News and information on Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
A small group of insurgents in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta helped drive up oil prices around the world yesterday by announcing a strike against one of Royal Dutch Shell’s two main export terminals in the West African nation.
Click to continue reading “Nigerian Rebels Drive Up Oil Prices”
Royal Dutch Shell is singled out by Amnesty as the most powerful operator in the region. The report will make uncomfortable reading for the energy group’s new chief executive, Peter Voser, who starts work tomorrow.
Click to continue reading “Amnesty attacks oil industry for decades of damage in Niger Delta”
First Bolivia, now Sudan… yet another controversial connection emerges for the Corrib gas security firm whose guards patrol the bays of Mayo
Click to continue reading “Shell and its private army’s link with child abducting Nile rebels”
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2009 12:14 PM |
CONTACT: Friends of The Earth Nick Berning, 202-222-0748 |
WASHINGTON – June 29 – Friends of the Earth and Oil Change International released a report today detailing oil giant Shell’s colossal contribution to global climate change and its continued investment in carbon-intensive fossil fuels.
The report also reveals new internal documents that show that Shell knew of the environmental dangers of gas flaring in Nigeria more than fifteen years ago, but chose not to stop for purely financial reasons.
“Shell greenwashes itself as a sustainable company when in reality it is the dirtiest oil producer of all,” said Ben Schreiber of Friends of the Earth. “As evidenced by Shell’s lobbying activities on the flawed climate bill that passed the House last Friday, the company has been instrumental in weakening climate legislation while claiming to care about the environment.”
Despite attempts by outgoing Shell CEO Jeroen van der Veer to portray a green image, the company has opted for a way forward that is in stark contradiction with the need to reduce greenhouse gas pollution that causes climate change. Shell’s heavy investments in the most carbon-emitting energy sources, such as tar sands, liquefied natural gas and crude oil from Nigeria—which is associated with huge levels of gas flaring—make it the dirtiest of all major oil companies with regard to greenhouse gas pollution, according to the report.
Since 1996 Shell has promised to stop gas flaring in Nigeria—the biggest source of heat-trapping gases in sub-Saharan Africa. But the company has repeatedly broken its promises and rejected statements by the Nigerian government that flaring should be stopped. Shell refuses to implement the 2011 deadline imposed by the Nigerian government for phasing out gas flaring and is now speaking about a 2013 phase out.
Steve Kretzmann from Oil Change International said, “Shell could stop flaring gas in Nigeria for only 10 percent of last year’s profit for the company. The company’s new CEO, Peter Voser, has the power to stop gas flaring, spare Nigerians from inhaling deadly toxins, and help to curb climate change in one stroke. The question is: will he?”
Today’s report, “Shell’s Big Dirty Secret,” comes after a global backlash against the energy giant’s abuses of human rights and the environment. On June 8, Shell was forced to pay $15.5 million to settle a lawsuit in the U.S. seeking to hold it accountable for human rights abuses in Nigeria. The company is also facing legal action in The Hague concerning repeated oil spills which have damaged the livelihoods of Nigerian fisherpeople and farmers.
The report can be viewed at: http://www.foe.org/sites/default/files/shellbigdirtysecret_June09.pdf.
Friends of the Earth is the U.S. voice of the world’s largest grassroots environmental network, with member groups in 77 countries. Since 1969, Friends of the Earth has fought to create a more healthy, just world.
LONDON (Dow Jones)–Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) is on track to become the most carbon intensive international oil company because of its focus on unconventional oil resources like Canadian tar sands, said a study published by a coalition of environmental groups Monday.
Click to continue reading “Shell Is On Track To Become Most CO2-Intensive Oil Co -Study”
BP Plc, Europe’s second-biggest oil company, may post second-quarter earnings that are “more resilient” than bigger rival Royal Dutch Shell Plc because it’s less affected by weak demand for natural gas in Europe, Citigroup Inc. said.
Click to continue reading “Citigroup predicts Shell production drop”
• ‘Beyond Petroleum’ boast in doubt as clean energy boss quits
• Renewables budget will be reduced by up to £550m this year
By Miles Johnson
Published: June 29 2009 11:37 | Last updated: June 29 2009 11:37
Oil prices rose on Monday as the market shrugged off a bearish report from the International Energy Agency, opting instead to focus on news of further attacks on Nigeria’s energy infrastructure by militants.
The IEA, the oil consuming countries’ watchdog, sharply lowered its medium-term forecast for global oil demand, suggesting that economic fundamentals will prevent a repeat of crude’s surge towards $150 last year.
The IEA lowered its 2008-2013 demand forecast by 3.7 per cent compared with its previous estimate in December but stressed that the chances of an oil shock had only lessened rather than disappeared altogether.
Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the IEA said that if oil prices were to rise too quickly and too much it could damage an economic recovery. Crude prices have rallied since the start of the year, doubling since February having tumbled from an all-time high of $147 reached in July 2008.
Traders however pointed towards news of further rebel attacks on the Nigerian petroleum industry as having greater short-term impact than the IEA report.
The Movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta, the most active of Nigeria’s militant groups, said it had attacked a Royal Dutch Shell oil platform – prompting concern that oil supplies from Africa’s largest exporter could be disrupted.
The MEND action marked the latest in a string of recent attacks in the Niger Delta region in the past fortnight.
Nymex West Texas Intermediate futures for August delivery rose 0.49 cents to $69.65, while ICE August Brent gained 40 cents to $69.32.
Gold dipped as investors opted to take profits from the two week high hit in the previous session. Spot gold was quoted at $942.05 a troy ounce, 0.6 per cent lower than yesterday’s high of $948.20.
Base metals were mixed, with copper rising 0.6 per cent to $5085 a tonne, while aluminium was flat at $1650 per tonne.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta rebel group said they attacked Shell’s Forcados offshore oil facility at 3:30 a.m. local time today.
Click to continue reading “Oil Little Changed as IEA Cuts Forecast, Nigeria Rebels Attack”
: Dear IMBer, or IBMer, or whatever - if you can explain to me the difference between the two quoted press release examples of geophysical applications in reasoned scientific terms, I shall be more than happy to admit to being a amateur geophysicist (not geologist). Perhaps it is you who is confused. Geophysics and Geology are not the same - close bed fellows, yes - but not the same. If so, then it is you who should get out your needles, wool and get on with "one plain, two purl" rather than embarking on such a commentary.
: Shellwaarbenjijnu has no clue what he/she is talking about. Probably some amateur geologist who wants to be important on the blog. Try to stick to your knitting!
: Paying over 7 mln $ to get rid of this monster of a woman shows how deeply Shell has sunk. She was a stealer of ideas. She was the ultimate token woman, a disgrace to her gender and it has put off many high quality women to pursue a career in Shell. Her disgusting behaviour of being the slave of Watts was evident to all. This latest scandal makes it clear she should never have been promoted to were she ended up. Another costly mistake of Shell. And the top echelon? They know no shame anymore and carry on with more spin stories as usual.
: Perhaps Voser will pull the same trick on Brinded as Watts did on v.d.Vijver. Watts announced that reserves would grow by 5% and that Walter would explain how.... The rest is history. I can only hope that history will repeat itself and Brinded finally gets fired for his gross underperformance and sustained bullshit. Perhaps I have said so before: never trust a man with facial hair.... I shall be watching the announcements how they will increase production with great interest.
: THE ARTICLE "Donovan email to Gavin White, Shell International Limited: 10 March 2010" has been updated with a self-explanatory email reply received on 11 March from Richard Wiseman, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
: The Forbes article implies that by stopping sales of gasoline to Iran, Shell is complying with US sanctions. Shell's investments in the upstream sector in Iran are not mentioned, even though these are of far greater significance for both Shell and the Iranians.
: Amnesty International has been an informed and courageous critic of Human Rights abuses around the world for many decades and they are certainly not adverse to criticising governments in Nigeria, Burma, Zimbabwe and all around the world. The point about international companies like Shell is that they have a choice. They are not obliged to operate anywhere if they find that the local conditions are in conflict with their principles. Amnesty’s recent criticisms of Shell have certainly been strong and I am aware that in Shell there is a feeling that they have been unfair and to some extent uninformed. So a dialogue between Amnesty and Shell is very much to be welcomed. Amnesty is a highly respected organisation – indeed a former top executive of Shell, Sir Geoffrey Chandler, was a senior officer of Amnesty in his post Shell years.
: Same old, same old. Amnesty International and their human rights again go for the soft underbelly of the international companies rather than the real problem in Nigeia which is their corrupt Government. Good on Shell for attending and agrreing to being questioned. BUT, surprise, surprise nobody from the Nigerian Government (perhaps they didn't get enough of a bribe to appear or perhaps Amnesty knew they would get nowhere with them). Pollution in the Niger Delta remains a problem, albeit that conditions are slowly improving. Living conditions, infrastructure and most other normal day-to-day things should be the responsibility of the corrupt Government not international oil companies. These evil governments such as Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Burma need to be bought down by the UN so that their people might have a better chance of a reasonable life.
: Very polite correspondence between Wiseman and the Donovans. I estimate Wiseman's hourly internal tariff at around 500 U$ per hour (his salary plus support plus extensive overheads). Over the years Shell must have spent a fortune discussing the Donovans, putting the most expensive lawyers on the case, and developing policy how to battle them. It becomes Churchillian: 'we will fight them on the web, and in the courtrooms, and in their own offices and on the streets. But we wil NEVER surrender. With unlimited funds this maybe so, but it is wasting shareholders money and it solves nothing. I do not see the Donovans give up anytime soon. So perhaps a new paradigm needs to be developed? Any ordinary man or woman at the coalface would solve this problem within minutes and for less money than what is being burned now. But the Shell kings are no ordinary people, they live in cloud cuckoo land. I will keep following with great interest how all this develops, it is even better than the daily Dilbert!!!
: W.E. Pratt knew it already a hundred years ago when he said "Oil is found in the minds of men" But he was one of the founders of the Standard Oil company, whereas the people who try to make us believe that IBM can come to the rescue of Shell appear to be only good at getting rid of their most experienced minds.
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