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January, 2012:

Sir Bill’s treatment at Cairn will make every board quake

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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The giant oil field sold for a song by Shell… it sold its 50% share to Cairn for $7.5 million, now worth billions…

James Ashton 24 Jan 2012

The momentum gained by the Government’s war on executive pay meant it was bound to claim some victims. The only surprise is that Sir Bill Gammell has become its first. As the chief executive of Cairn Energy, he was a stock market darling. The success he enjoyed after buying an unwanted Indian exploration site from Royal Dutch Shell has passed into oil industry folklore.

Cairn, which now has a market value of £4 billion, can thank the £4.5 million acquisition of an Indian exploration site for its good fortune. Sir Bill, a former Scottish rugby international, saw potential there after the big boys had given up trying. A similar spirit has given it the confidence to hunt for oil in far-flung corners of the world such as Greenland. read more

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.

Brunei Inks Production, Investment Pact With Royal Dutch Shell

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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The fruits of a $500,000 Brunei dollar wedding gift (bribe) given by Shell to the corrupt Brunei Royal Family…?

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 06:44
Borneo Bulletin

The Hague, Netherlands – The Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Royal Dutch Shell Ltd (RDS) as the shareholders of Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd (BSP) signed the production and investment agreement on Jan 23, 2012 at RDS headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands.

Signing on behalf of the Brunei Government was the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Col (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awg Hj Mohammad Yasmin bin Hj Umar, and for Royal Dutch Shell, Dato Seri Laila Jasa Peter Voser, Chief Executive Officer and Ken Mamoch, BSP Managing Director. The agreement set out between the Brunei Government and Shell focuses on the mechanisms to support, sustain and increase the production of oil and gas by BSP. read more

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.

Dutch Court Throws Lifeline for Non-US Class Action Lawsuits

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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The court was used once before in a similar case launched in 2007 against Royal Dutch Shell, when investors resolved their claims for €316 million with the oil giant.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7:22:02 AM
Pension, endowment funds, and other international shareholders have a new avenue of enquiry to seek damages of alleged corporate fraud thanks to a European court decision.

(January 25, 2012)  —  The first class action lawsuit settlement to be approved for shareholders based outside the United States, since the Supreme Court tightened rules about international investors seeking redress through its legal system in 2010, has thrown a lifeline to asset owners suspicious of corporate fraud.

A case brought by international pension schemes, endowments and other large investors against Swiss reinsurer Converium Holding (now Scor Holding (Switzerland)), was settled out of court with damages of over $58 million being approved for distribution by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal last week. read more

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.

Oil Grab in Falkland Islands Seen Tripling U.K. Reserves: Energy

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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The world’s largest oil companies like Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc face a dilemma: whether the potential of a virgin basin outweighs the risk of a worsening international dispute.

January 25, 2012, 7:20 AM EST

By Brian Swint

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) — Thirty years after Margaret Thatcher fought a 74-day war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands, the prospect of an oil boom is reviving tensions.

Oil explorers are targeting 8.3 billion barrels in the waters around the islands this year, three times the U.K.’s reserves. Borders & Southern Petroleum Plc will drill the Stebbing prospect next month, one of three Falkland wells that Morgan Stanley ranks among the world’s top 15 offshore prospects this year. Meanwhile, Rockhopper Exploration Plc is seeking $2 billion from a larger oil company to develop the Sea Lion field, the islands’ first economically viable oil find. read more

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.

Fatally flawed Vax V027 Rapide XL Upright Carpet Cleaner

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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By John Donovan

My low mileage Vax Rapide XL upright carpet washer has come to the end of its life, not because any working part is broken or worn out, but due solely to the fact that it has a fatal design fault.

The machine is far too heavy for the handle at the top of the machine.

The photograph below shows that the handle in question is completely broken in one place and badly fractured at the top.

I contacted Vax customer service, but was fobbed off on the basis that: –

  • The machine is beyond its one year warranty.
  • For health & safety reasons, Vax will not directly supply a replacement Handle assembly. For some reason Vax has not revealed the cost of the new handle assembly.
  • Because it is over 5 years old, Vax will not carry out an in-house repair and instead, suggests that I find an independent repairer. I have pointed out that the costs involved are likely to make it an uneconomic proposition, even if I do manage to find anyone willing to it.

So it appears that the machine is destined for the skip, even though there is nothing wrong with it, apart from the broken handle, which was never fit for purpose. The machine has always felt miles too heavy – a negative factor featuring prominently in user reviews. read more

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.

Davos Delegates Say EU Needs to Show Resolve as Split Over Greece Persists

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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“We can’t wait too long,” said Peter Voser, chief executive officer of Royal Dutch/Shell Plc. “It’s two minutes before midnight.”

By Simon Kennedy and Simone Meier – Jan 25, 2012 12:52 PM GMT

Europe must show more resolve to fix the debt crisis as officials race to draft rules governing the euro and bridge widening difference over how to keep Greece’s finances afloat, said delegates at the World Economic Forum.

“We can’t wait too long,” said Peter Voser, chief executive officer of Royal Dutch/Shell Plc. “It’s two minutes before midnight.”

Executives and officials are meeting in Davos, Switzerland as bond markets show signs of stabilizing after the European Central Bank last month pumped three-year emergency funding into a banking system that was in danger of seizing up. At the same time, governments, investors and the International Monetary Fund are split on how to restructure Greek debt less than two months before a potential default. read more

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.

Spaced out at Royal Dutch Shell

Jan 25th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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”SPACE, VISION AND STRATEGY”: Sir Philip Watts, disgraced Shell Group Chairman who once donned a space suit at a meeting in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 1998 to pump up his troops. Subsequently a defendant in various US class action law suits arising from his role in reserves fraud ,which cost Shell shareholders almost $1 billion in lawsuits and fines. Sir Philip was rewarded with a reported $18 million pension pot/settlement for destroying Shell’s reputation.

Spaced out means to be confused or distracted…

REFLECTIONS OF A SHELL RETIREE

During the Mark Moody-Stuart tenure as Group Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell, someone had the brainwave of setting up “hydrocarbon value creation teams”.

The foundations for the reserves scandal were laid.

The company had got (with the explicit knowledge of the top brass) into the hands of people who were only motivated by personal rewards, and who smelled their chance. None of that ‘Enterprise First’ stuff. It was ‘Me first’ and all the snouts were in the trough and nobody wanted to take their snout out of the trough. Anyone complaining or making remarks that things were not right was publicly destroyed and removed. And those with their snouts in the trough started to make promises and ever more ridiculous demands. Explicit instructions to cook the books or ‘err on the high side’ were hardly given in written form or were at least well disguised. It was said and whispered in meetings, conferences and workshops and personal discussions during the annual staff evaluation time. There were clear instructions to aim for the impossible with those stretched targets and anyone who said he could go even further or higher was handsomely rewarded with promotions or fat bonuses. Brinded was a real champion of this, he was #2 and later MD in Shell Expro and I believe they missed their business targets for 7 years in a row under his reign! read more

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.

Ban stops Europe majors trading Iran oil globally

Jan 24th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:51pm GMT

* Total, Shell big buyers of Iranian oil

* Firms could declare force majeure in July-lawyer

* Switzerland might stall on EU sanctions

By Emma Farge

ZURICH/BRUSSELS, Jan 24 (Reuters) – The EU is banning not only imports of Iranian oil but also crude purchased by European companies, including Total and Royal Dutch Shell, for sale to non-EU destinations, lawyers and officials familiar with the terms of the sanctions told Reuters.

The European Union on Monday embargoed imports of oil from Iran and imposed a number of other economic sanctions, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at slowing Tehran’s nuclear development programme. read more

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.

MOSOP may permit oil exploration in Ogoniland

Jan 23rd, 2012
by John Donovan.
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TO VIEW THE COMPLETE DRAMATIC GRAPHICS FROM THE UK GUARDIAN ARTICLE ‘UNLOVEABLE SHELL – GODDESS OF OIL’ – CLICK HERE – TAKES SHORT TIME TO LOAD

Shell, which until 1993 was the major oil producing company in Ogoni, was forced to leave the area following widespread protest spearheaded by MOSOP over alleged human and environmental rights abuses.

Wednesday, 18 January 2012 00:00 Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt

HOPE for resumption of oil and gas exploration in Ogoni, has been rekindled by the new leadership of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP).

MOSOP Interim Chairman and Secretary, Professor Ben Naanen and Meshach Karanwi, said the new leadership would promote the sustainable and equitable exploration of the natural resources of Ogoni for the benefit of Ogoni people. read more

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.

Can Big Oil Repeat Its Big Year?

Jan 23rd, 2012
by John Donovan.
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JANUARY 23, 2012

By LIAM DENNING

Even today, $1.67 trillion is a lot of money. That is the amount wiped off the combined market capitalization of the top 50 energy companies between the end of 2007 and the end of 2011. Breaking it down offers big clues on Big Oil’s prospects for 2012.

Every year, PFC Energy, a Washington, D.C.-based consultancy, ranks the top 50 listed energy companies in the world by market value. The latest, due Monday, has a surprise. The biggest gainers in 2011 were the dinosaurs of oil and gas: the supermajors. Their collective value increased by 8%, compared with a 7% decline for the PFC Energy 50 overall. It is only the second time they have led the field in the ranking’s 13-year history. read more

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.

Shell puts extra €90m into Irish subsidiary

Jan 23rd, 2012
by John Donovan.
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The Irish Times – Monday, January 23, 2012

GORDON DEEGAN

OIL AND GAS multinational Shell has injected €90 million into its Irish subsidiary to deal with the spiralling costs of the Corrib gas field project.

Documents filed with the Companies’ Registration Office show that the global group has pumped the extra money into Shell Ireland.

The Irish company confirmed yesterday that the 5km onshore gas pipeline to bring gas from the offshore Corrib field to the market will not be complete until the second half of 2014.

The Corrib gas partners, Shell, Statoil and Canadian-owned Vermillion are now nine years behind the initial target to start generating revenues from the field. read more

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.

Gazprom and Shell successfully developing cooperation

Jan 23rd, 2012
by John Donovan.
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Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser (left) and Gazprom Chairman, Alexey Miller

Sunday, 22 Jan 2012

The Gazprom headquarters hosted a working meeting between Mr Alexey Miller Chairman of the Company Management Committee and Mr Peter Voser Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell.

The parties discussed the issues of bilateral cooperation as part of the Sakhalin II project.

They also addressed the joint efforts of Gazprom and Shell within the Protocol on Strategic Global Cooperation and highlighted the companies’ success in the global energy market. read more

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.

Pensions anger as even profitable firms cut benefits

Jan 22nd, 2012
by John Donovan.
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The Observer, Sunday 22 January 2012

When even successful companies such as Shell and Unilever are taking an axe to staff retirement packages, is the outlook bleak for everyone?

Unilever, the maker of everything from Pot Noodles to Dove soap, has infuriated its staff by cutting pension payouts – despite being highly profitable. Shell, another household name, has followed suit with plans to cut retirement incomes.

Unilever suffered a wave of strikes which started last week and will continue for the next five days. Much of the anger among employees at its factories and research units is focused on the company’s £6bn operating profit and the pay, bonus and pension top-ups awarded to chief executive Paul Polman. He pocketed £2.8m last year, of which £1.7m was a performance-related bonus. His pension was increased by a company donation of £352,000, according to the 2011 annual report. read more

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.

Shell Oil Company dumped toxic chemicals into waterway for over 60 yrs

Jan 21st, 2012
by John Donovan.
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A Shell Oil Co. refinery dumped wastewater into the bayou for more than 60 years, lacing the mucky bottom with toxic chemicals and heavy metals.

DEQ says Bayou Trepagnier, one of state’s most polluted waterways, has been cleaned up

NORCO, La. — The state Department of Environmental Quality says one of Louisiana‘s most polluted waterways has been cleaned up. It’s Bayou Trepagnier (trep-AN’-yay) in Norco.

A Shell Oil Co. refinery dumped wastewater into the bayou for more than 60 years, lacing the mucky bottom with toxic chemicals and heavy metals.

The current owner, Motiva Enterprises LLC, agreed in 2008 to a $10 million cleanup plan.

DEQ says contaminated soil at the end nearest the refinery was removed as an 800-foot-wide “clean zone.” read more

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.

Heart of darkness at Royal Dutch Shell

Jan 21st, 2012
by John Donovan.
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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)

The company stinks worldwide…

By John Donovan

This article focuses on an informative parliamentary debate about the Corrib Gas controversy held in the Houses of the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland, on 6 October 2005. It does not appear to have been reported in any detail at the time.

Some very forthright comments were expressed about Shell.

The debate was held after the release from prison of the Rossport Five, activist landowners jailed at the specific behest of Shell. The activists held legitimate concerns on behalf of their families about health, safety, and environmental implications of the Shell led Corrib Gas Project. read more

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.

Confirmation Corrib first gas date delayed until 2014

Jan 20th, 2012
by John Donovan.
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By John Donovan

The Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, has stated in response to a parliamentary question asking when product from the Corrib gas fields will be available to the consumer, that it is not possible to state a start date.

He went on to say that the construction of the onshore section of the pipeline, including the construction of a 5 km tunnel, will take about three years and “first gas cannot therefore reasonably be anticipated before 2014.” read more

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.
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