Posts under ‘Tainted Gas’

I remember the launch of another wonder fuel by Shell in 1986, “Formula Shell”, based on new technology and with a scientific image deliberately conjured up by Shell. There was only one small problem. The new wonder fuel ruined many car engines and it did so on an international basis.

By John Donovan

The Telegraph has published an article today under the headline: Can Shell’s new ‘Formula 1’ petrol ease anger at pumps?

It asks: Is Shell’s new petrol – Shell’s new V-Power Nitro Plus fuel – as good as the fuel used in Formula 1 cars?

Extract

David Moss, the chief executive of Shell UK who was in Battersea to launch the fuel with Ferrari, accepted that petrol prices are “not cheap” but he insisted his company is not to blame. “If you take out the duties and taxes that customers pay in the UK, the fuel prices are some of the most competitive in Europe,” he said. “It is a very, very competitive market place and Shell has to be competitively placed.” He denies charges that Shell and others are profiteering from a captured UK market. read more

FROM OUR JULY 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

Shell Canada settled a class-action lawsuit in Quebec over a gasoline additive that caused fuel systems and gas gauges to malfunction. The company said it can’t estimate the cost yet, but some reports put the figure at $100-million.

National Post: Shell Canada settles Quebec class-action suit

Bloomberg News

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Shell Canada settled a class-action lawsuit in Quebec over a gasoline additive that caused fuel systems and gas gauges to malfunction.

The company said it can’t estimate the cost yet, but some reports put the figure at $100-million.

Residents of Quebec have until Nov. 5 to file a claim against Shell Canada and may qualify for one of three levels of compensation, company spokeswoman Sonia Larin said.

Most motorists will receive between $20 and $550, Shell Canada says. Some will get more if they incurred expenses such as towing, accommodation and repairs, Ms. Larin said. The cost to Shell will depend on how compensation is paid out, Ms. Larin said. read more

Bangkok Post (Thailand): ‘Gasohol works or we fix it’

“Shell Co of Thailand has pledged to take full responsibility if cars running on Shell gasohol break down, as it strives to boost its sales and motorists’ confidence to shift to crop-derived alternative energy.”: “Motorists who keep their receipts after filling up their cars with Shell gasohol can claim for damages within one month if their cars develop engine problems.”

Wednesday Aug 03, 2005

BUSRIN TREERAPONGPICHIT

Shell Co of Thailand has pledged to take full responsibility if cars running on Shell gasohol break down, as it strives to boost its sales and motorists’ confidence to shift to crop-derived alternative energy.

“A full guarantee will be given to any motorists whose cars are damaged after filling up with Shell gasohol,” chairman Tiraphot Vajrabhaya said yesterday.

Shell is the third local oil company to introduce gasohol, a blend of 90% gasoline and 10% crop-derived ethanol, after Bangchak and PTT, but the first to offer a performance pledge. read more

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Sulfur-removal Units Blamed For Tainted Gasoline In La.

“Shell now says the tainted fuel also contained hydrogen sulfide, an extremely corrosive compound that occurs naturally in unrefined crude oil.”

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

September 3, 2004 10:14 a.m.

NORCO, La. (AP)–A pair of units designed to remove sulfur from gasoline at a New Orleans-area refinery are being blamed for creating sulfur-tainted gasoline in May,

The bad gasoline damaged more than 80,000 fuel gauges in cars and trucks in Louisiana and Florida.

Shell Oil (RD) Products spokesman Shawn Frederick says the units began operating about two weeks before motorists started reported fuel gauge problems. The units were installed at the Motiva refinery in Norco to meet new federal environmental regulations that limit sulfur levels in gasoline to 30 parts per million, down from the current standard of 300 parts per million. The new rules go into effect Jan. 1. read more

Fool.com: Shell Shocked?

“If the stink of a recent restatement and high-sulfur gas mixture wasn’t enough to have shareholders gasping for air, then the past year’s proven oil reserves scandal certainly was.”

By Seth Jayson (TMFBent)

August 24, 2004

Posted 25 August 04

Long-suffering investors in Royal Dutch Petroleum (NYSE: RD) and Shell Transport (NYSE: SC) likely spent the day wondering whether this morning’s news might finally clear the air.

If the stink of a recent restatement and high-sulfur gas mixture wasn’t enough to have shareholders gasping for air, then the past year’s proven oil reserves scandal certainly was.

The problem, first revealed in January, seems to have been that for Royal Dutch/Shell execs, proven meant made up, and reserves meant wishful thinking. I hope they’re clear on what oil is. read more

FROM OUR AUGUST 2004 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

Miami Herald: Shell, Texaco clients seek refunds

“faulty fuel sold by Shell”: “said it has received about 70,000 claims: “figure will easily run into the tens of millions of dollars.”; About 70,000 claims have been filed due to the fuel-quality problem that shut down Shell and Texaco stations in May, but as many as 500,000 people could be affected.; all supplied with the substandard fuel from a Port Everglades terminal operated by Motiva Enterprises…

BY PATRICK DANNER

[email protected]

Posted on Thu, Aug. 12, 2004

Some 25,000 Floridians have sought reimbursement for damage to their automobiles that they claim was caused by faulty fuel sold by Shell and Texaco gas stations, Shell Oil Products disclosed.

The fuel-quality fiasco that shut down Shell and Texaco stations over the Memorial Day weekend impacted other companies as well. BP, ConocoPhillips, Colonial Oil and Valero Energy Corp. were all supplied with the substandard fuel from a Port Everglades terminal operated by Motiva Enterprises, a refiner partially owned by Shell, a Shell spokesman said. Those companies, however, reported few — if any — complaints from customers. read more

CityDebate.com: Shell Launches New Shell V-Power®, Its Most Advanced Fuel Ever (what, non-tainted?)

(Webmasters comment: two points; firstly the question in brackets above was inserted by Shell2004.com; secondly, the article is clearly blatant Shell PR

Posted 2 August 04

New Premium Gasoline Actively Cleans As Cars Are Driven, Has More Than Five Times the Minimum Amount of Cleaning Agents Required By Government Standards

As they prepare to head down the road to a beach, a barbecue or a backyard celebration, motorists traveling this summer will be able to fill up with a new premium fuel – Shell V-Power. The most advanced Shell fuel ever developed, Shell V-Power actively cleans critical engine parts – specifically intake valves and fuel injectors – as customers drive their cars. New Shell V-Power is available at Shell stations across the country. read more

Shell Canada settled a class-action lawsuit in Quebec over a gasoline additive that caused fuel systems and gas gauges to malfunction. The company said it can’t estimate the cost yet, but some reports put the figure at $100-million.

National Post: Shell Canada settles Quebec class-action suit

Bloomberg News

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Shell Canada settled a class-action lawsuit in Quebec over a gasoline additive that caused fuel systems and gas gauges to malfunction.

The company said it can’t estimate the cost yet, but some reports put the figure at $100-million.

Residents of Quebec have until Nov. 5 to file a claim against Shell Canada and may qualify for one of three levels of compensation, company spokeswoman Sonia Larin said.

Most motorists will receive between $20 and $550, Shell Canada says. Some will get more if they incurred expenses such as towing, accommodation and repairs, Ms. Larin said. The cost to Shell will depend on how compensation is paid out, Ms. Larin said. read more

The Wall Street Journal: Shell Canada Settles Suit Involving Quebec Drivers –CP

“Shell Canada could pay up to $100 million to about 500,000 Quebec drivers”

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Posted 22 July 04

MONTREAL — Shell Canada (SHC.T) could pay up to $100 million to about 500,000 Quebec drivers after the company and lawyers for the motorists reached an out-of-court settlement, Le Journal de Montreal reported Wednesday the Canadian Press said.

A class-action lawsuit filed last July said Shell Canada put an additive in its Bronze gas between March 2001 and March 2002 that left a residue in gas tanks and caused problems for starting vehicles and determining the exact amount of gas in a tank. read more