July 11th, 2006:

Article added to Shell Brent Scandal archive

From OILC – The Offshore Union Latest News and Safety Alerts

18 July 2005

OILC welcomes the news that the Lord Advocate has opted to over rule the decision of the Procurator Fiscal’s Office and stage a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the Brent Bravo deaths.

We appreciate that the staging of this Inquiry will be an extremely difficult time for the families of Sean McCue and Keith Moncrieff. However, we hope it will bring final closure for them whilst answering the many questions that still surround the tragic events of September 11th 2003. read more

By Dow Jones Newswires

A turnaround at Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s (RDSB.LN) 420,000-barrel-a-day Pernis refinery in the Netherlands has ended, trading sources said Tuesday.

“The catalytic cracker is working…(though) they had some problems” bringing it back online, a trader said, adding maintenance work on a crude distillation unit at Europe’s largest refinery had also been completed.

A spokesman at Shell wasn’t able to provide immediate confirmation.

The cracker, which is used to produce gasoline, had been offline since April for maintenance work after utility failures at Pernis earlier this year. A re-start scheduled for early June was also put back as damage caused by the power failures turned out to be greater than expected. read more

From AXF News: Tuesday, 11th July 2006 12:30

PARIS (AFX) – Total SA said it has agreed to buy Royal Dutch Shell’s oil distribution outlets in Fiji and Tonga as part of a build-up of its business in the Pacific region.

The assets being acquired include nine oil terminals and depots and 20 service stations.

The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

In a separate announcement, Shell said its businesses in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and French Polynesia will be purchased by Albert Moux and Partners, a consortium whose principal is Shell’s current co-venturer in French Polynesia, Albert Moux. read more

From New-Europe.info

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has said that Sakhalin Energy, the operator of the Sakhalin-2 project, is violating its commitment to protect the Okhotsk-Korean grey whale population during construction of an oil pipeline.

IFAW said in a press release that Sakhalin Energy began construction of the sea pipeline at the Northeast coast of Sakhalin in early June without carrying out acoustic monitoring of the impact construction noise would have on the whale population. read more

From our “Live Chat” facility 9 July 2006

“A number of ESDV’s had their leak-off test results falsified which may be a criminal offence and which coincidentally was exactly the same finding as in 1999″

“97 temp repairs on pipework of which 40 of which were not approved”

“56 gas detectors, 26 toxic gas detectors, 9 oil mist detectors, 5 flame detectors, 1 smoke detector, and 1 General Platform Alarm point that failed to danger”

Posted on “Live Chat” 10 July 2006

“Surely the purpose of an inquiry is to highlight the issues which may have contributed to an accident. How or why did the Sheriff’s inquiry fail to investigate the issues now being aired in the press?” read more

FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Region Boasts Vast Reserves,
But Conditions Could Stunt
Development for Decades
By IAN TALLEY
July 11, 2006; Page A10

OSLO — Major energy companies are making billion-dollar bets in the world’s frozen Arctic regions as they seek to tap vast deposits of oil and natural gas. But they face some of the harshest conditions on Earth, presenting formidable challenges and likely constraining development for decades.

The Arctic has almost 108 billion barrels of proven discovered oil and natural gas, or roughly 40% of Saudi Arabia’s total reserves, and the U.S. Geological Survey estimates it could hold 25% of the world’s undiscovered petroleum resources. As a result, Statoil ASA of Norway, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and other oil companies are expected to pour $3.5 billion into field-development drilling alone over the next four years. read more

From The Wall Street Journal

July 10, 2006 8:29 p.m.

Crude-oil futures edged lower again Monday, closing at less than $74 a barrel, as fears about the West’s confrontation with Iran eased momentarily. Here’s Monday’s roundup of oil-related news.

* * *
ETHANOL VAPOR: Among clean-energy technologies, ethanol has been getting all of the attention lately, but it is far from a cure-all for the nation’s energy problems, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota. The study said ethanol is not as environmentally friendly as some supporters claim and would supply only 12% of U.S. motoring fuel — even if every acre of corn in the U.S. were used. The study suggested soybean-based biodiesel might be a better temporary solution, but said no agriculture-based fuel was viable in the long run. read more

• Prime Minister Tony Blair, aiming to spur construction of nuclear and wind power plants, must raise the cost of pollution permits to discourage natural gas and coal-fired generators, advisers said.

• Paul Morgan, chief executive officer of Regal Petroleum, has resigned with immediate effect, citing personal reasons.

• Aurelian Oil & Gas, which expects to begin production in Romania this quarter, is planning an initial public offering in July or August that will raise as much as £16.7m. read more

From The New York Times
By REUTERS
Published: July 11, 2006

AFRICA: NIGERIA: DELTA KIDNAPPERS FREE DUTCHMAN

A Dutchman abducted last week while working on an unfinished Shell gas plant in the violent oil-producing Niger Delta has been freed, said his employer Royal Boskalis Westminster.

Gunmen seized the hostage, Michael Los, on July 6 from a houseboat after disarming policemen on guard. It was the latest in a series of attacks on the oil and gas industry that have shut down a quarter of Nigeria’s crude output since February. read more

From Bloomberg

July 11 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s second-biggest oil company, and Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group agreed to study the feasibility of spending as much as $6 billion on a China plant to turn coal into fuels and chemicals.

Shell and Shenhua Ningxia, a unit of Shenhua Group Corp., China’s biggest coal producer, will study the technical and commercial viability of building a 70,000 barrels-a-day plant in northern China’s Ningxia province, the companies said in a statement today. read more

From Reuters

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc said on Tuesday it would sell its downstream sales and marketing operations in some Pacific island nations to focus its regional portfolio on fewer, larger scale businesses.

Shell will sell its businesses in Fiji and Tonga to Total France SA , while its businesses in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and French Polynesia will be purchased by existing regional joint-venture partner Albert Moux and Partners.

The company said its businesses in the Cook Islands and the Solomon Islands would be the subject of a separate announcement. read more

From ABC News (Australia)

The crew of a second tanker docked in Hobart has called for guarantees its employer will not cut Australian jobs to hire cheaper foreign labour.

The chemical tanker MV Stolt has been at the centre of an industrial row, after owner Stolt NYK unveiled plans to sack the entire 36-man crew, and hire Filipino staff once the ship reaches Singapore.

The crew of the Shell-owned tanker Helix have come out in support for the Stolt’s sacked workers, with a member of the Stolt crew reading a statement from the Helix staff. read more

From the Calgary Sun

Shell Canada Ltd. has completed its $2.4-billion takeover of BlackRock Ventures Inc., both companies announced today.

BR Oil Sands Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell Canada, has acquired over 99% of BlackRock’s common shares and the company will now work under the Canada Business Corporations Act to garner the remaining shares.

Following that compulsory acquisition, BR Oil Sands plans to de-list BlackRock from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Shell Canada announced the takeover in May and the offer was extended twice to allow BlackRock shareholders a chance to tender their shares. read more