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Shell Tax Avoidance

Shell to Proceed With Share Simplification; Will Change Name in January

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Shell to Proceed With Share Simplification; Will Change Name in January

Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Monday that it has decided to proceed with simplifying its share structure, shifting its tax residence to the U.K., and it will change its name to Shell PLC in January.

The energy company said it expects to change its name in the week beginning Jan. 24.

Shareholders in the company approved the amendment of the group’s articles of association on Dec. 10, after Shell proposed in November to collapse its current dual-share class and move its tax residency to the U.K. from the Netherlands. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell paid no corporation tax in Britain

Royal Dutch Shell paid no corporation tax in Britain

Robert Miller:

The Anglo-Dutch oil major paid a total of $7.8 billion in corporate income tax globally last year, but in Britain it received $116 million from the government

Royal Dutch Shell paid no corporation tax in Britain last year, despite paying billions of dollars in other jurisdictions.

The Anglo-Dutch oil major paid a total of $7.8 billion in corporate income tax and $5.9 billion in royalties last year on a pre-tax profit of $25.5 billion, according to its annual report, which was published yesterday. read more

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Shell pays £0 corporation tax and plans huge hike in fossil output

Shell pays £0 corporation tax and plans huge hike in fossil output

Michael Johnson, Leeds Socialist Party:

Faced with increasing scrutiny worldwide, oil giant Shell has revealed it paid no UK corporation tax in 2018. This is despite Shell also earning nearly £557 million in pre-tax profits in the UK over that year, with global pre-tax profits being $35.6 billion.

This has come about due to Shell receiving huge tax refunds for decommissioning its North Sea oil platforms. To help balance the expenses of plugging and abandoning their (highly profitable) oil wells and removing their equipment, the government lets energy companies deduct costs from their taxable profits or claim back tax they had previously paid! read more

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

Dutch lawmakers step up tax demands on multinationals, including Shell

Parliamentarians voted on Tuesday to establish an expert commission to examine how to make taxing multinationals “more fair” after Netherlands-based Shell recently acknowledged it had paid virtually no Dutch corporation tax in 2018. Royal Dutch Shell refused to release details of its unique advance tax ruling with the Dutch government at a recent hearing of a parliamentary panel on taxation.

By John O’Donnell and Toby Sterling

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Dutch lawmakers have launched an inquiry into how to make multinationals pay their fair share of tax, after public criticism that government reforms do not go far enough.

Scores of multinationals use the Netherlands to pare their tax bills but the Dutch, who bore tax hikes after the financial crisis, are growing increasingly hostile to minimising company tax, which is legal and has gone unchallenged for decades.

Parliamentarians voted on Tuesday to establish an expert commission to examine how to make taxing multinationals “more fair” after Netherlands-based Shell recently acknowledged it had paid virtually no Dutch corporation tax in 2018. Royal Dutch Shell refused to release details of its unique advance tax ruling with the Dutch government at a recent hearing of a parliamentary panel on taxation. read more

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Shell reveals only its gas subsidiary paid Dutch corporate tax in 2018

MAY 21, 2019 / 2:51 PM

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell revealed on Tuesday that in 2018 only its gas subsidiary NAM paid corporate tax in the Netherlands, where it is headquartered, following Dutch parliamentary demands that it attend a hearing on tax avoidance.

“By giving openness before the round table, hopefully room will be created for the conversation to be about the substance,” Shell said, adding that it paid $10 billion in corporate tax globally in 2018 and had an effective tax rate of 33 percent. read more

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Shell’s Netherlands CEO to attend parliament panel on tax

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The chief executive of Shell’s Dutch business said on Thursday she is willing to attend a parliamentary panel on tax avoidance by multinational companies, but she will not discuss Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s tax filings.

Marjan van Loon had initially declined the invitation, saying it made more sense for the Netherlands’ business association to represent all taxpaying companies.

She then said she would attend the April 18 meeting after Dutch lawmakers insisted that a Shell representative should be present. read more

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SHELL HASN’T PAID PROFIT TAX IN NETHERLANDS FOR YEARS: REPORT

Shell has not paid any profit tax in the Netherlands for years, despite earning billions of euros in the country every year, newspaper Trouw reports based on “well informed” sources and a confidential internal document from the Ministry of Finance. 

Over the past decade Shell made profits ranging from 2 billion to 55 billion euros per year all over the world. Most of this was earned abroad, and the company was taxed in the country were the profits were made. In the Netherlands Shell derives income from its head office’s activities, service stations, the chemical plants in Moerdijk, and the refinery in Pernis. All in all Shell made 1.3 billion euros in profit on those activities last year.

According to Trouw’s sources, Shell has two main ways to brush away the profits made in the Netherlands, so as not to pay tax, using legal deductions. Firstly, the company can deduct interest in the Netherlands for loans that are used to invest abroad. And secondly, Shell charges losses suffered from, for example, the search for oil abroad, against the profit made in the Netherlands. Profits made by foreign oil extraction are not taxed in the Netherlands, but the losses made with that oil extraction may be deducted from Dutch profits. read more

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

Debate Over Netherlands’ Tax Treatment of Shell Heats Up

June 20, 2018

By Linda A. Thompson

Practitioners are divided over whether an agreement between Shell and the Dutch tax administration breaks EU government aid rules.

The debate has heated up in recent days after an article released June 18 by a Dutch academic claimed Royal Dutch Shell Plc avoided a tax on dividends by routing shares through a trust in the Channel Island of Jersey.

Shell didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

The company received permission to use the structure in 2005 during a merger of its British and Dutch parent companies, but the agreement may have violated Dutch withholding tax rules, according to the article, written by Jan van de Streek, a professor at the University of Amsterdam. read more

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Shell hits back at criticism of tax structure

Shell hits back at criticism of tax structure

Reports allege oil group’s plan has cost Dutch treasury as much as £6.1bn in lost income

Shell has hit back at criticism of a tax structure it set up as part of a relocation of its headquarters from London to The Hague following reports that it has cost the Dutch treasury as much as €7bn (£6.1bn) in lost income. Calls have been made for the European commission to investigate the oil group’s tax affairs after reports claimed that a multibillion-euro bill has been avoided through the use of an offshore trust in Jersey since 2005. FULL ARTICLE read more

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Shell Disputes EUR7 Billion Lost Tax Claim – Guardian

Shell Disputes EUR7 Billion Lost Tax Claim – Guardian

LONDON (Alliance News) – Royal Dutch Shell PLC has “hit back” against claims regarding its relocation from London to the Netherlands, which resulted in a EUR7 billion loss of income to the Dutch treasury, the Guardian reported on Monday.

Dutch newspaper Trouw claimed that the British-Dutch multinational oil & gas company’s Dutch tax authority agreement conflicted with EU rules and that Shell owes “as much as EUR7 billion” in taxes.

“I am astonished about the way we are portrayed in Trouw. This is tendentious. The fact that our headquarters is in the Netherlands has been very good for the Dutch treasury,” Shell Nederland President Director Marjan van Loon said in a statement. read more

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DUTCH GOV’T UNDER FIRE OVER TAX DEAL WITH SHELL

By Janene Pieters on June 18, 2018 

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, wants the government to explain a controversial deal that Shell made with the Dutch tax authorities in 2005. As a result of this deal, Shell’s British shareholders are exempt from dividend tax in the Netherlands, through which the Dutch treasury lost out on over 7 billion euros, newspaper Trouw reported on Saturday.

The Kamer now wants to know whether this tax deal is allowed under Dutch law, and whether any politicians were involved in making it, according to newspaper AD. SP leader Lilian Marijnissen called it a “stinky” deal. GroenLinks wants a parliamentary inquiry into dividend tax. And the four coalition parties – VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie – jointly submitted questions to State Secretary Menno Snel of Finance.  read more

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

Dutch ecologist party asks for investigation of Shell dividend tax payment

Dutch ecologist party asks for investigation of Shell dividend tax payment

Sat 16 June 2018

The Dutch ecologist party, Groen Links, has asked parliament this Saturday to appoint a commission to investigate payment of taxes on dividends by multinational oil company Shell. According to newspaper Trouw, company has since 2005 avoiding this rate “with permission of Dutch Treasury, through Jersey, island of channel of La Mancha [a dependence British Crown]”. During those years, “Shell has distributed among its shareholders about 45 billion euros, of which 7 billion should have been entered in coffers of state.” Shell claims that it has not violated tax rules. read more

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

Shell did not threaten to leave NL, executives tell MPs

December 15, 2017

Unilever and Shell did not directly threaten to move their head offices out of the Netherlands if the dividend tax was not abolished, senior officials told a parliamentary hearing on Friday, the Financieele Dagblad reported.

However, officials did make it clear they had warned about the possible consequences if the tax was not abolished, the paper said.

Both companies have split headquarter operations between the Netherlands and UK and are thought to have lobbied hard to get the new government to abolish the 15% tax.  The UK does not charge a tax on dividends. read more

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Kazakhstan, Shell-Eni group continue talks over tax dispute

January 26, 2017

ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakhstan has agreed to continue talks about a tax dispute with the Karachaganak consortium of oil majors led by Shell (RDSa.L) and Eni (ENI.MI) despite beginning arbitration proceedings, the Kazakh Energy Ministry said on Thursday.

Quoting minister Kanat Bozumbayev, a ministry spokesman said the sides had agreed in December to extend talks by nine months and Kazakhstan might stop the arbitration if it was satisfied with the consortium’s offer. read more

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Shell, Philippines’ $1.2B Tax Dispute Heads To World Bank

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By Bryan Koenig

Law360, Washington (July 21, 2016, 6:30 PM ET) — A Royal Dutch Shell PLC unit on Wednesday took its $1.2 billion tax recalculation dispute with the Philippines’ Commission on Audit over the gas-to-power Malampaya project the company operates to a World Bank arbitration dispute body.

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes records show that Shell Philippines Exploration BV initiated the arbitration proceedings, registered Wednesday, against the Republic of the Philippines over the taxation of a hydrocarbon concession. read more

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

Multinationals already working the angles on ‘Google Tax’

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“We are aware of taxpayers seeking to use artificial and contrived interim arrangements with the sole aim of avoiding a potential MAAL liability from January 1, 2016,” the ATO said in a taxpayer alert.

In 2014 Shell Australia paid $534 million in finance costs on $12.7 billion of debt owed to offshore Shell companies. But its submission to the Senate tax inquiry showed that while it paid that $169 million interest to a Bermuda associate, the biggest cost was $260.7 million paid to a Shell company in Luxembourg for cross-currency interest rate swap costs. read more

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

Shell, Agip, Chevron tax evaders, Gov Dickson writes Buhari

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Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt: 21 April 2016

The face-off between Bayelsa State government and multinational oil companies deepened on Thursday with Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, seeking the intervention of the Presidency over tax evasion, flagrant disregard of laws and non-compliance with the rules and regulations of the country.

A press statement from Bayelsa Govt House named the companies that evade tax as Shell Petroleum Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC); Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC); Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL); Consolidated Oil (CL); Conoil Producing; Brass LNG and Aiteo Energy. read more

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

LIVELY POSTINGS ON SHELL BLOG 1 FEB 2016

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“TEXVETTE”

Looks like Marvin Odum was stripped of key responsibilities and placed in a lame Role. Ironically he will have to clean up the messes he left in Alaska and Unconventionals. A bit of Karma, but he should no longer be on the payroll after all his major mistakes.

“OUTSIDER”

The merger of Shell T&T and Royal Dutch in 2004 resulted in a major loss to the UK exchequer, as the taxes previously paid by Shell T&T went to the Dutch government instead. Presumably the taxes previously paid by BG will now go to the Dutch government too? read more

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

Six British multinationals ‘did not pay any UK corporation tax in 2014’

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CHLOE FARAND: 31 JAN 2016

Lloyds, brewer SABMiller and drugs company AstraZeneca were also among the six multinationals not to have paid any corporation tax in 2014, reports the Sunday Times

The same year, the six British companies made a combined global profit of £30bn. 

Shell used a complex corporate structure, a company branch in Switzerland, with hardly any tax rates, and tax havens such as Bermuda to reduced its tax payments. 

In 2014, it paid no UK corporation tax but made a global profit of £19.87bn writes the Sunday paper.  read more

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

Zero tax bill for UK big six

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AT LEAST six of Britain’s 10 biggest multinationals — including Shell, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Lloyds Banking Group — paid no UK corporation tax in 2014 despite combined global profits of more than £30bn.

The oil giant Shell is just one of the multinationals with an outpost in Zug, a Swiss canton with rock bottom rates. From there, it licenses its trademarks around the world.

FULL ARTICLE

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

Shell Philippines says will exhaustively challenge 53.14 billion peso tax claim

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MANILA | BY NEIL JEROME MORALES: Fri Dec 18, 2015

The Philippine unit of Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) will exhaust all legal means, including international arbitration, to challenge a 53.14 billion peso (£751.8 million) tax claim against its Malampaya natural gas project, a company official said on Friday.

Shell Philippines Exploration B.V, is the operator of Malampaya in the southwestern Philippines, along with partners, Chevron Malampaya LLC, a unit of the U.S. energy firm (CVX.N) and the Philippines’ state-owned PNOC Exploration Corp. read more

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ROYAL DUTCH SHELL TAX AVOIDANCE INDEX

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

Outspoken articles about Shell

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Outspoken articles about Shell

2017

Shell’s litigation in the U.S. courts over misappropriated $1.4bn Nigerian oil: 18 April 2017

Ben van Beurden distracted by a wiretapping incident: 18 April 2017

Neal Katyal, the best justice money can buy: 17 April 2017

The world’s biggest ship originally with a Nazi name, now named Pioneering Spirit: 16 April 2017

Keith Ruddock and the OPL 245 scandal: 16 April 2017

Unsubstantiated allegations against Shell CEO Ben van Beurden: 16 April 2017

Shell’s Nigerian Nightmare Continues: 16 April 2017

Spectacular falling out of ‘Security Professionals’ at the top of Shell: 12 April 2017

How Shell fell out with former FBI Special Agent Crockett Oaks III: 12 April 2017

Can Shell CEO Ben van Beurden Survive OPL 245?: 11 April 2017

OPL 245: Shell admits it knew payments would go to convicted money launderer: 10 April 2017

Key role of Shell Chairman Malcolm Brinded in OPL 245 Scandal: 10 April 2017

OPL 245: I think Shell may be in a spot of bother: 10 April 2017

New leaked emails put Shell at centre of billion dollar bribery scheme…: 10 April 2017

OPL 245 Scandal: Wiretapped phone call between Ben van Beurden and Simon Henry: 9 April 2017

APRIL 2017: TOP U.S. LAW FIRMS BATTLING TO FRUSTRATE ESTHER KIOBEL LITIGATION AGAINST SHELL: 7 April 2017

Shell’s Nigerian Quagmire: 25 March 2017

Benzene exposure risks and the Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry: 23 March 2017

A/S Norske Shell Secret Meeting With Whistleblower : 22 March 2017

Shell’s tacit acknowledgement of a ‘culture of fear’: 20 March 2017

Shell Upstream Director Admits Culture of Fear Among Shell Employees: 20 March 2017

OPL 245: A falling out of thieves: 19 March 2017

Disillusioned Shell Whistleblower Runar Kjoersvik:  17 March 2017

Shell Sinking in OPL 245 Quicksand: 17 March 2017

LEAKED EMAIL FROM SHELL MD TOR ARNESEN ABOUT SHELL SPYING ON ITS OWN EMPLOYEES: 15 March 2017

Web Attack on Whistleblower by Shell Upstream Director: 13 March 2017

Employees Exposed to Benzene Contamination at Shell Nyhamna Gas Plant: 11 March 2017

Shell Multimillionaire CFO Simon Henry Departs Today: 10 March 2017

Shell confirms several countries investigating OPL 245 scandal: 10 March 2017

NEW SHELL MI6 SPY POPS UP IN OPL 245 ARTICLE: 9 March 2017

MI6 Spy Network Inside Shell: 9 March 2017

SHOW TRIAL OF A SHELL NORWAY SAFETY REP: 7 March 2017

Shell Prelude FLNG project relegated to backburner: 6 March 2017

OPL 245 scandal and Shell’s former MI6 spies: 5 March 2017

Informers regime at Shell Nyhamna Gas Plant: 4 March 2017

Kiobel vs Shell discovery doc battle continues in US Courts: 4 March 2017

LEAKED EMAILS SHOW SHELL AND ENI CONSPIRING TO HIDE PAYMENT IN CORRUPT OPL 245 DEAL: 3 March 2017

Financial tremors for Shell/Exxon (NAM) triggered by Dutch earthquakes: 2 March 2017

Shell trying to ignore media firestorm in Norway: 1 March 2017

Shell Nigerian corruption, lunch and lots of iced champagne: 28 Feb 2017

Shell, the oil giant run by unscrupulous hypocrites: 28 Feb 2017

Climate of fear at Shell Nyhamna Gas Plant in Norway: 27 Feb 2017

Dysfunction Crisis and Scandal at Shell Norway: 26 Feb 2017

Oil Resumption in Ogoni: Does Our Society Still Have Any Conscience?: 25 Feb 2017

Fake news naming Shell as an animal testing company?: 23 Feb 2017

Shell’s Role in Irish Police Corruption Scandal: 23 Feb 2017

Simon Henry sells another £1m worth of Shell shares: 17 Feb 2017

Trials and Tribulations of Royal Dutch Shell Plc: 16 Feb 2017

US Legal Battle over 100,000 Shell Internal Docs: 16 Feb 2017

US appeal against order to hand over Shell docs for Dutch case: 14 Feb 2017

Shell Charged With Corruption In OPL 245 Nigerian Oil Deal: 13 Feb 2017

Brexit, Trump, Populism and Royal Dutch Shell Plc: 12 Feb 2017

Which Members of the Royal Dutch Shell Executive Committee Approved the OPL 245 Scam?: 10 Feb 2017

Italian prosecutors seek trial of Shell Foundation Chairman Malcolm Brinded on OPL 245 Corruption Charges: 8 Feb 2017

Royal Dutch Shell CEO: Dividends No Longer No.1 Priority: 8 Feb 2017

€8.5 million Shell slush fund mishandled in Ireland: 5 Feb 2017

Reflecting on the anti-Leigh Day verdict in Shell Nigerian oil spill case: 31 Jan 2017

NIGERIAN AUTHORITIES SEIZE BILLION DOLLAR OIL BLOCK FROM SHELL AND ENI: 27 Jan 2017

Shell Nigerian Litigation: Win in UK. Loss in USA: 26 Jan 2017

A deserved shitstorm of Shell Nigerian litigation: 25 Jan 2017

A poisoned chalice for Shell’s Ceri Powell: 24 Jan 2017

New Boss of Shell Exploration: 23 Jan 2017

Discrepancy in Shell’s Corrib Gas Project financial filings?: 22 Jan 2017

Royal Dutch Shell Plc.com in Chapter 11: 21 Jan 2017

Hakluyt & Company Spying Missions For Shell: 20 Jan 2017

Royal Dutch Shell Motiva Blues: 19 Jan 2017

Royal Dutch Shell Hydrogen News: 18 Jan 2017

Think Twice Before Disclosing An Idea To Shell: 17 Jan 2017

Dramatic Breakup of Shell/Saudi Aramco jv Motiva: 16 Jan 2017

Shell a player in Iranian oil machinations: 16 Jan 2017

Esher Kiobel v Shell article published in Dutch FT: 15 Jan 2015

Resurrection of Kiobel v Royal Dutch Shell litigation: 11 Jan 2017

On 11 Jan 2017 RoyalDutchShellPlc.com will publish Court Orders involving Shell: 11 Jan 2017

Shell Chairman named in $1.3 billion OPL 245 fraud: 7 7 Jan 2017

Financial tremors for Shell and Exxon from Groningen earthquakes: 6 Jan 2017

Royal Dutch Shell hardline attitude to its employees: 5 Jan 2017

Royal Dutch Shell PLC saddled with a mountain of debt: 3 Jan 2017

OPL 245: Shell and Eni executives set to be arraigned: 1 Jan 2017

2016

Dan Etete turns on his accomplices Eni and Shell: 30 Dec 2016

Alarm Bells – Shell Pearl GTL gasifiers crippled?: 28 Dec 2016

Shell’s complicity in human rights abuses in the Niger Delta: 27 Dec 2016

ENI AND SHELL TO BE PROSECUTED OVER OPL 245 $1.1 BILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL: 24 Dec 2016

A devastating blow for Shell in U.S. Federal Court: 23 Dec 2016

Explosive allegations around Shell and Eni’s OPL 245 deal: 23 Dec 2016

Obama’s April Fool’s Joke Approving Shell Arctic Drilling: 22 Dec 2016

RoyalDutchShellGroup.com for Shell Breaking News:21 Dec 2016

THE OPL 245 SCANDAL INVOLVING SHELL: 21 Dec 2016

Corruption of Police by Shell: 16 Dec 2016

Shell cost-cutting plan will undermine the welfare of its pensioners: 12 Dec 2016

Shell Canada President Michael Crothers says Canada should stick to its values: 29 Nov 2016

Pleased to assist Leigh Day in Suing Shell says John Donovan: 22 Nov 2016

21st Anniversary Commemoration of Ogoni Martyrs: 12 Nov 2016

LIVING IN TRUMPWORLD: 11 Nov 2016

The Uncensored History of the Shell Brent Oil and Gas Field: 9 Nov 2016

Award for deadly Corrib Gas Project: 8 Nov 2016

Irish Police, Shell, Corruption and Alcohol: 7 Nov 2016

No credibility in Shell Peak Oil Forecasts, says John Donovan: 3 Nov 2016

Hearing on Royal Dutch Shell: Committee Room 1, House of Commons Wednesday 2 November 2016: 1 Nov 2016

Lament for Royal Dutch Shell: 14 Oct 2016

CORRUPT IRISH POLICE FORCE: THE GARDA: 10 Oct 2016

Australian Government unconvinced about FLNG safety claims: 28 Sept 2016 read more

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

Shell pumped $20 billion a year from motorists but paid no company tax

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Screen Shot 2015-07-31 at 19.22.09Michael West: 9 August 2015

For the third year on the trot, Shell service stations generated billions of dollars and revenue but not a cent in company tax. In fact the owners of the sunny yellow servos reported tax benefits in all three years despite total sales which may be in excess of $60 billion.

This is an incredible situation for a nationwide network of services stations as well as a large refinery which makes up the “downstream” division of the global oil brand.

Shell last year sold its downstream business in Australia including its Geelong refinery, a portfolio of 870 petrol stations and other assets to Dutch oil group Vitol.  read more

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

Federal Agency Dings Shell for Oil Rig Mishap in Arctic

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Screen Shot 2015-05-29 at 07.50.48Federal Agency Dings Shell for Oil Rig Mishap in Arctic

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — May 28, 2015: By DAN JOLING Associated Press

As Royal Dutch Shell PLC seeks permits for exploratory oil drilling off Alaska’s northwest coast, a federal agency has concluded the company underestimated risk the last time it moved drill rigs to Arctic waters.

A National Transportation Safety Board report issued Thursday said the probable cause of the grounding of the company’s mobile drilling vessel, the Kulluk, in 2012 was “Shell’s inadequate assessment of the risk for its planned tow” across the Gulf of Alaska. read more

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

Shell has major hurdles to clear before Chukchi drilling resumes

Screen Shot 2015-03-12 at 09.08.40Yereth Rosen Alaska Dispatch News: April 4, 2015

Shell has major hurdles to clear before Chukchi drilling resumes

Now that the Department of the Interior has, for the second time, affirmed the record-breaking Chukchi Sea lease sale it held seven years ago, is it smooth sailing for Royal Dutch Shell and its plans to drill this year on leases purchased in the sale?

Not so fast.

Shell, which spent over $2 billion on Chukchi leases, has already spent about $6 billion in total on its Alaska program and has ambitions for transforming the remote and undeveloped waters off Northwest Alaska into a major oil-producing region, still must clear several hurdles before it is given permission to sink a drill bit into hydrocarbons lying beneath the seafloor. read more

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

Incredibly, Shell Gets Another Go at Arctic Drilling

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Article by SustainableBusiness.com published 1 April 2015

Incredibly, Shell Gets Another Go at Arctic Drilling

Sadly, the Obama Administration has once again given Shell the go-ahead to drill in the Arctic.

“The Arctic is an important component of the Administration’s national energy strategy, and we remain committed to taking a thoughtful and balanced approach to oil and gas leasing and exploration offshore Alaska,” says Sally Jewell, Secretary of Interior, which made the decision.

The decision coincides with the 26th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez disaster. Decades later, the area has still not recovered, and the company continues to get away without paying reparations.  read more

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

HSBC Tax Scandal: Revelations pending about a major oil company

Screen Shot 2015-01-06 at 21.26.38HSBC whistleblower: There are ‘more revelations’

By John Donovan

We know that Royal Dutch Shell has a long track record of tax dodging.

The most recent example occurred during its Arctic Drilling debacle, when it recklessly sent a drilling ship to sea in the face of a storm, trying to avoid a tax bill. 

According to a BBC News article published today, based on information from the HSBC whistleblower Herve Falciani, a major oil company could be next to feel the effects of a major data leak about how it operates.

Could it be Royal Dutch Shell Plc? read more

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

Detoxifying Shell’s online image: Possible or Impossible? 

Screen Shot 2015-01-01 at 15.17.55By John Donovan 

Royal Dutch Shell has appointed Possible as its global digital agency, starting with corporate brand work.

Seems a safe assumption that one important aspect will be an attempt to detoxify the reputation of Shell, which has recently agreed to pay huge settlements of litigation arising from environmental pollution in Nigeria and the USA. Shell is said to be suffering from buyers remorse on the latter settlement deal.

Shell settles Nigerian oil spills claim for $83.5 million

Shell Halts $90-Million Payout for Toxic Neighborhood after Judge Says Deal Can’t Be Secret read more

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Shell’s spectacular belly flop into the Arctic Ocean

Screen Shot 2014-10-31 at 17.18.55Even more troubling than Shell’s “Arctic-ready” armada problems is Shell’s spectacular failure of good judgment. To avoid an Alaska tax bill, company managers ordered its secondary drill rig towed south through the winter storm-lashed Gulf of Alaska despite the tug master’s prescient warning that: “the length of tow, at this time of the year, in this location, with our current routing, guarantees an ass-kicking.” The tug master was right.

Extracts from a letter dated 11 Dec 2014 by Kim Elton, who served four years as senior adviser to former US Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar. 

Here are some lowlights from Shell’s pratfall-ridden 2012 effort to drill exploration wells: A Coast Guard inspection of Shell’s 47-year-old primary drilling ship found 23 “deficiencies” (including engine problems) days before it was set to sail for the Arctic; that rig nearly beached dragging anchor in a calm Aleutian port en route to the Arctic; Shell’s required spill response barge initially flunked minimum seaworthiness tests after it was rescued from a barge boneyard in Southern California; Shell’s spill containment dome was “crushed like a beer can” in placid Puget Sound sea trials, never making it to the Arctic; the lead drilling rig finally punched its first drill bit into the Arctic Ocean floor in mid-September and, the next day, an ice floe the size of Manhattan forced it off; that same rig then suffered an explosion and fire leaving the Arctic; it later was detained by the Coast Guard in Alaska for major safety, propulsion and pollution “discrepancies” (CBS reported when Coast Guard criminal investigators arrived, the crew had been provided with lawyers and declined to be interviewed); Shell’s secondary drilling rig had 19 deficiencies in electrical and maintenance systems discovered when it arrived back in Dutch Harbor from the Arctic; and Shell incurred more than $1 million in fines for air-quality violations in the Arctic. read more

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Swiss Role in Aggressive Tax Avoidance by Royal Dutch Shell

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Screen Shot 2014-10-30 at 09.22.43By John Donovan

The lead article in The Sunday Times Business section today (authored by Simon Duke and David Smith) says that Britain is at the forefront of a crackdown on corporate tax avoidance – a blitz on tax avoidance by multinationals.

The UK Treasury  is planning a consultation on forcing multinationals like Royal Dutch Shell to declare how much tax they pay in every country in which they operate.

Extract

Country by Country reporting would introduce greater transparency into the complex structures used by big companies to minimise their tax liabilities… read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Saves $2.5 billion In Transfer-Pricing Case

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Screen Shot 2014-11-20 at 13.14.13

Bidness Etc discusses the ruling by an Indian court in a transfer-pricing case against Shell and its impact on future foreign investment in the country

Published: November 19, 2014 at 12:26 pm EST

By: Micheal Kaufman

The Bombay High Court has ruled in favor of Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE:RDS.A) in a high-tax profile case, which could pose a hurdle to the Indian government’s plans on bringing in foreign investment and much-needed revenue.

The ruling was announced on Tuesday, after Indian authorities claimed tax money paid to transfer shares of Shell. The court has not released a written judgment yet.

The judgment can negatively impact India’s image, which might cause leading foreign companies to hesitate to invest in India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can intervene and reverse the ruling. read more

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Drilling in Alaskan Arctic relatively easy said Shell VP before being fired

Screen Shot 2014-10-31 at 17.18.55By John Donovan

According to a recent article published by Bloomberg – Shell Seeks to Drill in Arctic in 2015, Defying Green Activists – Shell CFO Simon Henry, calling on all his vast experience as an accountant, voiced the opinion that it is not difficult to drill in the Arctic.

His assessment is surprisingly similar to that also expressed in optimistic terms in March 2012 by Shell EP senior Vice President David Lawrence, then in charge of Shell’s Arctic drilling plans.

The following is an extract from an article published on 9 March 2012. read more

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Shell wins $3bn tax battle in Bombay High Court

Screen Shot 2014-10-30 at 09.22.43The Financial Times is reporting:

“Royal Dutch Shell has won a significant victory in its long-running $3bn battle with India’s revenue authorities, in a judgment with implications for dozens of tax disputes involving multinational companies in Asia’s third-largest economy.”

The Narendra Modi government may appeal the decision to the supreme court of India.

Also Reuters Report: Shell wins India tax case

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

Shell’s own goals in the Arctic: Over to you, Ann

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 09.25.26US authorities say a desire to avoid taxes lead Shell to move an oil rig in rough seas in 2012, which lead to its grounding.

Extract from an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 November 2014

When Ann Pickard says how sorry she is to be leaving the Westpac board after its shareholder meeting next month – just three years after taking her seat – there is no doubting her sincerity.

Chairman Lindsay Maxsted says that following the former Shell Australia boss’s “executive relocation to the US and expectations that her commitments in North America (as head of Shell’s Arctic operations) will increase in 2015, Ms Pickard reluctantly chose to retire from the board”. read more

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Shell’s Arctic Machinations

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 09.25.26The environmental group Oceana has obtained a copy of a letter from Shell to the U.S. Dept of the Interior revealing that the oil giant is seeking to pause Shell’s leases for five years. Approval would effectively extend the current drilling deadlines.  Shell’s plans to drill off the Alaska coast have already been heavily delayed by a series of avoidable mishaps, initially caused by negligence and incompetence, and subsequently by a desire to evade tax.

Extracts from a related Bloomberg article:

Shell Seeks 5 More Years for Arctic Oil Drilling Drive

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) is asking the Obama administration for five more years to explore for oil off Alaska’s coast, saying set backs and legal delays may push the start of drilling past the 2017 expiration of some leases.

Shell, which has spent eight years and $6 billion to explore the Arctic’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas, said in letter to the Interior Department that “prudent” exploration before leases expire is now “severely challenged.”

“Despite Shell’s best efforts and demonstrated diligence, circumstances beyond Shell’s control have prevented, and are continuing to prevent, Shell from completing even the first exploration well in either area,” Peter Slaiby, vice president of Shell Alaska, wrote to the regional office of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell News 15 Oct 2014

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By John Donovan

WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGES ROYAL DUTCH SHELL TAX EVASION IN NIGERIA 

A former manager of Shell Production Development Company in Nigeria has accused Shell of massive tax evasion. He also alleges that the Nigeria Economic and Financial Crimes Commission demanded a bribe from him as part of a related cover-up plan for Shell. The whistleblower also claims that his safety is in jeopardy. All strangely reminiscent of allegations surrounding the Corrib gas project in Ireland. MORE INFORMATION HERE.

SHELL FIRE SALE OF NIGERIAN ASSETS

A consortium led by Aiteo Group has won the auction for Shell oil block OML 29 in Nigeria, with a bid of N434b. The total cost of the acquisition is said to be $2.7 billion, allowing for working capital. MORE INFORMATION read more

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Arctic Drilling: a spectacular failure of good judgment by Shell

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 09.25.26Kim Elton accuses Shell’s management of “a spectacular failure of good judgment” and points out that “Company managers ordered the Kulluk towed south through the winter-storm-lashed Gulf of Alaska before the 2013 new year — partly to avoid Alaska taxes.”

By John Donovan

Kim Elton, a former senior adviser to the U.S. Department of the Interior, who was involved in oversight of Shell’s 2012 Arctic drilling plans, has made some very blunt comments about the debacle. 

Kim admits that she “fell for Shell’s promise that their drill fleet was ready to tackle the Arctic.”

She says Shell’s “dive into the Arctic Ocean was a spectacular belly flop”and lists the disastrous chain of events, reminding us that “Shell incurred more than $1 million in fines for air quality violations.” read more

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ROYAL DUTCH SHELL: Ice buckets, rust buckets and superbuckets

By John  Donovan

According to the the Vancouver Observer, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden, has accepted the ice bucket challenge from Leonardo DiCaprio to oil sands executives. 

The reputation of his predecessor as Shell CEO, Peter Voser, sunk after he faced and failed a challenge in the Arctic.

Voser came spectacularly unstuck as a result of sending a couple of refurbished old rust buckets into Alaskan waters in an ill-fated tax dodging scandal resulting in ship board fire, explosions, pollution, groundings and public humiliation. read more

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Royal Dutch Shell Files Arctic Drilling Plans

Screen Shot 2014-08-29 at 00.00.49A Shell spokesperson claims that the company’s latest Arctic exploration plan takes into account lessons learned from the 2012 operation (which turned into a dangerous farce after Shell engaged in reckless machinations in an effort to evade tax).

By John Donovan

Royal Dutch Shell has filed a plan with US federal regulators that could result in a resumption of its Arctic drilling campaign in the summer of of 2015.

However, the oil giant still has significant regulatory and legal issues to deal with in the meantime.

A Shell spokesperson claims that the company’s latest Arctic exploration plan takes into account lessons learned from the 2012 operation (which turned into a dangerous farce after Shell engaged in reckless machinations in an effort to evade tax).  read more

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Diminishing Shell in Australia

Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 09.33.03Extracts from a Sydney Morning Herald article by Michael West published 2 June 2014 under the headline: “Is petrol producer an empty Shell?”

Suffice to say that Shell has contributed to the Australian economy in a big way over the years. Not quite so big any more, though. Shell Australia has become less an Australian company now than a figurine for its foreign parent. One corollary of this is that it is paying less tax. Shell, like other large corporations, is mimicking the aggressive tax practices of Google and the multinational new guard, and the implications for Australia’s tax base are menacing. If you look at Shell’s website, you will find that it calls itself Shell in Australia. It used to be Shell Australia. The word ‘‘in’’ is a small word but powerfully redolent of what has changed. This is no longer an Australian company in mind and management. read more

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Political tussle over swearing-in of oil executives unfolds on Senate floor

Screen Shot 2012-09-19 at 09.13.48Extracts from an article by RICHARD MAUER published 9 April 2014 by Anchorage Daily News

JUNEAU — A request by a Democratic senator that a Republican committee chairwoman require oil industry officials to be sworn before testifying Wednesday about the effects of last year’s tax cut erupted into a sharp personal battle between the two. The verbal confrontation started in committee and moved to the Senate floor. French cited the Coast Guard investigation into the grounding of Shell’s drilling rig Kulluk as a reason for putting the company officials under oath. Referring to a recent Daily News story on the investigation, French noted that a Shell official once denied to a reporter that there was any connection between Shell’s decision to move the Kulluk in early winter and the property tax the company would have to pay if the rig remained safely in Dutch Harbor. But under oath to the Coast Guard, the Shell official admitted the pending tax payment was one of the considerations for beginning the rig’s tow into a fierce Gulf of Alaska storm. read more

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Under oath admission of tax dodging in Alaska by Shell executive

Screen Shot 2013-06-19 at 17.10.39Extracts from an article published by Sit News on 9 April 2014 under the headline: ‘Under Oath’ Request Unprecedented

(SitNews – Ketchikan, Alaska) – Yesterday Senator Hollis French (D-Anchorage) sent a letter to Resources Chair Senator Cathy Giessel requesting that she use her statutory authority to swear in the oil industry witnesses who were scheduled to appear before the Resources Committee today (Wednesday, April 9, 2014). The investigation surrounding the grounding of Royal Dutch/Shell’s Arctic drilling rig, the Kulluk, had a role in French’s decision to make the request. Through a series of problems the Kulluk went aground. Questions arose about whether Shell took the risky move of a mid-winter tow to avoid paying millions in state property taxes. A Shell executive told the press that tax considerations had nothing to do with the move. The same executive later admitted under oath that Alaska tax laws influenced the move. read more

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Shell remains committed to Alaskan arctic

Ann Pickard, Head of Shell's Arctic Adventures

Ann Pickard, Riding to the Rescue of Shell’s Arctic Fiasco

Extracts from an article by Daniel J. Graeber published 9 April 2014 by UPI

HOUSTON, April 9 (UPI) — The arctic waters off the Alaskan coast may be one of the more promising reserve basins in the nation, but exploration will have to wait, Shell said Wednesday. Ann Pickard, executive vice president for Shell’s arctic programs, said arctic nations have decided to open their waters to exploration and her company aims to develop those reserves responsibly. Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard published a 152-page report on Shell’s operations in Alaska. Shell’s drillship Kulluk struck ground off the Alaskan coast in 2012, and the Coast Guard blamed harsh winter conditions and the company’s efforts to escape Alaskan tax laws for the incident. read more

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Shell’s UK corporation tax bill tumbles

Screen Shot 2014-04-10 at 00.19.29Extracts from an article by ROB DAVIES published 9 April 2014 by This is Money.co.uk under the headline: “Shell’s UK corporation tax bill tumbles by nearly 90 per cent as company invests more in North Sea and production declines”

Shell’s UK corporation tax bill tumbled by nearly 90 per cent to just £55.5m last year, as the company invested more in the North Sea and production declined. Shell’s UK bill fell from £487m last year to £55.5m, less than it paid in Nigeria, Norway, Australia, Malaysia, Canada and Italy.

Shell’s public image was tarnished last week by a report from the US Coastguard which criticised readiness for Alaskan Arctic drilling. …the US Coastguard assessment of Shell’s preparedness was rather more cutting. The report criticised the plan for towing the Kulluk, saying Shell showed a ‘lack of respect’ for the conditions. It also said Shell’s decision to tow the Kulluk to Seattle amid rough winter seas was partly motivated by a desire to cut tax, something former boss Peter Voser denied. read more

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Shell risked offshore workers lives to dodge Alaskan tax bill

Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 07.03.50Despite all promises to the contrary, Shell is still putting monetary considerations before safety. Just read some of the recent articles about Shell’s reckless conduct in offshore Alaska. It put the lives of offshore workers and the environment at risk to avoid a potential multimillion dollar tax bill. Personally, I do not believe enough attention has been drawn to the ethical issue of Shell deliberately putting peoples lives at risk in a calculated gamble.

Royal Dutch Shell Safety Last, not First

By John Donovan

Despite all promises to the contrary, Shell is still putting monetary considerations before safety.

Just read some of the recent articles about Shell’s reckless conduct in offshore Alaska.

It put the lives of offshore workers and the environment at risk to avoid a potential multimillion dollar tax bill.

This extract from a US News & World Report article published yesterday is typical of the many comments published elsewhere:

Notably, in September 2012, a Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig ran aground in Alaska as workers attempted to tow it beyond the state’s waters. A Coast Guard report released Friday found that the Anglo-Dutch oil company decided to move the rig – and insisted on doing so through dangerous stormy weather – to avoid paying new Alaskan taxes. The report also detailed myriad safety issues. read more

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Interior Dept. Preps for Arctic Oil Spills

Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 09.49.25Extracts from an article by published 8 April 2014 by USNews & World Report

They’re preparing for the worst. Interior Department officials recently put out a call for “new and innovative mechanical technologies” to help clean up oil spills in the Arctic. Yet even as ice around the Arctic has melted amid rising global temperatures, potentially exposing rich oil and gas deposits, serious hazards remain. Notably, in September 2012, a Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig ran aground in Alaska as workers attempted to tow it beyond the state’s waters. A Coast Guard report released Friday found that the Anglo-Dutch oil company decided to move the rig – and insisted on doing so through dangerous stormy weather – to avoid paying new Alaskan taxes. The report also detailed myriad safety issues. read more

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Kulluk report inspires no confidence for Arctic operations

Screen Shot 2013-11-01 at 09.31.18Extracts from an editorial published on 5 April 2014 by The Anchorage Daily News under the headline: “Our View: Kulluk report inspires no confidence for Arctic operations”

The United States Coast Guard didn’t mince words in its report of the grounding of Shell’s drilling rig, the Kulluk, in December 2012. The Coast Guard found Shell failed both in preparation and operations, and concluded that the company decided to move the vessel despite forecasts of worsening weather in part to avoid a state property tax obligation. None of this took place in the Arctic, where Shell did limited drilling program without incident in the summer of 2012. All of this gives evidence that Shell is not fully prepared for Arctic operations. A telling comment came from Rear Adm. Joseph A. Servidio, the Coast Guard’s assistant commander for prevention policy. Servidio said the most significant factor was the failure to assess and manage the extreme risks of the Gulf of Alaska. read more

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Shell Rushed Rig to Arctic Sea to Avoid Alaska Tax: U.S.

Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 09.49.25 published Apr 4, 2014 5:00 AM GMT+0100 by Bloomberg News

A desire to avoid millions of dollars in Alaska state taxes played a role in Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s decision to move a drilling rig, which later broke free from a tow boat and ran aground on an uninhabited island in Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report.

Shell had decided to move the Kulluk drill rig to Seattle for repairs because it might have been subject to a state property tax had it remained in Alaska waters beyond Jan. 1, 2013, according to the report released yesterday that offered eight recommendations to improve safety. read more

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Shell was underprepared for ill-fated tow across Gulf of Alaska

Extracts from an article by Suzanna Caldwell published April 3, 2014 by AlaskaDispatch under the Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 09.24.01headline: Coast Guard report shows Shell was underprepared for ill-fated tow across Gulf of Alaska

A Coast Guard report released Thursday shows that while a series of events ultimately led to the grounding of a drilling rig designed to drill in the Arctic, an “inadequate assessment and management of risks” was the biggest cause of the Kulluk grounding.

The findings in the 152-page report conclude that while bad weather in the Gulf of Alaska was the primary cause of the grounding, “ineffective” risk management and application of towing measures from Shell and Edison Chouest contributed to the grounding. read more

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