Irish gas field for up to $1.23 billion to one of Canada’s biggest pension funds, but the deal will result in a $350 million impairment charge, the company said Wednesday.
Shell the development of the Corrib gas field, located in the Atlantic Ocean about 52 miles off the coast of rural County Mayo.The field began pumping in 2015 after years of delays. WSJ ARTICLE
Jul 12th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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(Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell is to sell its 45 percent stake in the Corrib gas venture to a subsidiary of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for up to $1.23 billion, marking the oil company’s exit from the upstream business in Ireland.
The deal includes an initial consideration of $947 million and additional payments of up to $285 million between 2018-2025, subject to gas price and production, Shell said in a statement on Wednesday.
The transaction will result in an impairment charge of around $350m, which will be taken in Q2, 2017, Shell said.read more
Royal Dutch Shell has sold its 45 per cent interest in the Corrib gas field to a unit of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in a deal worth up to $1.23 billion (€1.08 billion), as the group continues to sell off non-core assets.
The deal includes an initial consideration of $947 million and additional payments of up to $285 million over the next eight years, subject to gas price and production. It is subject to partner and regulatory consents and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018.read more
Jun 14th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Wednesday, June 14, 2017 – 05:46 pm
The Supreme Court has found Shell E & P Ireland was acting in civil contempt of court orders when it entered nine years ago onto commonage lands at Rossport located on the modified route for the Corrib gas onshore pipeline, writes Ann O’Loughlin.
A three judge Supreme Court yesterday (wed) overturned as “incorrect” a 2010 High Court finding that a November 2007 order of District Judge Mary Devins prohibiting Shell’s entry onto the commonage, except in accordance with the Gas Act 1976, did not prevent Shell entering onto the commonage after acquiring a 1/62nd share of the land.read more
Jun 14th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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14 June 2017: 19.15pm
The Supreme Court has found Shell E & P Ireland was acting in civil contempt of court orders when, nine years ago, it entered on to commonage lands at Rossport located on the modified route for the Corrib gas onshore pipeline.
A three-judge Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned as “incorrect” a 2010 High Court finding that a November 2007 order of District Judge Mary Devins prohibiting Shell’s entry onto the commonage, except in accordance with the Gas Act 1976, did not prevent Shell entering on to the commonage after acquiring a 1/62nd share of the land.read more
Jun 14th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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14 June 2017
A GERMAN CIVIL engineering company has been fined €300,000 over the death of a contractor in 2013.
Wayss and Freitag Ingenieurbau AG contractor Lars Wagner, who worked for Herrenknecht AG, was killed on 8 September 2013 at the Mayo project.
He received fatal head injuries when a pipe he was working under collapsed on top of him as a result of an overpressure event in the pipe system.
The accident occurred in the gear chamber of a tunnel boring machine that was constructing the tunnel. Wagner was engaged in maintenance activity at the time of the accident.read more
May 16th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Gordon Deegan:
The performance of the Corrib gas field is exceeding expectations, with its promoters recording sales of (Canadian) $241.34m (€160m) in the first quarter of this year.
That is according to a new report by one of the Corrib partners, Canadian-based Vermilion, which recorded that between January and March this year the project exceeded expectations for “well deliverability and downtime”.
As a result of the strong performance, Vermilion has adjusted its field and well performance estimates “and now expects to maintain peak production through Q1 2018 and potentially into Q2 2018”.read more
After battling for nearly a decade and a half to develop Ireland’s Corrib gas field, Shell may be about to offload its stake in the project just over a year after announcing first gas.
Although Shell has refused to confirm that it is looking to sell, The Sunday Times reported in December that Australian investment bank Macquarie had approached the Anglo-Dutch major about a potential deal.
Ireland’s Business Post followed up the story in early March, stating that “up to three” potential buyers were considering making unsolicited bids for Shell’s 45% stake in the Corrib project, which the two newspapers valued at more than £1 billion ($1.24 billion).read more
Mar 6th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Potential bidders eye Shell’s Corrib stake
The Sunday Business Post reports that as many as three potential bidders are running the rule over Shell’s stake in the €3.6 billion Corrib gas field off the west coast of Ireland as the oil and gas giant moves ahead with a $30 billion assets sell-off.
While the Corrib stake has not been formally put on the market, the newspaper cites unidentified market sources as saying that a number of companies are looking at Shell’s 45 per cent interest, with Australian bank Macquarie said to be among them.read more
Feb 5th, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Valerie Flynn: Sunday February 5, 2017
An official audit has criticised Mayo county council’s management of an €8.5m fund provided by Shell for the benefit of the local community near the Corrib gas pipeline.
The council allocated €451,000 of the fund to itself, with allocations made by “evaluation boards that were either entirely made up of staff from Mayo county council, or the majority of members on the evaluation board were from Mayo county council”, the local government auditor said.read more
Feb 3rd, 2017
by John Donovan.
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Targets and victims of British undercover police operations in Ireland speak out, demand answers and action
— Shell to Sea supports Jason Kirpatrick and other Core Participants in UCPI/Pitchford Inquiry —
A press event jointly organised by Jason Kirkpatrick and Shell to Sea is scheduled for Buswell’s Hotel on Monday 06 February from 11.00am to 1pm.
Jason Kirkpatrick was a victim in Ireland of British undercover officer Mark Kennedy. Mr. Kirkpatrick is a former Deputy Mayor from Arcata, California, and is a “Core Participant” in the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) which covers England and Wales.read more
Dec 20th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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Shell to Sea, an environmental protest group, claims it was infiltrated by a British officer between 2004 and 2006: MARK STEDMAN/PHOTOCALL IRELAND
By: Ellen Coyne – The Times
A Mayo protest group that claims it was spied on by a British police officer has asked to be included in a UK inquiry into undercover practices.
Shell to Sea, an environmental activist group that protested against the Corrib gas pipeline, believes it was infiltrated by Mark Kennedy when he was in the Republic.read more
Dec 20th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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Corruption of Police by Shell
Printed below is an extract from a current submission to The Pitchford Inquiry by the Shell to Sea organisation in Ireland. As can be seen, it very much involves Shell.
The Pitchford Inquiry is investigating undercover policing activities in England and Wales. Pressure is mounting to also cover the activities of undercover British police in Ireland.
EXTRACT FROM THE SUBMISSION
Corruption of Police by Shell
In March 2013 Shell to Seacontacted a reporter in the London-based Observer newspaper regarding a series of allegations which had appeared consistently since September 2012 on a website co-founded by John Donovan and his late father Alfred, available at www.royaldutchshellplc.com. It took from March until publication on 11 August to research and legal-proof the article written by award-winning journalist Ed Vuillamy(http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/18/ed-vulliamy-ryszard-kapuscinski-award) under the heading ‘Strange tale of Shell’s pipeline battle, the Gardaí and £30,000 of booze’. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/10/shell-pipeline-protests-county-mayoWhile the reportage of alcohol provision to the police came as no surprise, we find the claim made by Mr Neil Rooney of OSSL as quoted below to be, indeed, sinister:read more
Dec 20th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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By: Shell to Sea
Open Letter to the Irish Minister of Justice, Francis Fitzgerald
Shell to Sea are calling for the Minister of Justice, Francis Fitzgerald to seek that the inquiry into the behaviour of undercover British police (entitled the Pitchford Inquiry) be extended to include the activities of undercover police in Ireland.
The Pitchford Inquiry is so far only investigating undercover policing activities in England and Wales, however the German Government, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland’s Justice Minister, Claire Sugden have all called for the remit of the inquiry to be widen to include the activities of the undercover British police in their jurisdictions.read more
Shell is reported to be in talks to sells its stake in an Irish gas field to an Australian infrastructure fund.
Macquarie is understood to have approached the oil and gas giant over its 45% stake in Corrib, valuing it at around £1billion.
If a deal is struck, the sale will be part of Shell’s plan to offload $30billion of assets in the wake of its mega-merger with BG Group earlier this year.
It is uncertain what would happen to the operatorship of the field which started pumping gas at the end of last year. Other stakeholders in the field include Statoil and Canada’s Vermillion Energy.read more
Dec 5th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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By: Danny Fortson – The Sunday Times
The Australian investment giant nicknamed the “vampire kangaroo” is hoping to sink its teeth into Ireland’s £3bn Corrib gas field.
Macquarie, one of the largest owners of British infrastructure, is understood to have approached Shell over a deal that could value the FTSE 100 giant’s 45% stake in the project at more than £1bn. It is unclear whether the Australians have tabled a formal bid.
Corrib started producing a year ago after years of delays and protests from fishermen, environmentalists and locals.read more
A security firm which worked at Shell’s Corrib gas project has sought protecton from its creditors after a slump in its business.
Baker Tilly Hughes Blake has been appointed interim examiner to Business Mobile Security Services (BMSS) which trades as Senaca and Intergrated Risk Management Services.
According to reports, the firm’s finances were impacted by the ending of the Corrib project as well as the impact of costs to cover redundancy for affected staff.read more
Nov 30th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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Corrib job losses at Bellanaboy
Áine Ryan
SHELL E&P Ireland has announced that due to ‘challenging’ market conditions globally, ten jobs will be cut at its Corrib Gas refinery in north west Mayo. Employees were advised of the jobs losses, due to be implemented during 2017, at the Bellanaboy plant on Thursday last.
Speaking afterwards, a spokesman for the global oil and gas company said: “Since December 2015, the Corrib gas development has established itself as an integral element of Ireland’s energy infrastructure. Despite a good first year for operations, market conditions remain challenging with Irish gas prices reflecting lower oil and gas price conditions globally.”read more
Nov 29th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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Shell Canada President Michael Crothers (above) says “Canada should stick to its values and do something to protect the environment, regardless of what policy tack the incoming U.S. president takes.”
Nov 16th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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The Irish Police are said to be in the pocket of Shell
Gordon Deegan:Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Sales of more than €1.2m a day are being generated from gas flowing from the Corrib field off the Mayo coast, new figures show.
Production started on the field at the end of last year and for the first nine months of this year, the Corrib partners — including Shell, Statoil, and Canadian company Vermilion Energy — recorded estimated revenues of $360m (€335m) from the production of gas from the field.
A new report from Vermilion — which has an 18.5% stake in the project — show that it, alone, has generated sales of $66.42m from the first nine months of production. According to Vermilion production volumes on the project reached full capacity at the end of second quarter of this year.read more
Nov 10th, 2016
by John Donovan.
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The 10th of November 2006 was chosen by the Shell to Sea campaign as a suitable day of action as it marked the anniversary of the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa and 8 other Ogoni activists who opposed Shell in Nigeria.
In 2007, following the baton charge and other incidents in which people were injured, GSOC sought to do a “policies and practices” investigation into the policing of Shell/Corrib protests. However, the then Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan denied GSOC permission to carry out this investigation. As the 2010 Frontline report stated this created “the impression that the State does not want the Garda Síochána held properly to account over the policing of the Corrib dispute”. [2]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?