Royal Dutch Shell Plc  .com Rotating Header Image

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL NEWS HEADLINES AUGUST 2005

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC NEWS HEADLINES AUGUST 2005

ShellNews.net: Royal Dutch Shell settles another US Class Action Lawsuit and undertakes ethics makeover: Wednesday 31 August 2005: 20.00 ET: READ

The Mayo News Online (Ireland: Rossport Five could face jail until October: “The legal teams are talking, and are in continual contact, but there is little point calling for dialogue when one party are being extremist and are not going to give anything. Shell will not vacate the injunction because they wish to have recourse to this court order in the future. I don’t know if their intention is to imprison everyone in Rossport, but this is an appalling situation. Taking out full-page advertisements in newspapers is only PR.”: Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: Tougher teeth needed: “Why should Royal Dutch/Shell have been hit for £17m for market abuse while the largest fine for mis-selling was a mere £1.9m handed out to Lloyds TSB for the precipice bonds affair?”: Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: Chevron upbeat on CNOOC: Wed 31 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: KPMG clients back firm despite misconduct: “Audit clients of KPMG yesterday signalled they would stand by the accounting firm following its admission of wrongdoing over past sales of “fraudulent” tax avoidance schemes.”: Wed 31 August 2005 (no mention of Shell): READ

The Times (UK): Helicopter squeeze as oilmen grow too fat to fly: “The worst helicopter crash was in November 1986 when a Chinook carrying Shell workers plummeted into the sea off the coast of Shetland in stormy weather. Some 45 people were killed.”: Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

The Wall Street Journal: Rising Oil and Gas Prices Add to Energy Pressure On Broader Economy: Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

Lloyds List: US counts cost after Katrina wreaks havoc on oil industry: Bush eyes Strategic Petroleum Reserve, writes Rajesh Joshi in New York: Wed Aug 31, 2005: READ

The Guardian (UK): Oil hits fresh high as Katrina wreaks havoc: Traders panic in London and New York after hurricane shuts rigs and refineries across the Gulf of Mexico: “Economists are becoming increasingly concerned that sky-high oil prices will damage the global economy…”: Wednesday August 31, 2005: READ

Daily Telegraph: Sooner or later Forbes will be proved right: Forbes predicts oil will drop to $35 within a year: “ It takes decades to develop an oilfield and win the bulk of its contents, with most of the spending up front, which is why Shell, for example, assumes a price of $25 when trying to decide whether a prospect is worth pursuing.”: Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

The Times (UK): Hurricane ‘will force consumers to reduce fuel use’: “Shell reported aerial sightings of damage to Mars, one of its largest Gulf of Mexico production platforms, yesterday. However, it was unable to give details of its extent. Two drilling rigs chartered by the oil company were adrift.”: Wednesday 31 August 2005: Read

THE NEW YORK TIMES: No Quick Fix for Gulf Oil Operations: “The market can’t afford any disruption whatsoever,” said Ben Dell, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company in New York. “As it happens, we just had the worst disruption ever.”: Wed 31 August 2005: READ

BLOOMBERG: Shell U.S. Capline Oil Pipeline Shut After Hurricane: “The Capline pipeline transports up to 1.2 million barrels a day of crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico and imported from overseas. It runs more than 650 miles (1,040 kilometers) from St, James, Louisiana to Patoka, Illinois, according to Shell.”: (Update1): Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: Pricing pressure builds as oil majors count the cost of Katrina: “The Mars platform, one of the Gulf’s biggest producers of oil and gas, has sustained some damage, Royal Dutch Shell, the operator, said. But not only production wells have been affected. Exploration rigs, of which there are almost no spares available worldwide because of surging demand from oil companies keen to cash in on the high oil prices, were also within the path of Katrina.”: Wed 31 August 2005: READ

New Jersey Law Journal: U.S. “District Judge John Bissell in Newark, N.J., approved a $90 million settlement for current and former employees of Royal Dutch Shell, who had alleged that Shell violated its fiduciary duty by misstating oil reserve totals, causing its stock to nosedive. The settlement, in “In re Royal Dutch/Shell Transport ERISA Litigation, CV-04-1398,” allows them to recoup 78 percent of their losses.”: Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: Storm over the oil industry: In one company, Shell, the recruitment problems go all the way to the top: analysts think that Europe’s second biggest energy group – which had a reputation as a training ground for the industry’s brightest – lacks qualified candidates eventually to fill top rank posts such as chief executive and head of exploration and production. Concern over filling such posts is seen as a drag on the company’s share price: Posted Wednesday 31 August 2005: READ

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL MALAYSIAN CHAIRMAN, JON CHADWICK UNDER HEAVY FIRE: Tuesday 30 August 2005: 11.30am ET READ

ShellNews.net: A Poisoned Chalice for Jorma Ollila at Royal Dutch Shell Plc?: Tuesday 30 August 2005: 11.30am ET: READ

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: White House May Tap Oil Reserves: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: KPMG in Tax case settlement: The Department of Justice filed one charge against KPMG of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, but under the settlement it will not seek a trial of the firm.”: Posted Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ (KPMG is a named Defendant alongside Shell in a class action lawsuit alleging securities fraud)

Daily Telegraph: Oil prices spiral as Katrina batters US: “Shell and others have had to abandon platforms.”: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

Times Online: Katrina could be costliest event since 9/11: “Shell said that two of its oil drilling rigs under contract were adrift. An oil drilling platform broke free of its mooring in Mobile Bay, Alabama, and slammed into a bridge due to the high winds.”: Tuesday August 30, 2005: READ

The New York Times: Another Storm Casualty: Oil Prices: “Shell, the company with the largest operations in the Gulf of Mexico, also said yesterday that it would dispatch an aircraft to review the status of its assets in the area.”: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

Irish Times: Jailed Mayo men accuse Shell of ‘vindictiveness’: “In turning down a request from Mayo County Council to with-draw the restraining injunction against the men, Shell said such a move would undermine the entire legal basis for the onshore pipeline. A Shell spokesman said yesterday that setting aside the injunction was not a realistic option.”: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

Asia Pulse: SOLAR SHELL ENTERS INDONESIAN MARKET FOR SOLAR ENERGY: TUESDAY Aug 30, 2005: READ

The Guardian (UK):  Oil prices close to record as Katrina shuts down production: “Shell, the Gulf’s largest producer, said two of its drilling rigs were adrift. It had evacuated almost 1,000 employees and shut down production of 420,000 barrels a day. It said it would fly a reconnaissance plane as soon as conditions were safe, but it would be a couple of days before it could properly assess the damage.”: Tuesday August 30, 2005: READ

Financial Times: Fears over long-term damage to oil output: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

Reuters: Shell says Mars platform damaged after Katrina: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

Los Angeles Times: KATRINA HITS THE GULF COAST: Hurricane Packs Punch on the Energy Markets: “Tracking devices on two drilling rigs under contract to Shell Exploration & Production Co., a U.S. arm of Royal Dutch Shell, showed that they had drifted from their normal locations, Shell spokeswoman Darci Sinclair said.”: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

News Straits Times (Malaysia): MLNG signs gas deals with 3 firms: At the signing, Petronas was represented by its vice president of exploration and production business Abdullah Karim… Sarawak Shell by Shell Malaysia chairman Datuk Jonathan Chadwick”: Tuesday 30 August 2005: READ

BLOOMBERG: Shell Causes Earthquakes in the Netherlands: “Northern Netherlands Trembles as Gas Extraction Triggers Quakes”: Posted 30 August 2005: Read

BLOOMBERG: Shell, Koc to Bid Jointly for Turkish Refiner Tupras (Update2): “Royal Dutch Shell Plc is teaming up with Koc Holding AS, Turkey’s biggest company, to bid for 51 percent of Tupras Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri AS, the nation’s state-run oil refiner, to expand output of oil products.”: Monday 29 August 2005: READ

ShellNews.net: Welcome Mr Ollila to Royal Dutch Shell Plc: Monday 29 August 2005: 09.50 ET: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Africa’s Oil Comes With Big Downside: “…Shell spokesman Simon Buerk said the company has never paid royalties to local potentates, but ”homage payments” are allowed — limited to $1,000 per project since 2003. A Shell report said it spent $100,000 on such payments last year in Nigeria.”: Posted Monday 29 August 2005: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Approaching Storm Slows Oil Output in Gulf of Mexico: “Royal Dutch Shell, the largest oil producer in the gulf, said in a statement that it had evacuated 983 employees and shut down production of 420,000 barrels of oil and 1.345 million cubic feet of natural gas a day.”: Monday 29 August 2005: READ

Stuff (New Zealand): Shell NZ chairman resigns: “The chairman of Shell New Zealand has resigned for family and personal reasons, the company said today.”: Monday 29 August 2005: READ

ShellNews.net: ALARM BELLS RING OVER TENDERING FOR ROYAL DUTCH SHELL CONTRACTS: Monday 29 August 2005: 03.00 ET: READ

The Sunday Telegraph (UK): Dubai’s burning ambition: “For oil companies struggling to replace dwindling energy reserves, natural gas is an increasingly attractive proposition. As a result, energy companies, including Royal Dutch Shell, have been flocking to the Gulf state, keen to get a slice of the action.”: Sunday 28 August 2005: READ

Sunday Business Post (Ireland): State to pay Shell’s €40k bill: “The state faces a Garda bill of almost €40,000 for round-the-clock surveillance at the Shell Corrib gas terminal sites in Co Mayo over the past seven weeks. Deadlock over the onshore gas pipeline continues this week. Five farmers jailed for obstructing Shell access to their lands are spending their 61st day in Cloverhill prison today.”: Sunday 28 August 2005: READ

123jump.com: SHELL BEGINS TO SHUT-DOWN IN GULF OF MEXICO: “As of late Friday evening, Shell has evacuated a total of 465 offshore personnel and will continue to evacuate all remaining Gulf of Mexico staff…”: Sunday 28 August 2005: READ

Daily Record (Scotland): FALL SPARKS RIG INQUIRY: “The man broke an elbow when he fell 20ft from the helideck of Shell’s Tern Alpha.”: Saturday 27 August 2005: READ

ShellNews.net: Royal Dutch Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer, Master of Double Dutch: Saturday 27 August 2005: 11.20 ET: READ

The Economist: The oiloholics: “Oil prices could yet go higher – unless the world’s biggest gas guzzlers curb their thirst”: Saturday 27 August 2005: READ

ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL CLOSELY LINKED TO “INDEPENDENT” COMPANY REVIEWING CONTROVERSIAL CORRIB PIPELINE PROJECT: SATURDAY 27 August 2005: 05.00am ET: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Oil Prices Fall Despite Hurricane Worries: Posted SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2005: READ

The Guardian (UK): ‘We are part of the solution’: Kurt Hoffman, director of the Shell Foundation: “From his office 21 floors above central London, the director of the Shell Foundation sets out cogently the argument his organisation is trying to put into practice: that big business can be the solution to global poverty.”: Saturday 27 August 2005: READ

breitbart.com: Gas Station Workers Face Angry Customers: “It’s a scene gas station workers say is becoming increasingly common and frightening: Customers angry over gas prices nearing $3 a gallon storm in and decide to take it out on the employees.”: Posted Saturday 27 August 2005: READ

FINANCIAL TIMES: SPECIFICS LEAVE CENTRICA BID SPECULATION SHORT OF CREDIBILITY: “Norsk Hydro, with which Centrica had talks this year, Gazprom of Russia, Royal Dutch Shell, Gaz de France and even BG Group were all put forward as possible suitors.”: Saturday 27 August 2005: READ

Irish Times: Pipeline opponents question relevance of review: “Mr Garavan said he was concerned that Advantica had in the past had business dealings with elements of the consortium. The technical advisory group advising Mr Dempsey acknowledged on Thursday that Advantica “has previously worked for Shell”.”: Saturday 27 August  2005: READ

ShellNews.net: Irish Government appoints Advantica to carry out “independent” review of Royal Dutch Shell Corrib pipeline project: Friday 26 August 2005 12.30 ET: READ

FORBES/AFX News Limited: Shell, BP evacuate Gulf of Mexico workers due to Hurricane Katrina: “Shell, in a statement, said it will evacuate around 120 non-essential staff from the eastern part of its Gulf operations as a ‘precaution’.”: Friday 26 August 2005: READ

RTE.ie: Govt gas pipeline move is criticised: “The Shell to Sea campaign was reacting to news that a British-based technology risk assessment company has been asked to carry out a new safety review of the pipeline.”: Friday 26 August 2005: READ

Irish Independent: UK safety firm hired to check Corrib pipeline: “Five men from Rossport have now spent seven weeks in jail for contempt of court arising from their opposition to the pipeline. The Labour Party reiterated its call to Shell to lift the injunction against them.”: Friday August 26, 2005: READ

Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia): Former Shell employees asking for interest on retirement pay: Friday 26 August 2005: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Montana’s Governor Eyes Coal to Solve U.S. Fuel Costs:“The Democratic governor of this Republican state said he had met with Shell president John Hofmeister… to discuss his proposals.”: Posted Friday 26 August 2005: READ

Philippine Daily Inquirer: Shell to sell ethanol-blended gas: “Shell chair Edgar Chua said in an interview that the oil firm was now conducting studies on the feasibility of selling ethanol-blended gasoline directly from their pumps.”: Friday August 26, 2005: READ

TEMPO (Philippines): Shell gives P5.4 million for fire victims: “The Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. released yesterday some P5.4 million as part of its compensation package to some 121 victims of a fire caused by the Shell gasoline spillage in Quezon City.”: “Shell will compensate an additional 50 people who were victims of the fire that happened last Sunday.”: Friday 26 August 2005: READ

Brudirect.com News: Brunei Shell Refinery Achieves Another First: Friday 26 August 2005: READ

Ireland On-Line: Labour calls on Shell to free Rossport Five: “So the men are now in prison arising from a court injunction to stop them obstructing or interfering with the construction of a pipeline which was not itself legitimate from the very beginning,”…: Thursday 25 August 2005: READ

The Washington Times: Chavez squeezes oil companies: “More than 20 foreign companies including Chevron Corp., British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell are being targeted in an effort to collect more than $3 billion.”: Thursday 25 August 2005: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Oil Leaps to Record $68 on Storm, U.S. Gasoline Draw: “Adding to the list was Shell Oil Co.’s 153,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Martinez, California, which suffered a malfunction in a production unit on Tuesday.”: Thursday 25 August 2005: READ

Financial Times: Centrica gets bid boost but miners undermine FTSE: “…it was not the only name to be linked with a bid. Others mentioned by traders included Russia’s Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, Gaz de France and even BG Group, its former stablemate under the banner of British Gas.”: Thursday 24 August 2005: READ

Irish Independent: New Shell move just a stunt, says Rossport daughter: “THE daughter of one of the men jailed for opposing the Shell gas pipeline last night dismissed the company’s latest statement as a PR stunt.”: Thursday Aug 25, 2005: READ

Irish Times: Statoil stations to be picketed: Pickets are to be placed on selected Statoil fuel stations tomorrow as opponents of the proposed Corrib gas pipeline step up their campaign against the project.”: Thursday Aug 25, 2005: READ

Daily Telegraph: Centrica goes on the boil as traders speculate about a bid approach: “Traders said that potential bidders could also include Royal Dutch Shell…”: Thursday 25 August 2005: READ

Ireland On-Line: Rossport Five standing firm in dispute with Shell: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

online.ie: Rossport Five daughter dismisses Shell ‘PR stunt’: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL IRISH PIPELINE DILEMMA: Wednesday 24 August 2005: 10.25 EDT: READ

Ulster TV: Mayo councillors to meet Rossport Five: “The five men are beginning their ninth week in Cloverhill Prison for obstructing the building of the controversial Corrib gas pipeline.”: WEDNESDAY 24/08/2005 09:54:41: READ 

Anchorage Daily News: Royal Dutch Shell is back in Alaska: “After leaving the state in 1998, the company has returned and hopes to join BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil as a major player in Alaska.”: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

The Guardian (UK): You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby: “Shell, for example, after its annus horribilis, has been transformed by the high oil price: the moment when shareholders demand their pound of flesh may be fast approaching.”: Wednesday August 24, 2005: READ

Daily Telegraph: Message in a gas bottle: “The commission wants the suppliers in this £120m industry to be more customer-friendly with its contracts, switching processes and information. It all seems fair enough, and if the suppliers disagree, the commission has ways of changing their minds…”: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

Daily Telegraph: High price of tank gas is due to ‘weak competition’: “Shell is in the process of selling its worldwide LPG arm. Several private equity houses have been lining up a deal for the unit.”: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

THE TIMES (UK): Watchdog turns up heat on gas suppliers: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

The Guardian: Watchdog says LPG firms overcharge: “Shell downplayed the report, saying that customers were mostly content with their suppliers. It said it was cooperating fully with the commission.”: Wednesday August 24, 2005: READ

Financial Times: ONGC mulls counter-bid for PetroKaz: “In Africa, ONGC has been bruised after being trumped by Chinese bids. ONGC was close to buying out Shell’s half share in an Angolan field jointly owned with BP, but was pipped by a Chinese offer strengthened by a promise of large credit lines.”: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

Irish Times: Independent TDs not to attend debate: “A debate on the Corrib gas pipeline planned for tomorrow had already been cancelled because the Shell to Sea campaign declined to participate if the debate was chaired by Mr Cooney.” Wednesday August 24, 2005: READ

Stuff (New Zealand): Oil edges near $US66 on supply worries: “Protesters in major exporter Nigeria ended a week-long siege of oil facilities on Monday, to pave the way for talks with Royal Dutch Shell over compensation for an oil spill and fire in 2003.”: Wednesday 24 August 2005: READ

BLOOMBERG: Cnooc, Other Chinese Oil Companies May Lead Oil Mergers: “BG Group Plc, Repsol YPF SA, Woodside Petroleum Ltd. and even Royal Dutch Shell Plc also “could be in the hands of other players…”: Tuesday 23 August 2005: READ

Practical Law Company: WIPO panel allows use of SHELL trade marks in domain names of criticism websites: “Tuesday 23 August 2005: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Oil Edges Up Near $66 on Supply Worries: “Protesters in major exporter Nigeria ended a week-long siege of oil facilities on Monday, to pave the way for talks with Royal Dutch Shell over compensation for an oil spill and fire in 2003. Such protests underlined fears over global supply security and refining constraints that have helped keep U.S. oil at an average of $53.79 this year versus $41.47 in 2004.”: Tuesday 23 August 2005: READ

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Shell Reopens Oil Facilities in Nigeria: Posted Tuesday 23 August 2005: READ

Reuters: More big U.S. energy deals? Don’t hold your breath: “The so-called super-majors, such as Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and BP are already so huge that any attempts to buy smaller integrated companies, such as Marathon Oil Corp , or Amerada Hess Corp , would inevitably run into anti-trust problems…”: Tuesday 23 August 2005: READ

Philippine Daily Inquirer: Oil firm may face raps for gas leak in QC: “The Quezon City fire department said it would file charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property and physical injuries against Shell…”: Tuesday 23 August 2005: READ

FORBES/AFX News Limited: Shell declines comment on reported asset swap with BG: Monday 22 August 2005: READ

FORBES/Associated Press: Shell Reopens Oil Facilities in Nigeria: Monday 22 August 2005: READ

GREENBIZ.com: Shell Offers U.K. Small Businesses Cash for Emissions Cuts: Monday 22 August 2005: READ

PHXNews: FRESH TROUBLE BREWS IN RIVERS, NIGERIA’s OIL STATE, OVER SHELL: ““Nobody this time around can stop us. Enough is enough. I don’t think it is our place to be begging oil companies to live up to their social responsibility. Shell is simply wicked…”: Monday 22 August 2005: READ

The Business: Shell and BG to swap key North Sea gas assets: “The news shows that last month’s deal to exchange a 25% stake in Shell’s $20bn (£11bn, E16.4bn) Sakhalin Liquefied Natural Gas project for 50% in a vast Western Siberian field is just the first in a stream of swap agreements being negotiated by the firm as it desperately manoeuvres to make up for a shortage of oil reserves compared with its peers.”: Posted Monday 22 August 2005: READ

Globe and Mail Shell’s project: preserving backcountry: “Environmentalists and energy companies don’t often make good bedfellows…”: Monday, August 22, 2005: READ

ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL’S TARNISHED ROYAL PREFIX: Monday 22 August 2005: 00.15 ET: READ

ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL EXECUTIVES JET FUELLED ARROGANCE: Sunday 21 August 2005: 11.10 ET: READ

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Shell bosses live high life on oil profits: “Jeroen van der Veer, the chief executive, and fellow senior executives are understood to have bought three new Falcon aircraft for their boardroom fleet at a cost of nearly £60m.”: “The lavish arrangements for directors are partly a result of the company’s bulging coffers.”: “News of the luxury jets comes as the company begins to rebuild its reputation following a corporate scandal. Last year, it was accused of misleading the stock market by overestimating its oil reserves and had to pay £82m in fines.”: Sunday 21 August 2005: READ

The Observer (UK): The well of revenue that won’t dry up: Sunday August 21, 2005: READ

The Sunday Business Post (IRELAND): Shell boss says history against Rockall oil find: “Ten licences have been granted at Rockall, but eight have been returned after no financially viable quantities of oil or gas were found.”: Sunday 21 August 2005: READ

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Equity firms head Shell gas race: “The sale is part of Shell’s $15bn divestment programme, launched last year by Jeroen van der Veer, the chief executive, which is designed to help fund the group’s £25bn investment in its oil reserves.”: Sunday 21 August 2005: READ

ChinaView.cn: Shell has no case to answer in Nigerian standoff: company spokesman: Sunday 21 August 2005: READ

The Billings Gazette (Montana): Shell takes next step in oil shale testing project: Saturday 20 August 2005: READ

THE TIMES (UK): PERSONAL INVESTOR: Share buybacks create an illusion of gain: “Royal Dutch Shell is mounting a £5 billion buyback by way of apology for management lapses. Something must be thrown to the vultures; shareholder’s money is an obvious choice.”: Saturday 20 August 2005: READ

Irish Times: Shell and councillors in talks over gas pipeline impasse: “While Shell had “taken significant steps to create an atmosphere in which the men could see the merit of dialogue and are pleased that they have agreed to pursue this path”, Mr Pyle said the company had to “preserve” its “legal position in relation to the authorised construction of the onshore pipeline and the protection of our staff from unlawful interference”.: Saturday August 20, 2005: READ

The Times (UK): Need to Know: “The private equity firms PAI, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Cinven and CVC Capital are reportedly on a shortlist of at least five bidders to buy Royal Dutch Shell’s liquefied petroleum gas business for as much as £1.5 billion.”: Saturday 20 August 2005: READ

Ireland On-Line: Shell ‘committed to ending pipeline dispute’: Posted Saturday 20 August 2005: READ

The Independent: Sunny days for an alternative power play: “As with wind power, some very well known companies are interested in solar power – Shell, BP and Sharp, for example, all have operations – while smaller companies are specialising on niches of the sector.”: Saturday 20 August 2005: Read

MarketWatch:  Oil minister says Shell, Exxon Mobil out of Venezuela gas project: Posted Saturday 20 August 2005: READ

Domaine.blogspot.com: The use of a company name for a news website can be legal: “Here is an interesting decision: For years, Alfred Donovan has published news and reports on the firm Shell.”: Posted 19 August 2005: Read the article

Business Times (Malaysia): Shell earnings fall on shutdown Friday August 19, 2005: READ

Financial Times: Out of the shell: “…a recent spate of defections to a far smaller rival, BG Group, has raised eyebrows among some Shell-watchers”: “Shell has been hit hard in recent times by a reserves downgrade scandal and news that some of its newest projects are behind schedule and badly over budget. Uncharitable souls are saying that the departure of future Shell leaders could be a sign of worse things to come.”: Friday 19 August 2005: READ

ABC NEWS ONLINE (AUSTRALIA): Authority clears Shell over refinery pollution fears: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read

Financial Times: Investment made in biofuels: “Royal Dutch Shell has bought a minority stake in Choren: Industries, a German company that plans to turn wood chips into tar-free biofuel for use in cars.”: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read the article

halvorsen.org (Norway): Shell loses claim for royaldutchshellplc.com versus 88-year old war veteran: Read more at Alfred’s spicy RoyalDutchShellPlc.com. Alfred is a hard nut to crack…”: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read the article

Manchester Evening News: Shell offers cash for climate change: “MANCHESTER’S small business community has been invited to pitch its ideas on how to combat climate change in exchange for cash rewards. Shell Springboard, a fund set up by oil giant Shell to encourage positive approaches to environmental issues, will select the six best initiatives.”: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read

The Age (Australia): Shell under fire over secrecy on discharges: “Shell Australia has been accused of withholding data showing that high levels of potentially cancer-causing benzene have been released from the oil giant’s Geelong refinery.”: Thursday 18 August 2005: READ

The Age (Australia): Residents, council fight chemical storage bid: “The EPA has ordered an investigation of Shell’s air-monitoring equipment. It is also considering court action against Shell over an oil spill into Corio Bay in April – one of hundreds of environmental breaches at the company’s Geelong refinery in recent years.”: Thursday August 18, 2005 – 2:05PM: READ

ABC NEWS Australia: Shell rejects concerns over Geelong refinery emissions: “Shell says the community should not be concerned about the emissions of a cancer-causing agent from its Geelong refinery. Geelong residents have accused Shell of withholding data that indicates high emissions of benzene during April.”: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read the article

Bangkok Post (Thailand); Non PTT stations to sell NGV soon: “Natural gas for vehicles (NGV) will soon be available…”: “Shell Thailand has asked the department for permission to sell NGV, while state-run Bangchak Petroleum Plc (BPC) said it was also considering selling the fuel.”: Thursday 18 August 2005: Read

ShellNews.net: FINANCIAL TIMES ON ROYAL DUTCH SHELL NIGERIAN PRODUCTION SHUT DOWN: Thursday 18 August 2005 03.00 ET: READ

ShellNews.net: Financial Times reports Royal Dutch Shell has won exploration licence off Irish coast: Thursday 18 August 2005 03.35 ET: READ

ShellNews.net: TAXING QUESTIONS ARISING FROM ROYAL DUTCH SHELL MERGER: POSTED 17 AUGUST 2005: 11.45 ET: Read

Reuters: Nigerian protest shuts 14,000 bpd Shell oil output: Wednesday 17 August 2005: Read

ShellNews.net: Royal Dutch Shell Whistleblower, Dr. John Huong Yiu Tuong, offers insider evidence to the Shell Brent Bravo Public Inquiry: Wednesday 17 August 2005: 09.20 ET READ THE ARTICLE

JURIST Legal News & Research (USA): Shell to appeal judicial continuance of class action law suit: Posted Wednesday 17 August 2005: READ

ShellNews.net: Wall Street Journal Reports on Stock-Fraud Lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell Plc.: Tuesday 16 August 2005: 21.45 ET: Read the article

Reuters: Shell, Eni, OMV win Irish exploration licence Wed Aug 17, 2005 10:30 AM BST: Read

Daily Telegraph: Shell tries ‘getting to know you’ ploy to woo rebels: “The news comes after a number of high-profile City names emerged last week to vent their anger about the shake-up, which will leave them with a multi-million pound tax bill.”: Wednesday 17 August 2005: Read the article

Forbes: Ireland offers Shell, Island oil exploration licences: Tuesday 08.16.2005: Read

Western People (Ireland): Legal fear prompts Council to resist call for offshore site: Tuesday 16 August 2005: Read the article

Los Angeles Times: Judge Allows Shell Holder Suit to Continue: “A federal judge has allowed a stock fraud lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell to continue…”: “The U.S. Department of Justice has also launched a criminal investigation, according to the opinion by U.S. Chief District Judge John W. Bissell.”: Tuesday 16 August 2005: Read the article

(Above Associated Press story by JEFFREY GOLD also published in News & Observer, NC; Miami Herald, FL; Houston Chronicle; Seattle Post Intelligencer; Newsday, NY and in “Business Week”)

THE TIMES (UK): City Diary: “AN ATTEMPT by Royal Dutch Shell to claim the website royaldutchshellplc.com from an 88-year-old veteran who uses it to publish material that criticises the oil giant has failed.”: Tuesday August 16, 2005: Read the article

Newark Star Ledger, NJ: Judge allows Shell fraud case to go forward: “A Newark federal judge has ruled a massive securities fraud case against the world’s third-largest oil company can go forward.”: “The allegations were “adequately” made that the oil company “engaged in material and substantial fraudulent conduct in the United States,” Bissell wrote in the ruling issued last week.”: “A settlement in a separate case brought by pension holders who claimed losses as a result of the stock price drop, is expected to be wrapped up by the end of the month, court officials said yesterday. Shell has agreed to pay about $90 million to compensate the pensions.”: Tuesday, August 16, 2005: READ THE ARTICLE

ShellNews.net: A Black Eye for Royal Dutch Shell Chairman Lord Oxburgh in relation to Shell fraud allegations: Tuesday 16 August 2005 03.50 ET: Read the article

Irish Independent: Jailed five urge Shell to lift court ban and allow gas talks: “They will not and cannot accept the pipeline, but are still prepared to talk to Shell.”: “In their letter, the men say that the dealings of the Government had seen their land rights given to a private company, the lives of families and neighbours endangered and the natural resource of the Irish people given away.”: Tuesday August 16, 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Shell draws up blueprint to decommission five platforms: British government will scrutinise plans to decommission platforms on Indefatigable gas field, writes Martin Wingrove: Tuesday August 16, 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Shell turns eye of the tiger on hunt for big cats: “Shell’s involvement in the controversial Sakhalin II project that has seen a doubling in costs to $20bn for all operations to 2014 is a key part of its strategy to boost LNG output levels. Delays to pipelines and offshore platforms, plus calls for more environmental sensitivities has meant LNG deliveries from the project are delayed by at least six months to 2008.”Tuesday August 16, 2005: Read the article

The Australian: Chinese whispers wrong on Woodside: “CHINA’S third-ranked oil company, the government-owned CNOOC, was not interested in making a takeover offer for Woodside Petroleum, it has told the West Australian Government.”: Tuesday August 16, 2005: Read the article

Ireland On-Line: Rossport Five call on Shell to lift pipeline injunction: “The five Co Mayo men jailed for obstructing work on the controversial Corrib gas pipeline have reiterated their call on the global oil giant Shell to lift the injunction it has secured against them.”: 15 August 2005: Read the article

Ulster TV (Ireland): Rossport Five call for Shell to lift injunction: “In an open letter the Rossport Five say they accept the call for dialogue by the company but cannot follow through on it until they’re released.”: MONDAY 15/08/2005 12:45:28 : Read the article

allAfrica.com: Shell Declares N2trn Income: “SHELL Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has declared a net income of about $14.6 billion (about N2 trillion) from an output of 365 million barrels of crude in the 2004 business year.”: Monday 15 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC FACES STRONG PROTESTS FOLLOWING SHABBY TREATMENT OF UK SHAREHOLDERS: Monday 15 August 2005 16.30 ET: Read the article

ShellNews.net: Royal Dutch Shell Plc disposal programme could benefit if Cnooc launches Bid for Woodside Petroleum: Wall Street Journal article: Monday 15 August 2005: 16.30 ET: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): How high can the oil price go? And when will it start to hit us where it hurts?: “Either stock markets are celebrating the fact that the world economy has not been blown off course or they are celebrating record profits at oil companies, which make up 20% of the FTSE 100, or they think oil no longer matters. But the latter is open to question.”: Monday August 15, 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Go on, fill ‘er up – it’ll boost your pension: “Shell, for example, is spending $15 billion a year looking for more black stuff (or for methane, which is almost as valuable) yet it is still returning capital to the company’s owners. It argues, sensibly enough, that it’s already exploiting every worthwhile project it can find, and that it’s not a bank. If it needs capital in a year or five, the market will provide it, provided investors can be confident that the profits won’t be confiscated.”: Monday 15 August 2005: Read the article

Emigrant Online (Ireland): No move on Shell dispute: “The latest protest in support of the Rossport Five took place in Galway on Saturday when an estimated 1,000 people marched through the city to attend a rally at Spanish Arch.”: Posted Monday 15 August 2005: Read the article

THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST (IRELAND) Shell considers public discussions: Sunday 14 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: Secret Censorship on Royal Dutch Shell “Tell Shell” Internet Forum: Sunday 14 August 2005: 13.00 ET: Read the article

ShellNews.net: FULL DETAILS OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PROPOSED $90 MILLION SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BROUGHT BY SHELL AMERICAN EMPLOYEES: SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 2005: 13.00 ET: Read the article

The Sunday Telegraph: The great cash gusher: “Thanks to crude prices that have averaged more than $40 a barrel over the past 20 months and which last week broke through the $67 a barrel barrier in New York, the oil giants are drowning in cash.”: “BP, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell have given a new meaning to the concept of “record profits”.: “The Treasury declined to rule out a windfall tax. “The Government is committed to the delivery of a tax regime for the North Sea which promises investment and takes a fair share of revenue derived from a national resource. All taxes are kept under review on a budget by budget basis,” it said.”: Sunday 14 August 2005: Read the article

The Sunday Telegraph: Whither the windfall?: “What is the oil price at which a windfall tax becomes inevitable?”: Sunday 14 August 2005: Read the article

THE BUSINESS: Oil heads for $70 a barrel: Sunday August 14, 2005: Read the article

Ireland On-Line: More than 1,000 turn out for “Rossport Five” demonstration: Posted Sunday 14 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL ABYSMAL TRACK RECORD IN PROCEEDINGS WITH THE OWNERS OF ShellNews.net: Alfred and John Donovan: Saturday 13 August 2005: 13.15 ET: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell may offer tax-efficient option to its rebel investors: “Shell admitted yesterday that it was considering a new tax-efficient offer for British shareholders in Royal Dutch Petroleum who are refusing to accept the terms of the merger with Shell Transport and Trading.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell shows some sense: “At last, faint signs of common sense emerging from the Shell Lubyanka over the fate of the British shareholders in Royal Dutch.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

BBC NEWS: Venezuela-Shell tax row heats up: “Venezuelan tax authorities have closed a Royal Dutch Shell office for 48 hours and asked for an injunction on some of the oil firm’s assets in a tax dispute.  The row centres on a $131m (£74m) bill for back taxes covering 2001-2004, presented to the oil giant in July.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Council rejects ‘Shell to Sea’ call: “Dr Mark Garavan, spokesman for the “Shell to Sea” campaign and the imprisoned men who are today spending their 46th day in jail, warned about the danger to lives if the onshore pipeline ruptured. Locals had been crying out for five years about pipeline safety issues. Minister for the Marine Noel Dempsey had made the extraordinary admission that no State agency was responsible for the pipeline, he added.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

The Independent: Private Investor: Oil’s well with Shell in a jittery world: “Then there’s the process of reform after the great Shell reserves scandal, itself not such a massive blow as the City thought at the time”: “…I’m pleased that I stuck with my investment in Royal Dutch Shell…”: “I’ve bought more Shell at 1874p. I’m sure they and oil have further to go.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times (Letters): Message is muted: “A show of hands at annual meetings on controversial matters such as soaring director remuneration linked with indifferent performances conveys a clear message to boards that is blunted in its absence.”: “… a view that was forcibly expressed at recent annual meetings of BOC and Shell Transport and Trading.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

The New Zealand Herald: Shell’s office closed for 48 hours in tax dispute: “Venezuela’s tax authority has closed a Royal Dutch Shell office for 48 hours and put a hold on some company assets as part of a US$131 million ($188 million) back tax dispute with the oil company.”: Saturday 13 August 2005: Read the article

Derry Journal: Rossport Five Justice Campaign Comes To Derry: “Supporters of the five men jailed for contempt of court after opposing the Shell gas pipeline in Co. Mayo have taken their campaign for justice to Derry.”: Friday 12th August 2005: Read the article

Ireland OnLine: Council rejects ‘Shell to sea’ plea: Friday 12 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Shell to meet worried investors: “Royal Dutch Shell will today meet representatives of a small number of shareholders who say they have been adversely affected by the recent unification of its British and Dutch parent companies.”: Friday 12 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: Shell loses Royal Dutch Shell PLC Domain Name Battle: Friday 12 August 2005: 01.35am ET: Read the article and the WIPO panel decision

Forbes: Venezuela Tax Agency Closes Shell Office: “Shell has decided to challenge a US$130 million (euro104.8 million) claim for unpaid taxes in Venezuela, and the tax agency has said Shell will lose out if the case goes to court.”: Posted Friday 12 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: Another Bad News Day For Shell: Thursday 11 August 2005: 13.35pm: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell rebel investors dig their heels in: “David Windsor-Clive, 44, another dissident shareholder and former banker who is facing a £600,000 tax bill on a £2m family holding in Royal Dutch, said he was considering suing Shell if it failed to ease the tax hit.”: Thursday 11 August 2005: Read the article

THE TIMES (UK): Angry shareholders tell Shell to halt $5bn buyback plan: “FURIOUS shareholders urged Royal Dutch Shell to suspend a large share buyback programme last night amid concerns that it might cost the group up to €220 million (£151 million).”: Thursday 11 August 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: How a little solution came out of its Shell to take the world by storm: “The story begins almost 10 years ago. Shell was wrestling with a classic business problem that faces most multinational corporations…”: Thursday 11 August 2005: Read the article

Convenience Store News: Shell Settles Class Action with Workers: “The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies has agreed to pay $90 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. employees after it revealed it had inflated its oil and natural gas reserve numbers.”: Posted 11 August 2005: Read the article

The Independent: Shell launches $5bn share buy-back plan: “Shell hopes its restructuring programme will help put the reserves scandal behind it. It has made settlements worth £137m with the US and UK financial regulators and recently agreed to pay $90m in damages to a group of US employee shareholders who had brought a class action against the oil giant. There remain a further two shareholder lawsuits in the US, while both the Dutch markets regulator, the ASM, and Euronext are still investigating the scandal.”: Thursday 11 August 2005: Read the article

The Guardian: Are record oil prices leading to exploitation of oil shales?: Thursday August 11, 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Dempsey names Corrib group as talks held with Shell: “The Minister has also confirmed that he met Shell representatives yesterday to discuss the company’s breach of preparatory works, consent for the offshore pipeline and his proposed safety review.”: Thursday Aug 11, 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Trouble-shooters named as Five spend fifth week in jail: “The move comes as the “Rossport Five” spend their fifth week in jail for contempt of court over their opposition to Shell’s Corrib gas field pipeline.”: Thursday Aug 11, 2005: Read the article

Financial Post (Canada): Watch climbing oilsands expenses: Shell’s up by $2.8-billion: “When Shell Canada Ltd. and Western Oil Sands Ltd. told the market earlier this week that they underestimated the expansion costs at their Muskeg River mine and Scotford upgrader by $2.8-billion, the market yawned. But Greg Pardy, an analyst at Scotia Capital, thinks investors better take a closer look.”: Thursday Aug 11, 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: US Class Action Suit Against Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer Alleging Securities Fraud Given Consent to Proceed: 08.00am Thursday 11 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Chevron chief regrets taint of xenophobia: “Unocal’s assets moved Chevron past Shell, to third place, in terms of proven reserves…”: Thursday 11 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: Breaking News: Multi-billion dollar US Class Action Lawsuit Against Shell Given Consent to proceed by U.S. District Chief Judge John Bissell: Read the 152 page Order Here: 21.00pm Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC DOMAIN NAMES DISPUTE: 05.00pm (GMT+1) Wednesday 10 August 2005 (06.00pm Geneva time): Read the article

Euronext Amsterdam: Joint Announcement by Royal Dutch Shell plc (‘Royal Dutch Shell’) and N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandsche Petroleum Maatschappij (‘Royal Dutch’): Result of subsequent offer acceptance period and commencement of buy back programme: Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

The Mayo News Online: Shell work deferral a ‘cynical’ ploy: “This is just another publicity stunt by Shell, hoping to garner support and de-escalate the protest. This move is effectively about Shell attempting to try a new chess move. That’s all.: Read the article

The Mayo News Online: Council recalled for Rossport meeting: “Meanwhile, Shell E&P Ireland Ltd announced on Monday last that they have laid off 128 staff working on the pipeline, attributing the need for the move to ongoing protests. The controversy is no nearer resolution, with the five men refusing to purge their contempt…”: Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

BLOOMBERG: Shell Resumes Buybacks, Says Total May Be Near $5 Bln (Update1): Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

The Globe & Mail (Canada): Shell sees soaring costs: “Shell Canada Ltd. now expects the next phase of expansion at its Athabasca oil sands project in northern Alberta to cost about $7.3-billion, nearly twice as much as estimates released last fall.”: Posted Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

Edmonton Sun (Canada): Shell bulks up! Adds future capacity to Athabasca oilsands plant expansion: Shell Canada Ltd. now expects the next phase of expansion at its Athabasca oilsands project in northern Alberta to cost about $7.3 billion. That is nearly twice the estimated price released last fall.”: Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: Wall Street Journal Questions Chevron Unocal Deal: 09.55am Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Dempsey to involve three bodies in Shell audit: “Shell’s threat to withdraw from the 900 million project if the Minister’s review produced a “negative” finding that obliged it to build an offshore refinery, and the Minister’s own contention that he is bound by the project’s plan of development, suggested the review was already compromised before it started, the campaigners said.”: “The company insists it will not lift the injunction on the five men, who are now in their sixth week in jail over their opposition to the onshore pipeline.”: Wednesday August 10, 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell forced to talk to its angry investors: “Shell have treated the private investor very badly indeed.”: Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

AFX Europe (Focus): Royal Dutch Shell sees 2005 share buy-backs at upper end of 3-5 bln usd range: Wednesday Aug 10, 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): Fears of £1 a litre for petrol as world prices reach high: Increased demand and repercussions from Saudi Arabia and Iran hit markets: “Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman and a former economist at Shell, believes that all the talk of the $100 barrel of oil is alarmist.”: Wednesday Aug 10, 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Gazprom takes further strides on road to realising global LNG goals: “Under an agreement with Shell Western LNG BV, the LNG will be delivered in early September to the Cove Point terminal, Maryland, where Shell holds regasification capacity.”: Wednesday Aug 10, 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Shell in North Sea response deal: “SHELL Exploration & Production has negotiated an umbrella contract to cover its entire North Sea stand-by and emergency response service needs, writes Hugh O’Mahony.”: Wednesday Aug 10, 2005: Read the article

BLOOMBERG: Shell Canada Oil-Sands Cost Target Jumps to C$7.3 Bln (Update2): “Shell Canada Ltd., the fourth-largest Canadian oil company, said the cost to expand its Alberta oil- sands development will almost double to C$7.3 billion ($6 billion)…”: Posted Wednesday 10 August 2005: Read the article

Glasgow Evening Times: Tragedy rig in new safety scare: “A Shell spokesman said today the rig had been “downmanned” and that 86 workers had been flown to nearby Brent Charlie, Brent Delta and North Cormorant rigs.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

THE SCOTSMAN: 86 evacuated from North Sea platform after oil leak from tank: “In April Shell was fined a record £900,000 for safety failings on the platform that led to the deaths of two workers.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

The Times (UK): Rig evacuated after leak: “A North Sea oil platform where two workers were killed was at the centre of another safety scare yesterday after a leak was discovered in one of the rig’s legs.”: “In September 2003 Keith Moncrieff and Sean McCue died after a massive gas escape on board the Brent Bravo platform. Shell was later fined £900,000 after it admitted a series of breaches of health and safety regulations.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Kerr-McGee: “The world’s oil companies are having a hard time finding oil. So how come Kerr-McGee of the U.S. is getting rid of its North Sea oil fields? And why were none of the oil majors queuing up to buy them?”: “Some, like Shell, have tied their hands with lofty production promises to shareholders.”: Posted Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Shell to dismantle section of pipeline: “The company was responding following legal advice on the Minister’s direction of July 31st that the company was in breach of consents, and that it must break up the welded pipeline and agree to a new monitoring arrangement.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Mayo gas pipeline controversy: “The main beneficiaries of the development of the Corrib field, under the existing agreement, will be Shell and its partners, not the people of Ireland.”: “No wonder Shell is in such a hurry to get this gas out from under the sea, in case Ireland suddenly wakes up to the fact it has foolishly given away a couple of billion euro worth of assets.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Alaska leasing round brings Shell back in strength : “Shell is searching for new areas to explore for large oil and gas fields to help boost its reserves base and has re-entered the Alaskan oil industry after selling production assets in 1998 to focus on deepwater Gulf of Mexico operations.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Ollila appointment does not breach combined code but mocks its spirit: “Shell’s appointment of Mr Jorma Ollila as chairman of the newly unified company has been widely welcomed – not least by its institutional shareholders. It appears to have escaped their notice that Mr Ollila will remain chairman of Nokia…”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

NewsWire.ca (Canada): Shell Canada provides updates for oil sands operations and expansion plans: “We are also building on the lessons learned from our first project to capture cost and operating efficiencies,” said Neil Camarta, Senior Vice President Oil Sands, Shell Canada Limited.”: Posted Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

The Washington Post: Oil Prices Top $64 a Barrel in New High: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times (Observer): Corny humour: “Corn Cob Bob, the Canadian mascot of the ethanol fuel industry, is slated for some US TV exposure thanks to a minor controversy created by Shell Canada.”: “Ethanol wasn’t getting much ink until a dust-up last month, when the green fuel lobby was asked to close its booth at the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa. Shell Canada was a sponsor of the festivities and “didn’t want us there”, says CRFA executive director Kory Teneycke.”: Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

RTE Interactive (Ireland): Shell axes 128 jobs at Mayo pipeline: “The company said the decision was made as a result of the ongoing blockade of its sites in Mayo.”: Posted Tuesday 9 August 2005: Read the article

THE TIMES (UK): Death and disaster spur on oil prices: “Shell frittered away years of credibility by getting itself into a corporate mess for overstating hydrocarbon reserves, a sensitive issue when you are a bit short of them.”: Posted 8 August 2005: Read the article

Mail on Sunday (UK): Shell in Russian pipeline turmoil: “SHELL has been forced to delay full production at its giant Sakhalin oilfield off the coast of eastern Siberia until 2008. It is yet another blow for the oil giant, which had previously postponed the controversial project to 2007. Shell stunned the market last month, revealing that costs on the Sakhalin II project had doubled to £10.5 billion.”: Posted 8 August 2005: Read the article

BBC News:Platform evacuated in leak alert: “Sixty staff remained on Shell’s Brent Bravo platform and work was under way to repair the leak.”: “Offshore union leaders have expressed concern as Shell was recently fined £900,000 for a breach of health and safety on Brent Bravo, following the death of two offshore workers.”: “A fatal accident inquiry into that incident has still to be held.”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): We have been here before: the price of oil will fall: “One piece of conventional wisdom which is hardening into a truism is that oil prices will continue to rise. Recent headlines include: “Shell predicts two decades of rising oil prices” and “Oil will hit $100 by winter”.: Monday August 8, 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Oil and Gas Prices Hit Records Following Trouble at Refineries: “Refinery outages have lifted gasoline futures more than 10% in the past two weeks. In the latest, a gasoline-producing unit at Motiva’s Norco, La., refinery was shut Thursday and was in the process of restarting Friday. Motiva is a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Saudi Aramco.”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

BLOOMBERG: BG, Cable & Wireless, HSBC, Shell: U.K., Irish Equity Preview: “Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA LN): Europe’s second-largest oil company has delayed full production at its Sakhalin oilfield off the Siberian coast until 2008, the Mail on Sunday reported, without saying where it got the information.”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Ministers can’t play both sides in key projects: “The dispute between Shell and the residents of north Mayo spilled over into the British papers last week. With the clarity that observing something from a distance allows, the story was distilled down to the company being ordered by the Irish Government to dismantle a pipeline because it had been built illegally.”: It is not the sort of publicity that any company likes, particularly one with Shell’s sensitivities…”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Anti-pipeline group furious as FG leader calls in gardai: “FINE Gael leader Enda Kenny yesterday launched an attack on the “Shell to Sea” protest group…”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

Planet Ark, NY: Shell Halts Work on Disputed Irish Pipeline for Talks: “The row escalated in late June after five residents were jailed for contempt of court for refusing not to obstruct the laying of the pipeline through their lands. The Corrib field, containing 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas 70km off the Mayo coast, was discovered in 1996 and was Ireland’s first significant offshore find since Kinsale Head off the southwestern coast in 1971.: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: FG leader wants TD to apologise for office picket: “The five men in Cloverhill face into their sixth week in prison, with no sign of any breakthrough due to Shell’s insistence on building an onshore terminal and its refusal to lift the injunction against north Mayo residents opposed to the onshore pipeline.”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: SHELL: Thinking the unthinkable: Two further radical steps would further distance Royal Dutch Shell from the reserves scandal. Firstly it should pension off all directors tainted in any way by the scandal. Secondly, since the Shell brand name has been irreversibly damaged, it should be replaced by “DUTCH” (or DP).”: “A genuine fresh start is needed.”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

Emigrant Online (Ireland): Shell postpones all work on pipeline: “The Minister urged the five to reconsider their stance in light of the new Shell decision.”: “Their spokesman said, however, that they would remain in prison until Shell abandoned its plans for an onshore terminal.”: Monday 8 August 2005: Read the article

Sunday Telegraph: Mr Mobile’s Shell shock: “Jorma Ollila, the new chairman of Shell, is one of the world’s most admired businessmen. But how will he adapt to the oil giant’s bureaucracy…”: “Shell is still dealing with the consequences of last year’s scandal of the over-booking of its oil and gas reserves. That debacle led to the departure of its three most senior executives, including Sir Philip Watts, the chairman”: Sunday 7 August 2005: Read

The Observer: Shell has Ollila; now what it needs is oil: “Congratulations to Royal Dutch Shell on finding a true industrial heavyweight to be its next chairman. Last week’s appointment of Nokia’s Jorma Ollila went down well among Shell followers, and the mishap-prone Anglo-Dutch behemoth even got some rather favourable press. A round of large advocaats for the board, then? Not so fast, barman.”: “…van der Veer is, on performance so far, no Browne. Having attempted to draw a line under the reserves debacle last autumn, he and exploration and production head Malcolm Brinded had to announce further cuts. Then, having acknowledged the importance of major new developments, Shell then missed out on one in Oman earlier in the year.”: Sunday 7 August 2005: Read the article

THE SUNDAY TIMES (UK): Exshellent: “A PLEASANT surprise at last from Royal Dutch Shell. How about that? Jorma Ollila is an excellent choice as the group’s next chairman. Few businessmen command the same level of international respect as Nokia’s chief executive.”: Sunday 7 August 2005: Read

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: The corporate dragons chasing success in the West: “Analysts say CNOOC could now make a bid for Royal Dutch Shell’s 34 per cent stake in the Australian company Woodside, but it is likely CNOOC would face similar obstacles from the Australian government to what they came up against in the US over the Unocal deal.”: Sunday 7 August 2005: Read the article

AP Worldstream: CNOOC’s failed bid for Unocal only a temporary setback for China: “In Australia, where Chinese oil, mineral and steel companies have been actively courting strategic partners, a takeover attempt on Woodside would face “significant hurdles…”: “An attempt by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC to take over Woodside in 2000 was blocked by the government on national interest grounds.”: Sunday Aug 07, 2005: Read

ShellNews.net: A PUBLIC CHALLENGE TO IRISH SHELL BOSS, ANDY PYLE: “The Rossport Five may well have grounds to bring a substantial claim against Shell for wrongful imprisonment…”: Posted 17.30: Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: The Jailing of the Rossport 5 by Shell: John Donovan’s interview on Dublin Newstalk Radio 106fm – “The Breakfast Show with Eamon Dunphy”: Posted 17.30 Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Shell raises $1bn from InterGen sale: “The sale of InterGen, which operates power plants in several territories across the world, is part of Shell’s plan to raise as much as $15bn through the disposal of non-core assets in the period of 2004 to 2006.”: Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: The upwardly mobile Finn: “Now established as one of the world’s most feted business executives, Mr Ollila is poised for an entirely different challenge as non-executive chairman of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, a company in the midst of its own corporate transformation from sister Anglo-Dutch companies to a single entity.”: “…his reputation as a stickler for corporate governance standards should help Shell put behind it last year’s scandal involving over-stating its reserves.”: Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Dempsey fails to break Shell pipeline impasse: “Minister for Marine Noel Dempsey’s latest attempt to break the impasse over the Corrib gas field appears to have collapsed, with a refusal by Shell E&P Ireland to lift its court injunction against north Mayo residents opposed to the onshore pipeline.” Saturday Aug 06, 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Rossport Five call on Shell to have ban lifted: “Dr Mark Garavan, spokesman for the men and the Shell to Sea campaign, said if no injunction was in place it would create a legal context for progress and the possible release of the five.” Saturday Aug 06, 2005: Read the article

Irish Examiner: Rossport Five – Shell must lift injunction on jailed men: “Shell can facilitate their release simply by going to court and having the injunction lifted, a measure advised by Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte more than a fortnight ago but which the company chose to ignore.”: Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Gulf Daily News (Bahrain) Shell halts work on Irish pipeline: “DUBLIN: Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell said it was suspending operations on the ($1.1 billion) Corrib gas project until the end of the year to allow time for a safety review and to resolve the dispute with residents.”: Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Ireland On-Line: Rossport Five stay in prison: “The company’s managing director Andy Pyle said: “We strongly feel that the only way we’re going to get a way through this is to have a period of calm – certainly more calm than there is at the moment – when we can have a proper dialogue and a proper discussion of the issues.”: Posted Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Examiner: Oireachtas to debate Shell crisis if men purge contempt: “But despite the offer, the Rossport Five again indicated yesterday that they would not enter any negotiations until Shell drops the injunction against them.”: Saturday 6 August 2005: Read the article

Green Party: Greens defend human rights against Shell Group: “I am appalled that a court order has been granted when the grounds for doing so were themselves unlawful. By starting some aspects of work in Rossport prior to receiving the correct authorisation Shell have acted illegally.”: “This is an extremely important case – both in terms of the questions it raises about Shell’s apparent manipulation of the legal system…”: Posted Saturday 6th Aug 2005: Read the article

Reuters: Shell, Bechtel complete Intergen sale: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

Daily Mail: Part-time job at Shell is a nice little earner: “Ollila’s salary gives him membership of a fast-growing club of part-time chiefs earning £500,000 a year. Shell has been looking for a new chief since last October when it began reshaping itself in the wake of a humiliating oil reserves scandal that cost chairman Sir Philip Watts his job.”: Friday, August 5, 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Finland’s mobiles guru to head Shell: “Royal Dutch Shell yesterday ended its 10-month hunt for a new chairman with the surprise hiring of Finnish mobile phone guru Jorma Ollila.”: “The appointment almost completes the revamping of Shell’s board triggered by last year’s oil reserves overbooking scandal, which was partly blamed on the company’s bureaucratic structure.”: Friday 5 August2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell empire can strike back with new leadership and some glasnost: “The company would certainly benefit from the appointment of a serious outside financial public relations adviser…”: “If the new Ollila/van der Veer partnership really can change the culture of this introverted empire, there seems no reason why, one day, it shouldn’t be as widely admired as BP.”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Shell/Nokia: “Mr. Ollila will be paid £500,000 (€720,000) a year — the going rate at FTSE-100 firms. Compare that to what the chairman of Shell’s U.K. arm earned the year before last — a mere £55,000. Is it any wonder that after last year’s oil-reserves scandal, investors believed that Shell management was asleep on the job?”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Shell Names Nokia’s Ollila As Nonexecutive Chairman In Move Toward Overhaul: Friday 5 August 2005: READ

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: A Change of Leadership For Big Oil Companies: “Under Mr. Raymond, Exxon has become industry’s tallest lightning rod in the debate over how much fossil-fuel emissions may be contributing to a warming of earth’s temperatures. Fellow oil giants BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell PLC have taken an environmentally friendly stance with initiatives that promote the development of alternative fuels.”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): Nokia chief to take charge at Shell “His appointment, which will run for an initial period of three years, marks a further step in the restructuring at Royal Dutch Shell in the wake of the reserves over-booking scandal last year.”: Friday August 5, 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Shell delays Mayo pipeline until next year: “Responding to the development, Dr Mark Garavan, spokesman for the five men in prison and the Shell to Sea campaign, called on the firm to “use this pause to reconfigure the entire project, make it safer and better with an offshore terminal, and listen to the people of Mayo”.: Friday Aug 05, 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Shell halts work on gas pipeline: “No further work will be carried out until “public discussion and dialogue” take place, the company said in a surprise statement issued last night. It added that it could not withdraw legal proceedings which have seen five Co Mayo men jailed for objecting to construction of a pipeline near their homes. A spokesperson for the petroleum giant said it had “no wish” for the current situation with the men to continue, but added that suspension of the work would give the public time to engage in a “period of calm”.: Friday August 05, 2005: Read the article

The Independent (UK): Royal Dutch Shell names Nokia chief as next chairman: “Mr Ollila is expected to play a key role in the strategic development of Shell, which is still recovering from the reserves misreporting scandal last year which cost the previous chairman, Sir Philip Watts, his job and prompted the sweeping corporate overhaul of the company.”: Friday Aug 05, 2005: Read the article

The Independent (UK): Outlook: Royal Dutch Shell rings the changes as the man from Nokia gets the call: “With luck, the careless way in which Shell mislaid 4 billion barrels of reserves will be a dim and distant memory by the time he arrives next June and the company will have bedded down under its new unified structure. But the ‘enterprise first’ culture Shell claims to have inculcated has not stopped it from being accident-prone as the 100 per cent cost over- run on the $10bn Sakhalin project in Siberia demonstrates.”: Friday Aug 05, 2005: Read the article

The Scotsman (UK): Shell looks to new chairman Ollila to ring the changes: “Royal Dutch Shell swept aside 100 years of history with the merger of its two boards last month – a move designed to eliminate the failings that led to a scandal about over-booked crude reserves that dogged the group through 2004.” Friday Aug 05, 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Shell snaps up Nokia’s Ollila as chairman: “Investors reacted favourably to the announcement, with analysts saying that Shell had managed to make two impressive senior appointments amid a raft of bad news, from delayed projects and cost overruns to poorer-than-expected earnings.”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Royal Dutch Shell: “Mr Ollila’s high international standing and proven track record of running a global business make him a credible addition to Shell’s new single board. But, importantly, he is also a Finn.”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

NEW YORK TIMES: Aggressive Search by Cnooc for New Oil and Gas Seen: The Chinese energy company Cnooc is preparing to mount an aggressive international search for oil”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Gulf Hurricanes Are Latest Kink in the Oil Chain: “”The world has changed,” said Frank Glaviano, the vice president for production for North and South America at Royal Dutch Shell, the biggest oil producer in the gulf. “Given the supply and demand situation around the world, it’s true that any disruption in supplies is more important to markets than it was in previous years.”: Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

RTE Interactive (IRELAND): Shell in surprise Corrib announcement: “There has been an unexpected development in the continuing controversy over the Corrib gas project.”: Posted Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Shell to answer Venezuela tax charges: “Royal Dutch Shell must on Friday answer allegations by Venezuela that it has failed to pay $130m in back taxes…”: Posted Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

BLOOMBERG: Shell Names Nokia Chief Executive Ollila as Chairman (Update6): “Shell, Europe’s second largest oil company, ousted former Chairman Philip Watts and two other senior executives, paid a record fine in the U.K. and lost its top tier credit rating after announcing the restatement of its oil and gas reserves last year.”: “Cost overruns and delays at Shell projects such as its Sakhalin oil and gas venture in Russia have also spurred concern about the company’s project management and internal control, according to analysts and investors.” Posted Friday 5 August 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Nokia’s Ollila to Join Shell As Nonexecutive Chairman: Thursday 4 August 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Shell names Jorma Ollila as new chairman: “The group lags behind competitors such as BP and ExxonMobil in production growth, faces lawsuits in the US over false reserves statements and announced a $10bn cost overrun at Sakhalin-2, its flagship Russian project.”: Thursday 4 August 2005: Read the article

AFX Europe (Focus): Royal Dutch Shell names Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila as new chairman: “Royal Dutch Shell PLC today named outgoing Nokia chairman and chief executive Jorma Ollila as its new non-executive chairman starting June 1 next year.”: Thursday Aug 04, 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): Generous pension pots for the board while occupational schemes face shortfall: “Under Sir Phil’s leadership Shell was shaken by a crisis over the level of its reserves, which it eventually conceded had been overstated by some 25%. Investors were shocked to read a leaked email from former exploration boss Walter van de Vijver to Sir Phil, the former chairman, in which he said: “I am becoming sick and tired about lying about the extent of our reserves issues.”: Thursday August 4, 2005: Read the article

The Times (UK): Sakhalin project delays may cost Shell $500m: “DELAYS at Royal Dutch Shell’s Sakhalin Energy project in Eastern Siberia could cost the company as much as $500 million (£282 million) in deferred oil revenues next year…”: “Massive cost overruns at the Dutch energy group’s largest oil and gas project were revealed last month when Shell admitted that the project’s budget had doubled to $20 billion…” Thursday 4 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Shell game continues: Thursday Aug 04, 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Compromise in Corrib gas dispute: “There is no doubt that Shell miscalculated badly if its management thought to intimidate other likely protesters by making an example of these men.”: “Shell’s public image has been seriously damaged.”: Thursday Aug 04, 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Shell suffers further delays at Sakhalin II: “In July, Shell said capital costs in Sakhalin II have doubled to $20bn because of a raft of issues including the new pipeline routes, increasing contractor costs and changes in project requirements. It has already pulled back first deliveries of liquefied natural gas from the project into 2008.”: Thursday Aug 04, 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Rossport Five campaigners stage sit-in at council meeting: “There is a lot of concern about the danger to life and limb posed from bringing the gas overland. I would certainly not like it passing near my backyard,” :Thursday Aug 04, 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Mayo Co Council to meet on Corrib gas project: “Shell E&P Ireland said yesterday it was still considering the consent to lay the offshore pipeline granted on Tuesday by Mr Dempsey, but it had not yet responded to his letter of July 31st directing the company to break up the 3km of onshore pipeline which had been welded without ministerial consent.”: Thursday Aug 04, 2005: Read the article

BBC NEWS WORLD EDITION: Bitter dispute over gas pipeline: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

Mayo News, Ireland: Pipes to be dismantled “Shell are keeping the injunction in place, and they sought the committal of the men on foot of that. I visited two of them last week, and they remain resolute. I was humbled visiting them. Our support on the ground is mushrooming, and daily pickets of Shell and Statoil stations are continuing.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

FORBES: Shell jv Brunei Shell Petroleum makes new oil, gas discovery off Borneo: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

Borneo Bulletin: Local graduates called on to join BSP, BLNG: “Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) and Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd (BLNG) are inviting graduates who are citizens of Brunei Darussalam to join the companies.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Oil at $62 on Worries Over World Supplies: “The spate of refinery problems in the U.S. Gulf Coast continued, with Motiva Enterprises LLC, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco, shutting a crude unit at its Norco, Louisiana, refinery for repairs.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

THE NEW YORK TIMES:CNOOC Withdraws $18.4B Bid for Unocal: ”If (Netherlands-based) Royal Dutch Shell had come up with an offer $2 per share higher, then Chevron wouldn’t be getting Unocal,” Gheit said. ”Let’s face it: We are treating the Chinese completely different from most other countries.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

The Times (UK): Biofuel drive is simply another form of aid for Europe’s farms: “There are new technologies on the way; Shell is working on a venture in Canada that converts straw into ethanol, a more efficient process that produces less CO2.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Energy Bill May Tilt Fight Over Gas Plants: Wednesday 3 July 2005: Read the article

Reuters: Shell has 95 pct of Royal Dutch as it nears squeeze out: “The delisting of Royal Dutch is the last important step in ending almost a century of the dual-headed management structure which was blamed for an oil and gas reserves overbooking scandal last year. After the scandal, shareholders forced management to unify the structure.”: Posted Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

Oil & Gas Journal: Shell gets 84 leases in Beaufort Sea: “The US Minerals Management Service awarded 84 leases in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska to Shell Offshore Inc. Shell bid on the leases in Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 195 last March.”: Wednesday 3 July 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): It’s like they’re giving it away: “Take a look, for instance, at the oil companies. Yes, they are making handsome profits on the back of sky-high prices. But what are they doing with the cash? True, plenty is going on capital spending, finding and developing new resources, but plenty of it is going back to shareholders – both in the form of dividend payments and share buybacks. Royal Dutch Shell is spending $3.5bn (£1.9bn) buying its own shares”: Wednesday August 3, 2005: Read the article

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: Read the article

Irish Independent; Minister ‘is on Shell’s side’ over offshore pipeline path permit: “Accusing the Government of being on Shell’s side, Green Party energy spokesman Eamon Ryan said if proper time had been given to public consultation and design, the impasse could have been avoided.”: Wednesday August 03, 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Pipeline go-ahead for Shell condemned: “The five Mayo men who are in jail over their opposition to the Corrib gas onshore pipeline have condemned the decision by Minister for the Marine Noel Dempsey to sanction Shell’s laying of the offshore section of the pipeline.”: Wednesday Aug 03, 2005: Read the article

ShellNews.net: SHELL’S PREDICTABLE IRISH STEW: Some well-informed advice for the Corrib pipeline protestors: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

WebIndia123.com: Ireland slaps Shell’s wrist over pipeline: “The government said the energy company had built about 2 miles of pipeline in northern County Mayo without consent.”: DUBLIN, Ireland Wednesday August 03, 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Shell to decide shortly when it will lay offshore pipeline: “The world’s largest pipelaying vessel, the 285m (935ft) Solitaire, has been booked for August 15th but the company is expected to meet stiff resistance from supporters of the five men if the ship enters Mayo waters.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Examiner: Pipeline controversy – Dempsey giving mixed messages: “It also seems somewhat ambiguous for him to order the dismantling of a section of onshore pipeline for which approval had not been given, while giving the go-ahead for the offshore section, as he did yesterday.”: “It is difficult to disagree with the Green Party in their bewilderment that the ministerial consent for the offshore pipeline should be given yesterday in advance, and without Mr Dempsey’s promised independent safety review of the onshore section.”: Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

Middle East North Africa Financial Network: Ireland slaps Shell’s wrist over pipeline: “The pipeline is part of the energy company’s $1 billion Corrib natural gas project, which it wants to link to an onshore refinery. The government order has forced RDS to halt work on other parts of the Corrib project.”: Posted Wednesday 3 August 2005: Read the article

Ireland On-Line: Shell granted consent to build offshore pipeline: ”Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey has given the global oil firm Shell permission to build the offshore section of its planned gas pipeline in Co Mayo.”: “Yesterday, the minister ordered Shell to dismantle a section of pipeline it had already laid in Co Mayo without any consent from the Government.”: Tuesday 2 August 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell ordered to dismantle pipeline: “The Irish government yesterday ordered Shell to dismantle a gas pipeline that has sparked protests in County Mayo.”: “Shell has suspended its £605m project to link the Corrib gas field to an onshore refinery.”: “The pipeline has become a major public relations disaster for Shell, which admitted at its half-year results last week that it needed to drastically improve its project management.”: Tuesday 2 August 2005: Read the article

The Times (UK): Shell ordered to dismantle pipeline: SHELL became embroiled in legal tangles over its Corrib gas project yesterday when an Irish minister ordered the company to dismantle a three-kilometre section of pipeline.”: “The regulatory confusion adds to Shell’s difficulties in Ireland…: Tuesday 2 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Fuel giant weighs up demand by Dempsey: “FUEL giant Shell is taking legal advice before responding to a ministerial order to dismantle 3km of pipeline constructed in Mayo without consent.”: “But he once again ruled out intervening in the cases of the five Mayo farmers jailed nearly six weeks ago for refusing to obey a High Court order preventing them from obstructing the construction work on their land.”: “Delays caused by protests have already led to 91 redundancies among pipeline workers and it is understood there is the potential for a further 200 lay-offs.” Tuesday 2 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Dempsey may allow offshore pipe to be laid: “The company said yesterday it was “carefully studying” the content of the letter received from Mr Dempsey on Sunday night in which he ordered that the 3km length of pipeline already welded in breach of consents be dismantled.”: “A tighter monitoring regime established from the outset of the project would have spotted any breaches in consents much earlier, according to Mark Garavan, spokesman for the men and the Shell to Sea campaign.He said it also had serious implications for the information presented by Shell to the High Court when obtaining its injunction against landowners objecting to the onshore pipeline. The company had at all times claimed that it was adhering to all consents issued, but this was clearly not the case, Mr Garavan added.”: Tuesday 2 August 2005: Read the article

San Jose Mercury News: Royal Dutch Shell is awarded 84 leases: “THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Monday its Shell Exploration & Production Company has been awarded 84 leases off the coast of Alaska in the Beaufort Sea.”: “Shell, still recovering from a scandal over the downsizing of its reserves, said last week it will increase spending on exploration to an annual $1.8 billion in 2005 and 2006 from $1.5 billion last year.”: Tuesday 2 August 2005: Read the article

NewRatings.com: Switch Into BP From Royal Dutch Shell: “Smith Barney advises switching into BP out of Royal Dutch Shell following 2Q earnings from the latter. Says the figures are below consensus in all divisions except Oil Products. Although the dividend meets expectations, it is “disappointing versus BP”: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

OilOnline: Shell awarded Beaufort Sea leases: “Shell Exploration & Production Company has announced that the Minerals Management Service has awarded Shell Offshore Inc. 84 leases in the Beaufort Sea, offshore Alaska.”: Monday August 01, 2005: Read the article

FORBES: BASF, Shell Chemicals Wrap Up Basell Sale: “BASF AG and Royal Dutch Shell PLC said Monday they had completed a deal to sell their Basell NV plastics joint venture in a euro4.4 billion (US$5.32 billion) deal…”: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

Ireland On-Line: Dempsey demands Shell dismantle pipeline: “The Minster for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has ordered oil giant Shell to dismantle a three-kilometre gas pipeline in the west of Ireland which had been constructed without permission.”: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Minister tells Shell to ‘undo’ pipeline work: “SHELL has been told by Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey that it is in breach of the ‘consents’ it received for work on the controversial Mayo gas pipeline.”: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Times: Minister orders Shell to dismantle Corrib pipeline: “A response sent to the Minister last week is understood to have involved an apology without admitting liability.”: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Fuel giant warned on breach of permits over pipeline: “NATURAL Resources Minister Noel Dempsey has told Shell he regards it as being in breach of the “consents” they received for work on the controversial Mayo gas pipeline.”: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Chevron’s Profit Tumbles by 11% As Unocal’s Soars: Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

(Euronext Amsterdam) – Royal Dutch Shell: Filing of Schedule 13-D – update on acceptance level in Royal Dutch Offer( 01/08/05 07:10 CET): Read the article

ENERGY COMPASS: Sakhalin costs overshadow Shell’s new start: “Gazprom has already said the new budget will affect the asset swap that it is negotiating with Shell, and analysts estimate it could cost Shell $1 billion in these discussions alone. But it has broader implications for Shell, which… is developing an accident-prone reputation…”: “Costs have spiraled on the Athabasca oil sands project in Canada, on Bonga in Nigeria, and most recently on the Pearl GTL project in Qatar — priced at $5 billion at its launch last year, but now already creeping up to around $6 billion.”: “Questions have also been raised about Shell’s management of investor expectations.”: Posted Monday 1 August 2005: READ

Emigrant Online, Ireland: Rossport Five hold out: “The five, whose protests against Shell’s proposed gas pipeline in northwest Mayo put them in contempt of court, received no sympathy from the President of the High Court, Justice Joseph Finnegan.”: Posted Monday 1 August 2005: Read the article

ENERGY COMPASS: Big Oil rebrands itself: “Despite oil companies’ record as an engine of economic growth and their massive investments in cleaner fuels, recent polls across the US suggest most Americans still regard them as greedy, faceless multinationals that don’t give a fig about the environment or the societies in which they operate.”: “Shell highlights the cleaner nature of its burgeoning LNG business…”: Posted 1 August 2005: Read the article

Gulf Times: Shell loses appeal to restore LNG jetty approval: “The Royal Dutch Shell Plc-led venture on Russia’s Sakhalin Island may face delays on plans to sell liquefied natural gas to Asia after losing an appeal to reinstate an environmental approval”: “Talks with the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development about funding for the project stalled after the bank found environmental problems”: Sunday, 31 July, 2005: Read the article

The Sunday Times (UK): Mayo council ‘to get Shell windfall’: “Supporters of the Rossport Five — the local landowners who have spent the past month in jail — want Shell to move its operations offshore, but it has emerged that the council, which granted planning permission for an inland terminal, has a strong vested interest in keeping Shell on land.”: “The council will be paid €2m in rates… for downfall pipes, some of which will run through land owned by the Rossport Five.”: “…Mayo county secretary, confirmed last week that conditions laid down… in Shell’s planning permission will result in total payments to the council of about €6.5m from the firm.”: Sunday 31 July 2005: Read the article

The Sunday Times: And Finally … If Shell is driven away who else will invest in Mayo? “THE people of Mayo know all about boycotts, having coined the word in 1880…”: “In all the fuss surrounding the jailing of the so-called Rossport Five it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Shell is acting entirely within the law.”: “With the world’s media picking up the efforts being made to prevent Shell proceeding with its legally approved projectwe can’t see the region’s fortunes improving any time soon.”: Sunday 31 July 2005: Read the article

The Sunday Times: Yuppies mark Rossport card: “A city-centre rally in support of the Rossport Five, the jailed Shell pipeline protesters, was heckled by a counter-demonstration staged by four young crusaders styling themselves as “pro-capitalists”. “…the impertinent interlopers really seemed to annoy the various Green, Labour, Sinn Fein and independent TDs who have leapt aboard the Rossport bandwagon.”: Sunday 31 July 2005: Read the article

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: End of an Auto Sale: Exxon Mobil and Shell said earnings climbed more than 30% amid soaring oil prices, but both saw production decline; Sunday July 31, 2005: Read the article

The Observer: And they call this the silly season? “Corporate giants like Vodafone, Rolls-Royce, BP, Shell, and AstraZeneca all came out with results that were – with the exception of beleaguered Shell – rather better than the market had a right to expect.”: Sunday July 31, 2005: Read the article

The Observer: The marketing of Blairism: “You could be forgiven for thinking that think-tanks exert more influence on the Prime Minister than business and unions combined.”: “There is lingering suspicion that think-tanks are skewed by the financial backing of big business. The SMF has a business group that companies like pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline and oil major Shell pay over £10,000 to join.”: Sunday July 31, 2005: Read the article

The Independent on Sunday: The week that was: Investors get the jitters as lenders are hit by bad debts: “Meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell unveiled half-year profits of £5.8bn, or £1.3m an hour. But it doesn’t plan to stop there. Shell plans to increase the money spent on exploring for oilfields to £1bn both this year and next year. Investors had been concerned that Shell wasn’t doing enough to replace its falling oil reserves.”: Sunday 31 July 2005 : Read the article

Daily Telegraph: The Sakhalin Island indicator to oil prices: Protest forces Shell delay: “Sakhalin is already 100pc over budget at $20billion and contractors are demanding more and more cash. Given that one of them was found stabbed in his apartment last week, they probably deserve it.” Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Fish protest forces Shell to delay oil terminal: “Shell ran into another obstacle on its Sakhalin project yesterday after a Russian court ruled against the construction of a quay on the island.”: “The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is mulling over whether to continue lending money to the project, in the face of furious environmentalists who have taken full-page newspaper advertisements to protest against Shell.”: Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

Irish Independent: Pipe protests are costing fuel giant 100,000 a day: “Last week, Minister Noel Dempsey said he believed that the company had breached the permissions it was granted and had asked Shell for an immediate response, which is currently being considered by the minister.”: Saturday July 30, 2005: Read the article

Irish Examiner: Shell axes 56 jobs as a result of pipe protests: “Mark Carrigy, operations manager for Shell EP Ireland, claimed protesters had been obstructing non-pipeline work and as a result the sub-contractors were forced to cut employee numbers.”: “The job losses come as five men jailed over their protests against the pipeline brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Micheal O’Seighin, Willie Corduff and Brendan Philbin were completing their fifth week behind bars.”: Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

RTE (Ireland): Shell announces 56 more Corrib lay-offs: “The company… blamed continuing protests at its sites in Mayo”: Posted Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: A summary of this week’s main business stories: “Shell declared a 27pc increase in first-half profits to $10.17billion (£5.8billion) but admitted that its oil and gas production had fallen by 129,000 barrels a day over the period.”: Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Not bad results this half but UK plc could do better: “… Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Shell, whose sums have given so much trouble recently, admitted: “It is clear we must improve our project management.”: Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

The Times (UK): That was the week: “Further delays and soaring expenditure in big energy projects emerge at Royal Dutch Shell after the oil group admits that the start-up of Bonga, a giant offshore Nigerian oilfield, has been pushed back until late this year.”: Saturday 30 July 2005: Read the article

Daily Mirror (UK): GROTESQUE: Union blasts Shell’s £372 a second profit: “SHELL sparked outrage yesterday by revealing profits of £372 a second.”: “Union Amicus called the profit “grotesque” and accused Shell of putting cash before staff safety. The company was fined £900,000 in April for health and safety lapses over the deaths of two Scottish workers in 2003. Keith Moncrieff, 45, and Sean McCue, 22, were overcome by gas on the Brent Bravo platform.”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

The Wall Street Journal: Exxon, Shell Profits Climb Sharply: “The company, which earlier this month disclosed budget overruns and a half-year delay at its massive Sakhalin II gas project in Russia, said yesterday that production at its giant offshore oil field in Nigeria, Bonga, would be delayed once again, though just by a few months.”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

THE NEW YORK TIMES: High Energy Prices Boost 3 Oil Companies: “Repeated restatements of its oil reserves last year cost Shell, one of the world’s largest oil producers with BP PLC and Exxon Mobil, almost $150 million in fines imposed by U.S. and British regulators and led to the dismissal of three senior executives.”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Shell’s first results as a single group disappoint: “Shell, which this month united its Dutch and UK holding companies, is struggling to keep up. It lags behind competitors in production growth, faces lawsuits in the US over false reserves statements and announced a $10bn cost overrun at Sakhalin-2, the flagship Russian project. There was further bad news yesterday from Jeroen van der Veer, Shell chief executive, who said that Bonga, one of Shell’s most important projects in Nigeria, would also be delayed.”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): Shell meets its match in the Rossport Five: “Suddenly, the issue became one of the biggest news stories of the year and, as the Irish Examiner called it, “a major public relations disaster for the Shell corporation”.: “The “Rossport Five” were jailed at the specific request of the company, which had obtained compulsory purchase orders for the land in question – the first time in Irish history that such an order was granted to a private company. The five will remain in jail until they undertake not to obstruct the company.”: “Shell officials misjudged the situation…”: “July has seen huge rallies in support of the men in Co Mayo and in Dublin, the picketing of Shell garages nationwide, and round-the-clock blockades of the refinery construction site.”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

THE TIMES (UK): Shell’s woes mount as it admits cost overruns and delays: “FURTHER delays and soaring expenditure in big energy projects emerged at Royal Dutch Shell yesterday when the company admitted that the start-up of Bonga, a giant offshore Nigerian oilfield, had been pushed back until late this year.“: “Bonga’s budget has already swelled from a $2.7 billion estimate in 2001 to about $4 billion (£2.3 billion).”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

The Guardian (UK): Shell’s big profits fail to impress City: “The City was less than impressed with yesterday’s figures, which were below expectations. “Shell has a relatively weak competitive position, limited organic growth opportunities, poor reserve replacement record and its project management is poor,” according to Barclays analyst Andrew Fisher.”: Friday July 29, 2005: Read the article

Daily Telegraph: Shell gushes to $10bn in face of Sakhalin costs: “Shell yesterday declared a 27pc increase in first-half profits to $10.17billion (£5.8billion) but admitted that its oil and gas production had fallen by 129,000 barrels a day over the period.”: “Shell’s main problem in the second quarter was a huge cost overrun on its landmark Sakhalin project, which aims to tap four billion barrels of hydrocarbons in the frozen sea off the east coast of Russia. The company recently admitted that its costs had doubled to $20billion. Yesterday, Jeroen van der Veer, the chief executive, said: “It is clear we must improve our project management.”: Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: Investment concern as Shell earnings soar: Capital expenditure figure for year of $15bn excludes cost overruns on Sakhalin II, writes Martyn Wingrove: “STRONG oil prices have sent unified Royal Dutch Shell’s earnings into a 26% rise in the second quarter, but there are concerns over rises in capital investments on Russian projects.”: Friday July 29, 2005: Read the article

Lloyds List: LPG sale process gains momentum: “Shell is about to take a step forward in the oil major’s efforts to sell its liquefied petroleum gas business, writes Tony Gray. The group will soon open a ‘data room’ to allow serious potential bidders access to all the information needed to assess the business’ value.”: Friday July 29, 2005: Read the article

RedNova News: EBRD Raps Sakhalin 2 Gas, Oil Project Over Environmental Concerns: “The so-called Sakhalin 2 natural gas and oil development project involving Japanese trading houses has suffered a fresh setback after the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said the project lacks environmental awareness.”: Posted Friday 29 July 2005: Read the article

London Evening Standard: Sky-high crude price propels Shell to within touching distance of BP: “Shell’s profits surged by more than a third in the first half of the year, thanks to record oil prices.”:  “Shell is attempting to win back investor confidence following the scandal last year when it was found to have been grossly exaggerating the amount of oil it had in reserves, waiting to be pumped out of the ground.”: “But investors remain rattled about huge cost overruns at its flagship gas exploration project in Russia. Sakhalin II could end up costing double the expected $10 billion. “We have to say there are certain large projects which don’t go well at all,” said chief executive Jeroen van der Veer. He denied the blundered project was of lasting damage to the group’s reputation.”: Thursday 28 July 2005: Read the article

Financial Times: Disappointment as Shell reveals weak results: “Shell, which this month united its Dutch and UK holding companies, is struggling to keep up. It lags behind competitors in production growth, faces lawsuits in the US over false reserves statements and announced a $10bn cost overrun at Sakhalin-2, the flagship Russian project.”: Thursday 28 July 2005: Read the article

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comment Rules

  • Please show respect to the opinions of others no matter how seemingly far-fetched.
  • Abusive, foul language, and/or divisive comments may be deleted without notice.
  • Each blog member is allowed limited comments, as displayed above the comment box.
  • Comments must be limited to the number of words displayed above the comment box.
  • Please limit one comment after any comment posted per post.