AUG 8, 2019

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Motiva Enterprises [MOTIV.UL] plans to shut the big crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 607,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the nation’s largest, by Sept. 5 for a 60-day overhaul, said sources familiar with plant operations.

In addition to the 325,000-bpd VPS-5 CDU, Motiva plans to shut the naphtha processing complex, which includes the 115,000-bpd naphtha hydrotreating unit 2 (NHTU2), 85,000-bpd catalytic reformer 5 (CRU 5) and 50,000-bpd isomerization unit for the work, scheduled to finish by Nov. 5, the sources said. read more

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Feb 23, 2018, 6:00 PM CST

Royal Dutch Shell plans to shut for a planned overhaul the 92,000-bpd gasoline producing unit at its refinery at Convent, Louisiana, for some six weeks starting in June, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting sources familiar with the refinery’s plans.

The gasoline-producing fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at the 227,586-bpd Convent refinery, as well as the alkylation unit with 16,500 bpd capacity, are planned to be shut for an overhaul this summer, after Shell scrapped plans in November last year to permanently close the gasoline-producing unit at Convent. read more

• BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | [email protected]
• NOV 1, 2017

CONVENT — Royal Dutch Shell plans to refurbish the gasoline-producing catalytic cracking unit at its Convent oil refinery in St. James Parish next year and not demolish it as previously planned under an effort to link up the oil major’s Gulf Coast operations, a local government official said.

St. James Parish President Timmy Roussel announced Wednesday night that refinery managers told him the fluidized catalytic cracker would be furbished in a forthcoming “major turnaround” so it could be run for another four to five years, avoiding possible layoffs at the 227,600 barrel-per-day refinery. read more

FILE PHOTO: Logo of Saudi Aramco is seen at the 20th Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference (MOES 2017) in Manama, Bahrain, March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

Saudi Aramco plans to spend $18 billion in the next five years to expand its operations in the Americas, focusing on its U.S. oil refining subsidiary Motiva Enterprises, Motiva said on Thursday.

Motiva [MOTIV.UL] called the $18 billion estimate “a general framework of opportunities” to increase refining capacity, branch into chemicals, and expand its commercial operations, marketing and branded presence in the next five years. read more

May 15, 2017 3:17 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) and Saudi Aramco complete the separationof the assets, liabilities and businesses of their U.S.-based refining and marketing joint venture.

Shell now holds sole ownership of the 235K bbl/day Norco refinery, where subsidiary Shell Chemical already operates a petrochemical plant, and the 242,250 bbl/day Convent refinery, which Motiva previously said will be integrated to create the Louisiana Refining System, as well as 11 distribution terminals. read more

Royal Dutch Shell Plc halted the restart of the heavy oil hydrocracking unit (HCU) at its 235,000 barrel per day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana, refinery on Tuesday due to a leak, sources familiar with plant operations said.

A Shell spokesman said operations were stable on Tuesday at the Convent refinery.

The refinery began restarting the 45,000 bpd hydrocracker, called the H-Oil Unit, over the weekend. Shell was planning to return the unit to operation by the end of this week.

Shell became the sole owner of the Convent refinery on Monday when it and previous refinery co-owner Saudi Aramco divided the assets of their Motiva Enterprises LLC [MOTIV.UL]joint-venture. read more

Shell assumes ownership of Norco, Convent refineries in Motiva deal with Saudi Aramco

• Advocate staff report
• MAY 1, 2017

Royal Dutch Shell has assumed sole ownership of refineries in Norco and Convent as part an agreement with Saudi Aramco to split up the assets of their Motiva joint venture.

Shell, which also has a chemical plant in Convent, also assumes ownership of 11 distribution terminals and Shell-branded markets in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, a portion of the Florida panhandle, and the Northeast.

Saudi Aramco, through its Saudi Refining Inc. subsidiary, assumes ownership of the Motiva Enterprises LLC name, the refinery at Port Arthur, Texas, and 24 distribution terminals. Motiva has the right to exclusively sell Shell-branded gasoline and diesel in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., as well as the eastern half of Texas and the majority of Florida. read more

Shell Oil Co, the U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, on Thursday reaffirmed the target date to split up the Motiva Enterprises [MOTIV.UL] refining joint venture with co-owner Saudi Aramco [IPO-ARMO.SE] would be May 1.

Shell and Saudi Aramco in March 2016 announced the plan to divide up the nearly 20-year-old venture, which runs three refineries and other assets. The date of the split has been pushed back twice since the announcement.

As part of the deal, Saudi Aramco will make a $2.2 billion balancing payment to Shell. Of that total, Aramco will only have to pay about $700 million in cash to Shell, with the remainder satisfied by Aramco assuming most of Shell’s half of the $3.2 billion debt held by Motiva. read more

• BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | [email protected] APR 4, 2017

A Motiva Enterprises investigation into the dramatic Aug. 11 fire at its St. James Parish oil refinery found the blaze resulted from a small valve failure that could not have been foreseen and prevented.

The Houston company reached that conclusion in a recent report to the State Police after a monthslong probe into the four-hour blaze that sent black clouds billowing into the sky, forced the evacuation of 1,400 workers and contractors during an intermittent lightning storm and heavily damaged an important H-Oil unit. read more

Saturday, March 18, 2017 9:26 p.m. EDT

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A fire was extinguished at Motiva Enterprises’ 235,000 barrel per day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana, refinery on Saturday with no injuries, a company spokeswoman said in a statement.

Two sources familiar with plant operations said the fire broke out shortly before noon on the 45,000 bpd heavy oil hydrocracker, called the H-Oil Unit, which was being restarted to full production for the first time since a fire last August.

Motiva’s spokeswoman, Angela Goodwin, did not identify the unit involved in the fire. read more

by Javier Blas, Joe Carroll, and Margot Habiby: 7 March 2017

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. will pay Royal Dutch Shell Plc $2.2 billion including debt to finalize the breakup of a 19-year refining partnership known as Motiva Enterprises LLC.Saudi Aramco’s Saudi Refining unit will take full ownership of the Motiva Enterprises name and legal entity, including the largest refinery in the U.S. at Port Arthur in Texas, and 24 distribution terminals, according to a joint statement. Shell will take sole ownership of the Norco and Convent refineries in Louisiana and 11 distribution terminals.

Aramco will make a $2.2 billion balancing payment, split between debt and cash and subject to adjustments including working capital, Shell said in a separate statement. Aramco will assume almost all of Motiva’s $3.2 billion of net debt, including $1.5 billion of Shell’s share. A cash payment will cover the balance, Shell said. The arrangement will also take the Anglo-Dutch company closer to its target of selling $30 billion of assets in the three years to 2018.

“Motiva is a strong competitor among U.S. refiners, and we value this important link with the dynamic U.S. energy sector,” said Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, senior vice president of Aramco’s downstream business. “Our intent is to continue providing Motiva with strong financial support as it transitions into a stand-alone downstream affiliate.” read more

Mon Feb 6, 2017

HOUSTON Shell Oil Co, the U.S. unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, said on Monday it expects to divide the refineries and other assets of the Motiva Enterprises [MOTIV.UL] joint venture with co-owner Saudi Aramco in the second quarter of 2017.

“We are pleased with the progress we have made to date, and anticipate completion of the transaction in Q2 2017,” Shell spokesman Ray Fisher said in an email. “The April 1 date is a target that the internal project teams are working toward.” read more

EXTRACT

The latest disposal came on Sunday with the $820m sale of Shell’s stake in a Saudi Arabian petrochemicals joint venture to Saudi Basic Industries. This followed a $1.4bn withdrawal last month from the Showa Shell refining joint-venture in Japan. A further break-up is being negotiated with Saudi Aramco over their Motiva US refining JV.

Motiva Enterprises [MOTIV.UL] restarted on Monday the main gasoline-producing unit at its 603,000 barrel per day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, said sources familiar with plant operations.

A Motiva spokeswoman declined on Monday to discuss operations at the refinery.

The 81,000 bpd gasoline-producing Fluidic Catalytic Cracking Unit 3 was shut on Saturday when the system pumping catalyst into the unit malfunctioned, said the sources on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. read more

HOUSTON, Dec 18 2016 (Reuters) – A malfunction on Saturday triggered flaring at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Norco, Louisiana, chemical plant, said a Shell spokesman.

Shell’s Ray Fisher on Sunday declined to say which unit sustained the malfunction.

A source familiar with plant operations said the malfunction was in an olefins unit at the chemical plant.

The Shell chemical plant in Norco shares the safety flare system with the adjoining Motiva Enterprises refinery. Flaring from the chemical plant is sometimes thought to come from the refinery. read more

By RUSSELL GOLD: Dec. 16, 2016 2:45 p.m. ET

The election of Donald Trump threatens to complicate efforts by Saudi Arabia’s national oil company to purchase refineries and expand its petrochemical footprint in the U.S.

Speaking in Louisiana earlier this month, he said: “We use refineries from other countries. The whole thing is just crazy. It’s crazy.”

That stance could complicate a continuing deal: Saudi Aramco and Royal Dutch Shell PLC are in talks to end a joint venture called Motiva Enterprises. The Saudi company, which is state owned and state controlled, has said it expects after negotiations are concluded to own the 603,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. Shell is expected to get two smaller refineries in Louisiana. read more

Motiva Enterprises was returning the expanded hydrocracking unit at the 603,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery to production on Wednesday, said sources familiar with plant operations.

A Motiva spokeswoman declined to discuss operations at the refinery.

The refinery is in the process of restarting the hydrocracker after completing a two-month overhaul that increased its capacity from 80,000 bpd to 105,000 bpd, sources have told Reuters.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Alan Crosby and Jonathan Oatis) read more

Thu Sep 22, 2016 | 5:53pm BST

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) said flaring on Thursday at the Norco, Louisiana manufacturing complex shared with the Motiva Enterprises [MOTIV.UL] refinery was due to an upset in the company’s chemical plant.

The refinery and chemical plant share the safety flare system at the complex and when the flare goes off it is sometimes reported as being due to a malfunction at the refinery.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

SOURCE

The move will affect 3,400 employees when it takes place early next year as part of “an effort to meet the ever changing market conditions and optimize resources for future opportunities,” Shell said in a statement Tuesday. Employees will move to the company’s Woodcreek facility and Shell Technology Center on the west side of town.

Those who work for Shell’s downtown trading operations will stay put, although the company said it eventually plans to have all of its Houston-based staff in company-owned facilities on the west side. read more

By Tsvetana Paraskova – Sep 14, 2016, 3:52 PM CDT

At a time when U.S. and Saudi relations are strained, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company is reportedly leading in a race to buy a large refinery in Houston.

Certainly, politics and geopolitics cannot stay out of such move by the Saudi company, but it seems that Aramco has solid business reasons, as well as political ones, to bid for the Houston Refinery, which Dutch chemicals company LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) is reportedly putting up for sale. read more

August 31, 2016, 04:22 pm

HOUSTON — Motiva Enterprises LLC has formed a 76 sales and marketing team to better capitalize on its long-term license for the brand.

The new team is a part of Motiva’s fuels, sales and marketing organization and will establish the go-to-market commercial strategy for the 76 brand in Motiva’s operating geography — which includes 26 Gulf and East Coast states and Washington, D.C.

According to Motiva, the relationship with Phillips 66 on the 76 brand complements the company’s long-standing relationship with Shell and the Shell brand. It also expands Motiva’s portfolio to meet the needs of its wholesalers. read more

By Erwin Seba | HOUSTON: Wed Aug 31, 2016

Motiva Enterprises LLC [MOTIV.UL] said on Tuesday the division of its U.S. refining assets between Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) and Saudi Aramco IPO-ARMO.SE would take place on April 1, 2017, months later than originally expected.

The two Motiva partners announced last March they would divide their 20-year-old joint venture. The split, according to sources, had been expected to take place this October after completion of negotiations between Shell and Saudi Aramco over the division of assets and compensation due the partners. read more

Aug 22 2016, 14:58 ET | By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

Motiva Enterprises’ 235K bbl/day Convent, La., refinery plans a partial restart of the heavy oil hydrocracking unit by year-end, but full production is not expected to return before fall 2017 as repairs are made from the Aug. 11 fire, Reuters reports, citing Gulf Coast market sources.

In addition to extensive repairs required to return the 45K bbl/day hydrocracker, Motiva will revamp the unit during the shutdown for the planned linking of the Convent refinery with the company’s refinery in Norco, La., sometime next year, according to the report. read more

Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:18pm EDT

Exxon Mobil Corp and Motiva Enterprises refineries continued to operate at reduced levels amidst flood waters in southern Louisiana, sources familiar with operations at each refinery said on Thursday.

An Exxon spokeswoman said the Baton Rouge Complex, which includes a 502,500 bpd refinery, continued to operate on Thursday, but declined to discuss the level of production or the status of specific units. The Baton Rouge refinery is the fourth largest in the United States. read more

Fri Aug 12, 2016 3:06pm EDT

The fire-damaged hydrocracking unit at Motiva Enterprises’ [MOTIV.UL] 235,000 barrel per day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana, refinery was surrounded by high water on Friday from heavy rains overnight, sources familiar with plant operations said.

A Motiva spokeswoman on Friday did not discuss high water at the refinery in a email reply to questions from Reuters.

“Although the weather is challenging, the refinery is running and making product,” said Motiva spokeswoman Angela Goodwin. read more

By Erwin Seba and Liz Hampton | HOUSTON: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:41pm EDT

A blaze broke out on Thursday at Motiva Enterprises [MOTIV.UL] 235,000 barrel per day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana refinery, heavily damaging the structure of the heavy oil hydrocracker before being extinguished in the afternoon, sources familiar with plant operations said.

Motiva confirmed that the fire was extinguished and said there were no injuries.

Initial assessments by Motiva indicated that repairs to 45,000 bpd HCU, called the H-Oil unit, are expected to take between one and four months, the sources said. Little damage was seen to the unit’s reactors, they said. read more

Fire causes evacuation of Motiva refinery in Louisiana

Aug 11 2016, 16:39 ET | By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

A large fire at the 235K bbl/day Motiva Enterprises refinery in Louisiana today forced workers to evacuate, causing a key distillation unit to shut and boosting prices of oil products.

The fire, which reportedly started in the 45K bbl/day heavy oil hydrocracker unit, is still burning but is now under control; it is not yet known what caused the fire or how long it would take to repair any damage, which could take months to fix if the fire damaged the reactors. read more

1:57 PM. CDT August 11, 2016

CONVENT, La. – A major fire rocked the Shell Motiva oil refinery in Convent, Louisiana shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday. According to a Motiva spokesperson, “Motiva’s Convent Refinery experienced a fire involving one of its units.” A large amount of fire and plumes of black smoke could be seen for miles in the area.

The general manager of the Motiva plant said that no one at the plant, either Motiva employees or contract workers – a total of about 1,400 people – were injured as a result of the fire. He also said that there was no explosion. read more

Andrew Ward, Energy Editor: August 7, 2016

Extracts relating to Shell…

Royal Dutch Shell… says it is working on 17 potential disposals as it seeks to reassure investors that its target for $30bn of asset sales by 2018 is achievable.

This balancing act is especially tricky for Shell as disposals are crucial to reduce debts after its £35bn takeover of BG Group, completed in February.

“Shell is going to have to be flexible on price if it is to move forward with some of these deals,” said one energy banker. “They cannot just sit back and wait for oil prices to come back.” read more

By Staff Writer on Jul 5, 2016 at 9:04 am EST

Earlier in March, Saudi Aramco’s subsidiary, Saudi Refining, Inc (SRI) and Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A), announced to dissolve their fuel partnership, Motiva Enterprise. Due to contradictory interests, both the entities signed a letter of intent (LOI), showing the division of assets held under joint venture (JV).

However, the disbanded venture has stuck another blow as Shell is seeking up to $2 billion as a part of breakup from its giant refining enterprise. The hefty compensation is due to Saudi Aramco’s retention of a larger stake in the venture for almost two decades. read more

LONDON/HOUSTON | BY RON BOUSSO AND ERWIN SEBA: Mon Jul 4, 2016 3:25pm BST

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) has asked Saudi Aramco for up to $2 billion (£1.5 billion) as part of the breakup of their giant Motiva Enterprises refining joint venture in the United States, the latest stumbling point in a partnership fraught with tension.

The payment would be compensation for the Saudi company retaining a larger share of the nearly two decade-old JV. Its split was announced in March and is expected to be completed in October but disagreements over the payment could postpone the final date, sources close to the talks told Reuters. read more

By Erwin Seba: Friday, 1 July 2016

HOUSTON, July 1 (Reuters) – Motiva Enterprises’ Convent, Louisiana refinery has shelved plans for a gasoline unit overhaul in October despite a six-to-nine-month delay in a planned revamp of the refinery, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans on Friday.

Earlier this year, Motiva began planning the October overhaul of the 92,000 barrel per day (bpd) fluidic catalytic cracking unit at the 235,000 bpd Convent refinery.

Instead, the FCCU will remain in operation until at least June 2017 when it will be permanently closed, said the two sources who were not authorized to speak to the media about the matter. read more

NEW YORK | BY JESSICA RESNICK-AULT: Fri Jun 17, 2016

Global oil majors Chevron Corp and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are putting small refineries on the auction block as they look to trim lower-margin assets in the face of headwinds from rising crude oil prices.

Chevron, the second largest U.S. oil company, is soliciting interest in its Burnaby, British Columbia, refinery and gasoline stations, the company told Reuters. Shell is looking for buyers for its Martinez, California, refinery, two people familiar with the situation told Reuters. Shell declined to comment. read more

Reuters reported that the relationship started to fray after Motiva announced a $10 billion expansion of the Port Arthur refinery, doubling its capacity to 603,000 barrels per day, making it America’s largest refinery. It produced gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. A leak shortly after the expansion was completed in 2012 led to ballooning costs, exacerbating tension between Shell and Aramco. A 2015 workers strike also sparked anger between the two companies.

The two companies signed a nonbinding letter of intent, a plan that would divide up Motiva’s refineries between them. The refineries have a combined capacity of 1.1 million barrels per day and are all located close to each other. The breakup will allow Saudi Aramco to take over the Port Arthur refinery and 26 distribution terminals, and Aramco will also hold onto the Motiva brand name. Shell will take over the other two refineries, Convent and Norco, both located in Louisiana. Shell said that it would operate the two refineries as one plant with a combined throughput of 500,000 barrels per day. read more

Ending an often rocky nearly 20-year relationship, Shell (RDSa.L) and Saudi Aramco [SDABO.UL] announced on Wednesday plans to break up Motiva Enterprises LLC [MOTIV.UL] after almost two decades, dividing its assets and leaving Aramco with one plant, the nation’s largest crude oil refinery, in Port Arthur, Texas.

Officials from Saudi Refining, the downstream arm of Aramco, told employees following the announcement that the state-owned firm was intent on buying more assets once the Motiva break-up is finished, according to five people who attended the briefing and asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. read more

By Ed Crooks: Friday 18 March 2016

Oil continued to creep up this week with Brent going past $42 per barrel, its highest level since early December. Crude was a beneficiary of the wider upturn in markets, which pushed the S&P 500 index briefly back up above its level at the start of the year. The positive correlation between share prices and oil prices seems to be alive and well.

Suggestions that the US Federal Reserve is in no hurry to raise interest rates gave a boost to crude and other markets. Oil was also helped by reports that Opec ministers had at last agreed to hold a meeting with leading non-Opec producers such as Russia, in an attempt to make some progress with their much-discussed, little-implemented production freeze. read more

Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco are unwinding their US refining and marketing joint venture as they pursue separate strategies for their operations. The deal will give the state-owned Saudi group full ownership of the largest refinery in North America.

The Motiva joint venture, which is owned 50/50 by the two companies and operates three refineries and a distribution and marketing business in the US, will be broken up and the assets distributed between them. read more

By Joe Carroll and Wael Mahdi: Bloomberg.com: March 16, 2016

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. are ending an 18-year refining partnership as the Anglo-Dutch crude titan prepares to sell billions of dollars of assets and as Saudi Arabia’s national oil company eyes a possible initial public offering.

Shell will assume control of two Louisiana refineries operated by the Motiva Enterprises LLC joint venture, as well as nine fuel terminals and rights to Shell-branded markets in Florida, Louisiana and the U.S. Northeast, the companies said Wednesday in a statement. Aramco will retain the Motiva name and take ownership of the largest U.S. refinery, in Port Arthur, Texas, along with 26 terminals and exclusive license to sell fuel under the Shell brand across Texas and much of the U.S. Midwest and Southeast. read more

Under the terms of a non-binding letter of intent, distribution terminals, retail assets, branded and commercial customer agreements will be divided by geography to ensure each partner has “an integrated and robust business,” a statement said.

Below are how the companies have split up the assets:

SHELL:

* 230,000 barrel-per-day Convent refinery located in St. James Parish, Louisiana;

* 235,000 bpd Norco refinery located in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, where Shell already operates a chemicals plant; read more

“However, it is now time for the partners to pursue their independent downstream goals.”

Under the terms of a non-binding letter of intent, the Saudi state oil giant will take over the Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the biggest in the United States, retain 26 distribution terminals as well as the Motiva name, according to a statement.

It will also have an exclusive license to use the Shell brand for gasoline and diesel sales in Texas, the majority of the Mississippi Valley, the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic markets, it said. read more

In the proposed division of assets, SRI will retain the Motiva name, assume sole ownership of the Port Arthur, Texas refinery, retain 26 distribution terminals, and have an exclusive license to use the Shell brand for gasoline and diesel sales in Texas, the majority of the Mississippi Valley, the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic markets.  Shell will assume sole ownership of the Norco, Louisiana refinery (where Shell operates a chemicals plant), the Convent, Louisiana refinery, nine distribution terminals, and Shell branded markets in Florida, Louisiana and the Northeastern region.  read more

January 14, 2016 [OPIS] – Motiva Enterprises is a juicy candidate to take to market for a U.S. flotation as 50% stakeholder Saudi Aramco pursues its putative goal of taking itself public, investment bank Cowen and Company said in a research note.

Cowen has pegged Motiva’s theoretical market capitalization at $8.7 billion, stating a possible public valuation could be $8.5 billion-$10 billion, numbers Cowen’s equity research team of Sam Margolin, Jason Gabelman and Tanner Strunk see as “conservative.” read more

Anna Thibodeaux: October 3, 2015

Construction will begin on Motiva’s $500 million Maurepas Pipeline in the fourth quarter of this year.

“The Maurepas Pipeline is the initial step for Motiva to interconnect and optimize its Gulf Coast refinery operations,” said Kiley Roberson, company spokesman for Tulsa, Okla.-based SemGroup Corp., which will build and own the pipeline.

SemGroup has partnered with Rose Rock Midstream, which will serve as the pipeline operator.

“The Maurepas Pipeline project is a critical first step for Motiva to connect its two refineries in Louisiana to create what Motiva calls its Louisiana Refining System,” Roberson said. “With an integrated crude capacity over 500,000 barrels per day, Motiva’s Louisiana Refining System will rank in the top five of North American refineries in terms of total capacity, creating significant value for Motiva.” read more

Motiva to trade refined products apart from co-owner Shell

HOUSTON, JUNE 11 | BY KRISTEN HAYS AND ERWIN SEBA

Motiva Enterprises said on Thursday it aims to trade its own gasoline, diesel and the components needed to make them in a new organization separate from its co-owner, Royal Dutch Shell.

Motiva, a 50/50 joint venture of Shell and Saudi Aramco , said in a statement that the move will more closely connect the company with fuels markets, customers and trading partners.

But Motiva said it will still rely on Shell to trade crude oil.

“With this change, we hope to provide greater value to them through more active participation in the market,” Motiva Chief Executive Dan Romasko said in the statement. read more

Motiva plans in-house trading organization for refined products

Markets | Thu Jun 11, 2015 1:13pm EDT

(Reuters) – Motiva Enterprises said on Thursday that it was planning to form its own products trading organization for transport fuels and refinery intermediates to enhance its market participation through direct dealings with customers.

The company said it started negotiating term contracts for its gasoline and diesel products in late 2014. It now intends to expand its focus to include all trading activities for refined products starting on Jan. 1.

Motiva said there would be several job opportunities within the new trading organization. read more

Aramco Shell .com

By John Donovan

I own and operate many Shell related domain names including, for example, RoyalDutchShellPlc.com and RoyalDutchShellGroup.com, both of which Shell International unsuccessfully attempted to seize 10 years ago in proceedings via The World Intellectual Property Organisation.

Depending on reaction to this article, I may put one of my domain names – aramcoshell.com up for sale, probably by auction.

It is potentially one of the most valuable domain names in the world.

Here is my logic for such an assertion:  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

From an article by Jerry White published 13 March 2015 by WSWS

USW reaches sellout deal, moves to shut down oil workers’ strike

The United Steelworkers (USW) union announced Thursday that it had reached a tentative agreement with lead bargainer Royal Dutch Shell that would be the basis for a four-year labor agreement covering 30,000 workers in the US oil industry.

The deal was reached as the selective strike by 6,500 workers in seven states nears the end of its sixth week. The USW says picketing will continue until local union members ratify agreements presented to them by the rest of the industry.

Any agreement reached by the USW under the circumstances in which the strike has been waged can only be a miserable betrayal. The union has blocked the full mobilization of all oil workers, allowing the energy giants to maintain production while threatening to replace strikers with “relief workers.” It was not the companies that backed down, but the union that decided a rapid agreement was necessary to prevent the strike from getting out of control. read more

By: MICHEAL KAUFMAN: Published: Mar 7, 2015 at 10:04 am EST

The biggest oil refinery strike in the US in over three decades has entered its 35th day, with no agreement between the United Steelworkers (USW) union and Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) been reached so far.

The two parties had a meeting on Wednesday, but the talks ended without reaching a mutually acceptable agreement. Towards the end of the meeting, the two parties decided to hold talks next week. Further negotiations can start as early as March 9. read more

REUTERS ARTICLE PUBLISHED FRIDAY 6 MARCH 2015

Police block striking refinery workers from entering Shell Houston HQ

(Reuters) – Police blocked several hundred striking laborers from entering Shell Oil Co’s downtown Houston headquarters during a protest on Friday to demand a new labor contract for U.S. refinery workers.

Officers quickly moved to guard entrances to the 50-story building as the workers climbed stairs leading to public doorways. There were no arrests or scuffles.

“We wanted to see if they would talk to us about the negotiations,” said Lee Medley, president of United Steelworkers union (USW) local 13-1, which represents workers striking at Marathon Petroleum Corp’s Galveston Bay, Texas, Refinery and Shell’s joint-venture Deer Park, Texas Refinery. read more