Royal Dutch Shell Plc  .com Rotating Header Image

April 4th, 2014:

Shell Oil Boss Marvin Odum Should Resign after Alaskan Debacle

Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 18.33.20Now we have further confirmation that Shell was trying to dodge a multimillion tax bill. This time confirmation comes from the findings of an investigation by the Coast Guard division of US Homeland Security. There are going to be more Royal Dutch Shell executives looking for alternative employment… And Marvin Odum, Shell’s boss in the USA, should be top of the list.

By John Donovan

After Shell’s Arctic ambitions hit the rocks at the end of December 2012, Shell initially conceded that the ill-fated Kulluk drilling rig had left port under tow to avoid taxes.

Shell then backtracked. Shell’s chief executive Peter Voser rejected accusations that tax issues were a factor in the move.

We subsequently had confirmation from one of the honest people at Shell, Sean Churchfield, its operations manager in Alaska, that the first admission was correct. The Kulluk had indeed left port in order to avoid “millions” in annual state taxes. 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 seeks urgency on Alaskan litigation

Screen Shot 2013-11-01 at 09.31.18Extracts from an article by Alan Bailey of Petroleum News published week of April 06, 2014 under the headline: Shell seeks urgency: Asks court to accept BSEE proposal in Chukchi Sea lease sale appeal case

In an April 2 filing submitted to the federal District Court in Alaska Shell said that it opposes any delay in resolving an appeal against the 2008 Chukchi Sea lease sale in which the company purchased leases.“Because the Arctic drilling season is so short, every day of it counts,” Shell told the court. Shell said that it had already lost the 2014 Chukchi Sea drilling season as a result of the appeal and that the company had begun planning for the 2015 season “in the event the agency (BSEE) re-affirms the sale.” 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 ignored safety warnings ‘partly to avoid tax’, says US Coast Guard

theguardian.com,

Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 17.31.53

Damning allegations are made in the report into how Shell came to allow the Kulluk to run aground in December 2012. Photograph: PA3 Jon Klingenberg/AP

Shell has been accused by the US Coast Guard of ignoring safety warnings and moving one of its drill ships in the US Arctic, partly in a bid to avoid paying extra taxes.

The damning allegation is contained in an official 152-page report by the US Coast Guard into how the Anglo-Dutch oil group came to allow the Kulluk to run aground in December 2012.

Shell has recently been forced to shelve any plans to drill in the Beaufort Sea again this summer after a federal appeal court ruled the US authorities had failed to properly consider the potential risks. 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 Rushed Rig to Arctic Sea to Avoid Alaska Tax: U.S.

Article by Jim Snyder published Apr 4, 2014 5:00 AM GMT+0100 by Bloomberg News

A desire to avoid millions of dollars in Alaska state taxes played a role in Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s decision to move a drilling rig, which later broke free from a tow boat and ran aground on an uninhabited island in Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a report.

Shell had decided to move the Kulluk drill rig to Seattle for repairs because it might have been subject to a state property tax had it remained in Alaska waters beyond Jan. 1, 2013, according to the report released yesterday that offered eight recommendations to improve 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 was underprepared for ill-fated tow across Gulf of Alaska

Extracts from an article by Suzanna Caldwell published April 3, 2014 by AlaskaDispatch under the Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 09.24.01headline: Coast Guard report shows Shell was underprepared for ill-fated tow across Gulf of Alaska

A Coast Guard report released Thursday shows that while a series of events ultimately led to the grounding of a drilling rig designed to drill in the Arctic, an “inadequate assessment and management of risks” was the biggest cause of the Kulluk grounding.

The findings in the 152-page report conclude that while bad weather in the Gulf of Alaska was the primary cause of the grounding, “ineffective” risk management and application of towing measures from Shell and Edison Chouest contributed to the grounding. 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.

Alan Shatter rejects Corrib policing probe

Screen Shot 2013-08-16 at 11.18.41

Screen Shot 2013-03-29 at 17.00.32Extracts from an article by Gordon Deegan published Friday 4 April 2014 by The Irish Examiner

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has rejected fresh calls for an independent inquiry into the Garda policing operation of the €3.4bn Shell Corrib gas project in north Co Mayo. Last week, South African archbishop Desmond Tutu and former UN assistant secretary general Denis Halliday called for an “urgent and comprehensive” independent inquiry into the policing of the Corrib gas project. Mr Shatter said: “I do not see a necessity for an independent inquiry into the policing operation in north Co Mayo.” He said the total cost of policing protests against the Shell Corrib plan “has now reached in excess of €16m”. 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.

Poor Management and Tax Dodging Led to Kulluk Grounding

Screen Shot 2013-11-01 at 09.31.18Article by RACHEL D’ORO Associated Press published 4 April 2014 by ABC NEWS under the headline: “Report: Poor Management Led to Shell Grounding”

A Coast Guard report says poor risk assessment and management were factors that led to the grounding of a Shell oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Alaska in 2012.

The report released Thursday also says Alaska’s tax laws influenced the decision to tow the Kulluk to Seattle. Royal Dutch Shell PLC believed the drill vessel would have qualified as taxable property on Jan. 1, 2013, if it was still in Alaska waters.

The Kulluk broke away from its tow vessel in late December 2012 and ran aground four days later on Sitkalidak Island, near Kodiak. 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.
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.