A North Sea retreat is not on the cards for Shell, according to its chief executive.

Shell’s “rejuvenation” in the North Sea…

Written by Rita Brown – 04/09/2017 6:52 am

Ben van Beurden hailed the region’s “tremendous” progress.

His commitment to the region comes after it sold more than half of its North Sea oil and gas fields for $3.8billion to Chrysaor.

The sell-off included interests in the fields Buzzard, Beryl, Bressay, Elgin-Franklin, J-Block, the Greater Armada cluster, Everest, Lomond and Erskine, and a 10% stake in Schiehallion.

Mr van Beurden insisted the shift in assets was about breathing new life into the portfolio Shell ring-fenced to keep. read more

“There were a few mishaps in BG that really hammered their share price and we saw them coming into this funny situation where the share price came down, but we could only see the value go up so we needed to take a hardened look at it again,” Mr van Beurden said. “And then while we were looking at it the oil price started crashing, which actually opened the window even further.”

Energy editor Rita Brown heads to the Hague to hear exclusively how Shell’s chief executive has viewed the last three years since the oil price crash

Written by Rita Brown – 04/09/2017 7:29 am

Ben van Beurden’s rise to the top coincided with the oil price riding the crest of a wave.

But for a man who assumed Shell’s chief executive role just months before it all came crashing down, he sums up the last three years as “a blessing”.

“Less than a year into my new role, the oil price started going down and it’s been quite a journey, but if I look back on it I think this is probably the biggest blessing that I’ve had,” he said.

“It has done two things. First of all it provided a tremendous amount of focus on the things that needed doing. I mean, there’s nothing like a crisis to focus on cost efficiency. read more

Shell has found a buyer for a chain of Argentine gas stations worth more than $1billion, a news report said.

Shell put the 630 Argentine gas stations up for sale as part of a £23.5billion divestment plan intended to balance the books in the wake of its takeover of BG Group.

Brazil’s Raizen Energia, a subsidiary of Shell, has outbid rivals including Argentina’s YPF, Chile’s Quinenco and China’s CNPC, Reuters reported, citing unidentified sources.

Shell and Cosan each own 50% of Raizen, which controls Brazil’s second largest chain of gas stations.

Shell said it would not comment on potential deals. Raízen also declined to comment. read more

The television ad stated that natural gas was “the cleanest of all fossil fuels.”

This is the second time in 2017 that Dutch advertising authorities have sought to punish the oil and gas industry with Statoil reprimanded for claiming gas to be “clean energy” and “low emissions fuel” in June.

The Dutch Advertising Code Authority stated that the term “cleanest fossil fuel” was not in line with the MRC (the Dutch advertising code).

Friends of the Earth Europe co-filed the complaint.

Paul de Clerk of Friends of the Earth Europe, said: “This clear ruling by the advertisement standards board is of great importance. Time after time we see how oil and gas companies are misleading citizens and politicians. read more

Written by Alan Shields – 28/07/2017 7:25 am

Chief executive Ben van Beurden said a number of final investment decisions are due to be made in the next 18 months.

And among the eight upstream projects is Shell’s Penguins developments in the northern North Sea comprising of several oil and gas fields in the northern end of the East Shetland Basin.

Although discovered in the 1970s, the cluster field has never been fully developed due to variety of factors including poor reservoir performance, lack of subsea technology, tricky geology involving faults and the large area involved. read more

Oil supermajors including Shell have no plans to return controversial Super Puma helicopters to service in the North Sea.

Written by Alan Shields – 12/07/2017 6:58 am

The Anglo Dutch giant has confirmed that the aircraft, which were subject to a lengthy grounding following a fatal crash off Norway last year, does not feature in the future of the firm’s UK operations despite aviation watchdogs making moves to lift the flight ban.

It comes just a day after fellow supermajor BP revealed it will not consider a return the aircraft to service until a root cause of the Norway crash, which killed 13 people last April, has been identified. read more

One of the brains behind an iconic piece of the North Sea oil and gas landscape will have a last chance to say goodbye before it is dismantled for good.

Written by Stephen Walsh – 22/06/2017 7:29 am

Shell’s Brent Delta platform was a major part of offshore infrastructure for more than 40 years.

But, last month, the top was removed from the waters, leaving its legs behind, and transported to Hartlepool as part of the decommissioning process.

The huge 24,000 tonne topside, which weighs the same as the Empire State Building, is currently being stored in an Able UK’s shipyard, where it is waiting to be taken apart and recycled.

However, Shell gave some of its former employees the chance to bid farewell to the platform, which generated more than £35billion over its four decades. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 14/06/2017 12:54 pm

Biraj Borkhataria of RBC Capital Markets said the influx should go towards reducing the oil major’s debts and act as a clear catalyst for outperformance.

The Anglo-Dutch energy giant’s net debt currently stands about $72billion and Shell wants to shave off about $20billion to reduce gearing − the level of a company’s debt related to its equity capital − to around 20%.

Shell is in the midst of a push to sell $30billion worth of assets between 2016 and 2018 to rebalance its books following its takeover of BG Group. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 14/06/2017 7:04 am

Shell paid more than $55.6billion (£43.7billion) to governments around the world in 2016, but got a sizeable rebate from the UK Treasury, the oil major revealed today.

The group, which is headquartered in London and the Netherlands, received a tax credit of £111million from the UK government last year primarily as a result of North Sea decommissioning costs.

About £90million worth of UK tax credits were linked to the Brent field and other northern North Sea projects.

Earlier this year, Shell submitted its plans for decommissioning Brent, a process expected to take about a decade.

In May, the Brent Delta topside was delivered to Able UK’s yard in Hartlepool for scrapping. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 02/06/2017 6:20 am

A north-east MSP called for “urgent government action” after oil giant Shell said yesterday it was axeing 90 onshore roles in Aberdeen.

Labour’s Lewis Macdonald said it highlighted a need for support to protect jobs and skills in the UK oil and gas industry amid “the ongoing impact of the downturn” caused by a sharp slump in oil prices.

“The failure of other parties to act makes the result of next week’s general election even more important,” he added. read more

Written by Callum Law – 29/05/2017 8:39 am

Shell’s Make the Future Live took place at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London from Thursday to Sunday.

The four-day extravaganza featured a number of inspiring and thoughtprovoking exhibits on the future of energy and how the world will have to move away from fossil fuels for energy in the future.

Some famous faces were also in attendance. Jason Bradbury from the Gadget Show and comedian Richard Ayoade hosted a podcast asking if London can become the world’s first carbon neutral city by 2050. read more

Written by Reporter – 23/05/2017 3:08 pm

Royal Dutch Shell has been rapped over its climate change commitments, with shareholders criticising its rejection of emissions targets that would bring it in line with the Paris climate accord.

Shareholders at the oil giant’s annual general meeting (AGM) at The Hague spent hours questioning Shell’s board members, who said that while the company supported the Paris agreement, setting company targets was “not in the best interest of the company”.

Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said his company was making progress in lowering its emissions, but that achieving Paris Climate Agreement goals – which aim to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels – would require broader coordination, including active government support. read more

Written by Energy Reporter – 22/05/2017 6:39 am

The alarm was raised on Friday on the operator’s Brent Charlie.

The oil super major was forced to shutdown production after a gas detection alarm was triggered.

A total of 31 personnel were flown off the platform. The crew were largely associated with production, which remains suspended today.

Investigations into the cause of the isolated incident will be carried out for the remainder of the day.

The Brent field, operated by Shell, lies off the north-east coast of Scotland, midway between the Shetland Islands and Norway. It was discovered in 1991. The field’s lifespan was originally estimated to be only 25 years. To date, the Brent field has produced around three billion barrels of oil equivalent. read more

Written by Alan Shields – 12/04/2017 2:05 pm

The hailed the progress made in recent years, such as the Paris Agreement, as marking a worldwide change in attitude in moving towards a low carbon economy.

In the opening remarks of the supermajor’s sustainability report for 2016, he describes how Shell is working to help meet the world’s growing demand for more and cleaner energy.

In his introduction, van Beurden said: “In 2016, the world took significant steps towards building a low-carbon energy future. The United Nations (UN) Paris Agreement and the UN’s sustainable development goals came into force, setting new targets for tackling climate change, promoting sustainable economic growth and providing access to modern energy. read more

Written by Alan Shields – 06/04/2017 11:55 am

The 40% reduction, revealed today in the supermajor’s 2016 annual report, comes after a number of cost-cutting changes, including a 25 per cent reduction in bonuses handed out for hitting targets.

Dudley’s maximum payout under the firm’s long-term incentive plan is to drop from a seven times to five times his basic annual salary of $1.9million.

Last year, around 59% of shareholders opposed Dudley’s $19.4 million pay and benefits package, including his pension. read more

Written by Jeremy Cresswell – 06/03/2017 8:50 am

Last month, it emerged that there’s a handover of the helm underway at Shell’s UK Continental Shelf and Ireland business based out of Aberdeen.

After pretty much two years in command, Paul Goodfellow is taking on a new challenge as Shell’s vice president wells based at Rijkswijk in the Netherlands, effective April 1.

Assuming command in Aberdeen is Steve Phimister, who has for the past year been UK “transition lead” for the integration of BG Group’s business into Shell following the successful £36.4billion ($52.6billion) takeover completed early last year.

That Goodfellow should be on the move surprised some in the North Sea community, but this has been a hectic period. read more

Written by Jeremy Cresswell – 17/02/2017 7:39 am

After roughly two years steering the unit through huge changes against a background of the third major oil price storm to rock the North Sea, Paul Goodfellow is taking on a new challenge as Shell’s executive vice president wells based at Rijkswijk in the Netherlands from April 1.

Assuming command in Aberdeen is Steve Phimister, who has for the past year been UK “transition lead” for the integration of BG Group’s business into Shell following the successful £36billion takeover completed early last year. read more

Written by Energy Reporter – 16/02/2017 6:02 am

Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration awarded MISC $254.4million in its ruling.

MISC had filed an arbitration proceeding against Sabah Shell in September last year. The firm sought resolution of contractual disputes covering claims for outstanding additional lease rates, payment for completed variation works and other associated costs.

“This adjudication decision is expected to have a positive impact on the earnings per share, gearing and net assets per share of MISC for the financial year ending 31 December 2017 onwards,” MISC said. read more

Royal Dutch Shell are likely to take their time over the Brent decommissioning process due to the controversial fallout from a previous disposal attempt, according to one industry analyst.

The energy giant hit the headlines back in 1995 when it first floated plans to dispose of the Brent Spar holding and loading platform by sinking it in the deep waters of the Atlantic.

After getting wind of the plans, environmental group Greenpeace mounted a large-scale media campaign against the dumping of the Shell-owned oil and tanker loading buoy.

Protesters managed to occupy the installation for nearly three weeks before being evicted.

Shell later said the Brent Spar had become of “symbolic significance out of all proportion to its environmental effect”. read more

Written by Lindsay Razaq, Westminster Correspondent – 03/02/2017 7:03 am

Shell boss Ben van Beurden today urged against looking at the North Sea with “nostalgia” – insisting plans to sell off assets in the basin do not signal the end of the energy giant’s involvement.

The chief executive conceded the company was streamlining its portfolio.

But he stressed the exit of larger firms from mature positions was positive from a North Sea perspective.

He also said it would give the sector a “new lease of life”. read more

Written by Energy reporter – 30/01/2017 1:47 pm

Oil supermajors Royal Dutch Shell and Total are preparing to introduce battery charging points at European petrol stations as the the energy giants respond to rising sales of electric cars.

A selection of Shell’s filling stations across the UK and Netherlands will be the first to offer the service later this year, according to the Financial Times.

Total is said to be working on a similar move in a bid to capitlise on the emerging electric car market. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 30/01/2017 7:48 am

Investors monitoring the fourth quarter results of Shell and BP must look beyond the top line figures to get a good reading of the firms’ vital signs.

Iain Armstrong, divisional director at Brewin Dolphin, said the fourth quarter was notoriously hard to predict as oil and gas deliveries tended to be down.

Mr Armstrong said the two majors’ headline figures could be disappointing, unless strong demand from China gives them a boost.

He also said Shell should be in a position to sell more of its North Sea assets, thanks to improved oil prices and the BG Group acquisition showing signs of fruition. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 19/01/2017 6:00 am

The US Government said yesterday that it had cleared Shell and Statoil to bid for an offshore wind farm licence off North Carolina later this year.

The 122,405 acre Kitty Hawk licence will be offered in a commercial wind lease sale on March 16, the US Interior Department said yesterday.

Shell and Statoil are among nine companies to have made the shortlist.

Last month, Statoil said it had won an offshore wind lease off New York with a $42million bid. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 19/01/2017 7:22 am

Oil majors Shell and BP are expected to reveal large increases in fourth quarter earnings next month, an analyst said yesterday.

Biraj Borkhataria of RBC Capital Markets estimated BP would record a net income of $1billion in Q4, up from $200million the previous year.

Mr Borkhataria said the firm’s production would edge up during the quarter due to lower seasonal turnaround and maintenance activities, though downstream margins will be under pressure. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 17/01/2017 10:18 am

Shell has been hit with improvement points after an audit was carried out by the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) on working conditions in the central control room at the Nyhamna facility.

The oil major is the operator of the plant.

The objective of the audit was to investigate whether the alarm systems give the control room operators the necessary support in managing the processing facility in different operational situations. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 29/12/2016 11:31 am

Two exploration wells drilled on blocks operated by Shell off Tanzania have come up dry.

One of Shell’s project partners, London-listed Ophir Energy, said the Kitatange and Bunju wells in blocks one and four had been drilled safely and on time.

But no hydrocarbons were found, according to Ophir, which holds 20% interests in the assets.

Shell has held 60% of the licences since its takeover of BP Group, while Pavilion Energy holds 20%.

The Noble Globetrotter 2 rig has been demobilised from site, Ophir said. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 10/12/2016 12:02 am

Shell said today that it had submitted “a majority” of the plan for its Brent field decommissioning campaign to the UK Government.

Earlier, WWF Scotland cited a Shell communique to stakeholders as saying the plan was with the UK department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis).

But a spokesman for Shell later confirmed that the submission process had not been fully completed.

The remaining documents are expected to be handed in during the next few weeks, with a 60-day public consultation to start early next year. read more

Shell given go-ahead for Norway gas plant expansion

Written by Mark Lammey – 05/12/2016 1:31 pm

Norway’s oil and gas safety body said today it had given Shell permission to expand its gas plant at Nyhamna.

The facility has been processing gas from the Ormen Lange field in the Norwegian Sea since 2003.

It will now be expanded to take in gas from the Polarled pipeline, which connects the Aasta Hansteen field to the Norwegian gas transport system.

Shell wants to raise its production capacity to 84million standard cubic metres of gas per day from 70million. read more

Written by Reporter – 30/11/2016 2:02 pm

Shell said it is studying acquisitions in the green energy sector.

It comes amid shareholder pressure to look at a strategy beyond fossil fuels.

The oil major currently has a market value of $200billion and produces 2% of the world’s oil and gas.

Chief executive Ben Van Beurden said: “The idea you can just be a very clever observer and step in when the moment is right, forget about it.

“I am convinced that in this space we will play an active role, a leafing role and we will plan acquisitions in it.” read more

Written by Reporter – 18/11/2016 

A Dutch court has received 25 appeals against the government’s decision to cap production at the Groningen gas field to an annual figure of 24 billion cubic metres from protesters who do not think it goes far enough.

A number of groups in the region asked for a steeper reduction to prevent earthquakes, which have damaged thousands of structures in the northern province.

Groningen used to supply 10% of demand in the European Union.

But it has halved in the past two years after the Dutch Safety Board said the government was failing to protect citizens from earthquakes triggered by gas exploitation. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 09/11/2016 1:31 pm

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell has wished Donald Trump a successful presidency following his election win in the US.

Shell said it was looking forward to working with the new White House leadership.

It also vowed to keep advocating the importance of the energy sector to the US economy.

A spokesperson for Shell said: “We wish the President-elect success as he embarks on his transition and look forward to working with the new administration as they take office in January. read more

Written by Bloomberg – 02/11/2016 4:16 pm

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s second-biggest oil company by market value, thinks demand for oil could peak in as little as five years.

“We’ve long been of the opinion that demand will peak before supply,” Chief Financial Officer Simon Henry said on a conference call on Tuesday. “And that peak may be somewhere between 5 and 15 years hence, and it will be driven by efficiency and substitution, more than offsetting the new demand for transport.” read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 26/10/2016 7:35 am

An energy contractor working at a Shell Canada site has been killed in an accident, according to reports.

The 47-year-old was fatally injured in the workplace incident near Fox Creek, Alberta, on Sunday.

He was an employee of Secure Energy Services and was working at the Shell Canada site 260km northeast of Edmonton.

It’s understood the man had been struck by a hose.

An Occupational Health and Safety spokeswoman said: “The work site was situated by the side of a river and the workers were pumping water to a different location for wellsite activities. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 22/10/2016 5:30 am

Oil and gas giant Shell plans to sell $30billion worth of assets from 2016 to 2018 to offset the cost of its $50billion takeover of BG Group, which was completed in February.

By the end of June, 2016, Shell had completed deals worth $1.5billion, according to its half-year results update.

Of that sum, $820million was generated by offloading interests in Shell Midstream Partners, while $560million came from the sale of property, plant and equipment and businesses. read more

Opinion: OPEC surprises – but will it deliver?

Written by Richard Dyson – 03/10/2016 5:00 am

After weeks of speculation, OPEC showed it still has the power to surprise last week with its announcement of an agreement to cut back oil output for the first time in eight years. While short-term celebrations were rife, the question remains: Was the group just calling our bluff that its informal meeting would amount to more of the same, or will something actually be done?

While not expected, the tentative output agreement – to reduce production to between 32.5 million and 33 million barrels per day, down from the current 33.5 million barrels per day – came as welcome news to the oil and gas industry, as many of us presumed that this meeting would follow the usual pattern of producing no tangible results. read more

Shell IPO could be landmark offering

Written by Rita Brown – 03/10/2016 9:48 am

Shell’s plans to sell as much as P29.7billion worth of shares on the Philippine Stock Exchange would be a landmark initial public offering (IPO) for the region.

The sell-off is penciled in for October.

The Pilipinas Shell Petroleum IPO will run from Wednesday, October 19 to 25 after the price setting on Thursday, October 13.

The firm is on the crest of its hotly awaited stock market debut. It plans to auction off 330 million primary and secondary shares to the public for as much as P90 per share. If it completes the order, the offering will officially be the Philippine Stock Exchange’s biggest debut. read more

Shell and other oil majors slip down in energy rankings

Written by Rita Brown – 02/10/2016 6:09 pm

Shell was one of a handful of oil majors, which tumbled down the charts for this year’s Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings.

The survey considers four metrics – revenues, profits, return on invested capital and asset worth.

Shell, Chevron and ConocoPhillips all missed out on top 10 spots.

Shell slid 28 places to 31st on the list, Chevron fell 15 spaces to the 17th and ConocoPhillips tumbled a whopping 122 places, falling from seventh to the 129th spot. read more

Shell and BP shareholders can use votes to make firms go green, campaign group says

Written by Mark Lammey – 29/09/2016 7:42 am

A campaign group is urging Shell and BP shareholders to use binding votes on pay plans to encourage bosses to embrace green energy, a news report said yesterday.

ShareAction said sticking with old remuneration policies that reward executives for digging for oil would lead to both companies becoming obsolete and going bankrupt, The Guardian reported.

In line with rules introduced in 2013, large companies like Shell and BP face binding shareholder votes on three-year pay policies next year, the report said. read more

Opinion: Putting a Shell Spring (board) in our step

Written by Euan Hogg – 29/09/2016 6:00 am

Oil major Shell plans to fork out a six-figure sum this year to support UK firms developing low carbon technology.

The Shell Springboard scheme will hand £150,000 to a national champion and £40,000 each to five regional winners.

Here Euan Hogg, a winner from last year, talks about how the cash boost helped him.

In March 2016, Shell Springboard awarded Water Engine Technologies an equity-free grant of £40,000 as the programme’s regional winner. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 20/09/2016 9:46 am

Oil major Shell has cut 225 positions from its operations in Norway following its takeover of BG Group.

The company said in May it would be making around 140 employees redundant with staff able to apply for severance packages.

According to reports in Norwegian media, 145 employees have lost their jobs while another 110 members of staff will also go.

A spokesman for the company said while some workers had taken voluntary redundancy, Shell would need to look at making additional job cuts. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 15/09/2016 6:00 am

The final of six wells at Shell’s Corrib project on the West cost of Ireland has now been brought online.

The move comes more than a week after Shell was fined over a flaring incident on New Year’s Eve last year.

According to Vermilion, which owns an 18.5% stake in the field, production ramp-up has exceeded expectations and production volumes have now reached full capacity.

In its quarterly results Vermilion said: “Irish production continued to ramp up during the quarter, with better than expected well deliverability and minimal downtime at Corrib since start up on December 30th, 2015.” read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 14/09/2016 7:22 am

The oil and gas industry is in danger of getting bogged down in key performance indicators (KPIs), a safety chief from Shell said yesterday.

Norbert van Beelen, Shell’s vice president of wells safety and environment, said that while it was important to measure performance, companies were wasting time gathering superfluous metrics.

He said: “We need to manage it because KPI is becoming an industry on its own.

“Certain metrics are needed so we understand where we are going, but there needs to be a purpose. We need to be deliberate about what we are choosing. read more

Written by Rita Brown – 08/09/2016 9:08 am

Noble Upstream has snapped-up one of Shell’s legacy North Sea assets.

The firm acquired a 7.59% non-operated interest in the Maclure oil and gas field from the oil giant.

Jeremy Huck, chief executive of Nobel Upstream, said: “We are very pleased that this important transaction in the North Sea has closed. Strong operational and economic performance this year has demonstrated that well-targeted investments in mature basins like the North Sea can deliver superior returns. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 30/08/2016 2:02 pm

An Aberdeen-based oil and gas industry expert has called on the UK Government to take an “ethical lead” on offshore decommissioning.

Alex Russell, professor of petroleum accounting at Robert Gordon University, said Shell’s plans to leave large amounts of infrastructure from its Brent field in the North Sea set a bad example for developing countries.

Prof Russell said the UK Government should order a complete clearance of the seabed now, instead of leaving future generations to deal with “unknown consequences”. read more

Written by Rita Brown – 29/08/2016 12:27 pm

Shell’s chief executive Ben van Beurden called on the industry to be the “contrarian in the room” and speak the “undeniable truth” about energy’s future.

The company leader addressed the delegation at this year’s ONS, tackling climate change and the influence of the Paris climate agreement.

The chief executive opened by saying: “There is a classic story about one of the most famous Norwegians of all time, the playwright Henrik Ibsen. Lying on his sickbed, he overheard his nurse saying that he was a bit better that day. read more

Written by Mark Lammey – 22/08/2016 7:47 am

Shell’s New Zealand boss has reportedly said business was proceeding “as usual” amid reports the company was planning to divest its entire $1billion-plus portfolio in the country.

Australian media reports said late last week that JP Morgan had been hired to offload Shell’s assets, which were placed under review by the oil giant in December.

But Rob Jager told New Zealand media outlets the company was still looking at a range of options and that it was “business as usual”. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 08/08/2016 2:43 pm

Stocks including fresh water are said to be running out on a North Sea platform hit by strike action.

Oil major Shell said stocks are “running low” as a result of a supply vessel being unable to offload due to the bad weather over the weekend.

However, workers have attributed the low stocks on the Gannet platform to the current industrial action.

Some have claimed laundry services have been shut since the weekend and they have been told to re-use towels and take shorter showers and re-wear clothes due to depleted water levels. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 08/08/2016 12:56 pm

Oil major Shell has completed improvement notices from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an incident led to the loss of containment of more than 800kg of gasoline.

The North Sea operator was hit with a notice which said it had “failed to demonstrate” that it had established a “safe operating pressure” for the loading of gasoline to ships.

The notice at the time added: “Despite evidence of repeated swivel joint seal failures on loading arms at Breafoot Bay and in particular the failure of the middle seal of the triple swivel joint on loading arm 3 during single pump loading on 21st April 2016, which led to the loss of containment of 825kg of gasoline.” read more

Written by Reporter – 27/07/2016 11:50 am

Shell Oil Products has agreed to pay more than $700,000 to settle a civil prosecution over gift cards and fuel reward cards.

The company settled the dispute in which is admitted no liability.

The case had been filed in Alameda County in the US state of California.

Prosecutors had alleged there was multiple consumer protection and advertising violations related to the cards.

They said it included not allowing the redemption of gift cards with a balance under $10 as required by state law. read more

Written by Niamh Burns – 13/07/2016 3:54 pm

The vice president of Shell’s UK and Ireland Upstream operations has said the oil major is “disappointed” after both Unite and RMT unions voted in support of strike action.

The move could mark the first industrial action of its kind in a generation.

It comes after more than 200 workers were balloted on whether they would support either strike action or action short of a strike.

Wood Group has also said it is “disappointed” by the decision of its staff. read more