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January 16th, 2014:

Rolf Wilborg, Bill Campbell and the battle for offshore safety

Screen Shot 2014-01-16 at 17.44.20There is a striking similarity between Rolf’s case and the whistleblower activities of Bill Campbell, the retired Health & Safety Group Auditor of Shell International who warned Shell about evidence of false and misleading information in Shell Brent Bravo maintenance records, prior to the tragic, but avoidable explosion in which offshore workers were killed. Safety records had been routinely falsified and Shell had operated a notorious “Touch Fuck All” maintenance policy that put production (and profits) before safety.

By John Donovan

The plight of Rolf Wilborg Ex  Norwegian Petroleum Directorate regulator for the Norwegian sector offshore has been brought my attention.

There is a striking similarity between Rolf’s case and the whistleblower activities of Bill Campbell, the retired Health & Safety Group Auditor of Shell International who warned Shell about evidence of false and misleading information in Shell Brent Bravo maintenance records, prior to the tragic, but avoidable explosion in which offshore workers were killed. Safety records had been routinely falsified and Shell had operated a notorious “Touch Fuck All” maintenance policy that put production (and profits) before safety.  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 eyeing job cuts at Geelong Refinery

Screen Shot 2014-01-16 at 16.48.42Shell’s refusal to guarantee the future of its Geelong refinery has led Australian Workers Union Victorian secretary Ben Davis to warn that the company will axe jobs whether it finds a buyer for the asset or not…

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16 Jan, 6:57 AM

Shell’s refusal to guarantee the future of its Geelong refinery has led Australian Workers Union Victorian secretary Ben Davis to warn that the company will axe jobs whether it finds a buyer for the asset or not, The Australian reports.

According to the newspaper, Mr Davis lashes governments for failing to do enough to save the up to 700 jobs he expects could be cut.

“We are expecting heavy losses regardless of the outcome of the sale. The question is when and how many, not if, jobs will be lost,” Mr Davis warned. 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 to Announce Decision on Groningen Gas Soon

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AMSTERDAM, Jan 16 (Reuters) – The Dutch government is close to announcing a decision to cut production at the huge Groningen gas field because of concerns about the risk of earth tremors, local media reported on Thursday.

The gas field near Slochteren in the north of the country – one of the world’s largest gas fields – is operated by a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil called Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij BV (NAM).

FULL 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.

Huge Changes Taking Place At Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Screen Shot 2013-12-22 at 19.09.52The FTSE 100 has risen 53% during the last five years, however, Royal Dutch Shell  one of the index’s largest constituents, has underperformed by a staggering 27%. And it’s not just Shell’s shares that have been underperforming. Indeed, according to the Financial Times, around one third of Shell’s assets, are not producing a positive return-on-investment. The assets dragging on Shell’s balance sheet include the company’s $8 billion share in the huge Kashagan oilfield, half of the company’s shale oil business within the United States (worth a total of $24 billion) and numerous downstream assets. Time to do some pruning…

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The FTSE 100 has risen 53% during the last five years, however, Royal Dutch Shell  one of the index’s largest constituents, has underperformed by a staggering 27%.

What’s more, compared to its larger peers, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, Shell’s shareholder returns have been less than impressive. In particular, aside from the company’s dividend yield, which is around the same as the industry average, since introducing a script dividend back during 2010 Shell has issued around $4 billion more stock than it has brought back. 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.

Royal Dutch Shell to sell North Sea fields as it shifts $15bn assets

ROYAL Dutch Shell could look to sell $15bn worth of assets over the next two years including some North Sea fields, a media report said yesterday, expanding on its existing guidance that divestments would accelerate this year.

Shell, whose new chief executive Ben van Beurden took over two weeks ago, will sell some of its North Sea oil fields as well as parts of its refining portfolio and some early-stage projects, reported the Financial Times, citing a person close to the company.

The oil company, the world’s number-three among investor-controlled energy firms, declined to comment on the report.

Shell and its peers in the industry are facing increasing investor pressure to hold down spending as costs rise and prospects for oil prices wane. 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.

Remote Alaskan fishing town braces for Arctic oil development

Screen Shot 2013-01-11 at 20.09.51More things went wrong than right for Shell in 2012. On its way out of Alaska at the end of the year, the Kulluk drill rig crashed into a remote island. That triggered a risky rescue mission, criticism from environmental groups the world over and a scathing federal inquiry. Unalaskans watched with interest — just as they did when Shell’s Noble Discoverer drill rig broke anchor in town in July 2012 and drifted ashore along the city’s main road. “There was part of me that was glad they messed up so badly…” According to exploration plans that Shell filed with federal regulators last fall, the company will keep five tugboats and supply boats in town this summer, along with the crew to run them. It will also store a backup drill rig here, in case anything goes wrong with the primary ship in the Arctic.

Screen Shot 2014-01-15 at 23.14.09by January 15, 2014 5:00AM ET

Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands, long known for fisheries, is abuzz with preparation for Shell’s potential new presence

UNALASKA, Alaska — This faraway spot in the middle of Alaska’s windswept, rocky Aleutian Island chain has long stood for seafood.

Unalaska is a stone’s throw from rich fishing grounds in the Bering Sea. The local port of Dutch Harbor is tops in the United States in terms of the sheer volume of seafood that passes through it.

But it isn’t seafood that has this town of about 4,300 people buzzing — and some even planning multimillion-dollar investments.

After a one-year break, Royal Dutch Shell is expected to resume its controversial Arctic exploration program this summer and base some of those operations in Dutch Harbor. 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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