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FT: 12 Shell staff and family members killed on flight MH17

Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29Extract from FT “Week in review” published 2 August 2014

Majors brace as sanctions against Russia tighten

Ben van Beurden, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, said: “It’s a bit early to say how it will play out. We will obey sanctions without hesitation.” Shell, which also has LNG interests at Sakhalin, has suspended work exploring shale resources in eastern Ukraine. Twelve Shell staff and family members were killed on flight MH17, shot down in Ukraine last month.

FULL FT ARTICLE

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One Comment

  1. Zik Gbemre says:

    August 4, 2014

    RE: 12 SHELL STAFF AND FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED ON FLIGHT MH17

    With regards to the above post which reveals that Mr. Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell, said “Shell will obey sanctions without hesitation,” there are however, some issues that were not clear in the said statement and there are questions that need to considered in putting things in the proper perspective. For instance, from this statement, is Shell telling the whole world that the company is also willing to stop its operations in Russia in response to Western sanctions? Or is Shell suggesting that it will stop only the company’s exploration activities in Eastern Ukraine and not its operations in Russia?
    For us, we believe there is need for the Royal Dutch Shell to completely stop all of its exploration and operations activities in Russia/Separatists as well, for whatever sanctions imposed on Russia to make sense. There is need for Shell to stop all of its operations in Russia until the sanctions are lifted and fight between Ukraine/Russia stops. And for the world to know that Shell is not in support of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine.
    According to the post: “Shell, which also has LNG interests at Sakhalin, has suspended work exploring shale resources in Eastern Ukraine,” which is why we said the statement is not clear on whether Shell will equally suspend all of its operations in Russia as well and not just its exploration activities in Eastern Ukraine. How come Shell only suspended its exploration activities in Eastern Ukraine and nothing was done about its operations in Russia?

    Though, it was stated in the post that Shell CEO noted that: “It’s a bit early to say how it will play out, and that they will obey sanctions without hesitation,” however, Shell’s suspension of its exploration activites in Eastern Ukraine without doing nothing to its operations in Russia yet, simply justifies the fact that WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO SHELL IS BUSINESS PROFITS OVER HUMAN LIVES AND HUMANITY AS A WHOLE. And like we said in our last letter on similar subject, Shell would rather continue smiling to the banks and turn a blind eye to all the atrocities daily committed by its host country – Russia in Ukraine. This automatically places Shell in the same position as Russia, as those perpetrating the crises in Ukraine and parts of Europe, including the missile-shot Jetliner MH17.

    Also, from the said post, it was revealed that Twelve (12) Shell staff and family members were killed on the flight MH17, shot down in Ukraine last month, and not four as it was speculated at first. Let us recall that before now, it was reported that Four Shell employees and 193 citizens of The Netherlands died in the crash of MH Flight 17. But the interesting thing about all of this was that in spite of the sanctions from the United States of America (USA) and EU on Russia, plus the death of 12 of its personnel, Shell still wants to continue its BUSINESS AS USAUAL in Russia. This was contained in previous posts in a statement credited to Shell CEO that “Shell puts the interests of its shareholders first, above any geopolitical considerations.” And according to the earlier post on this subject; “that is his excuse for Shell’s dealings with evil regimes in Iran and Russia, irrespective of sanctions.” Though, we had kicked against this stand by Shell, which does not in any way justify its PRINCIPLES of “core values of honesty, integrity and respect for people,” we are even more appalled that, in spite of the death of 12 of its staff, Shell still wants to leave its operations in Russia unchanged.

    And like we noted in past post, by this statement, as credited to Shell CEO, Shell is telling the whole world that “profit first and the interest of its stakeholders” before anything else, including the lives of its staff and the citizens where Shell operates. That is the most ‘cold’ and inhuman disposition any corporate entity should stand on. It therefore means that Shell can also sponsor, aid and abate crimes against humanity in countries where it operates; just to protect and project its profit-oriented “business as usual”. This was how Shell aided and abated ‘war crimes’ in the 1990s in Ogoni of the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. And if we take a look at SHELL GENERAL BUSINESS PRINCIPLES, it means that all Shell is all about is to talk of high moral principles like “SAFETY FIRST” ONLY ON PAPER but in REALITY, it is a different ball game all together. But Shell has to start practicing what they preach.

    While we wait to see what other actions Shell would take, aside the suspension of its exploration activities in Eastern Ukraine, we are however not convinced that Shell is ready to change for the better as a corporate company that is genuinely interested in the lives and safety of people over and above its business interests in Russia. Shell cannot just suspend its explorations in ONLY Eastern Ukraine (according to reports), without doing anything to equally suspend its operations in Russia, and think that the company has done something in obeying sanctions. Russia is seen as the main aggressor and instigator of the crises in Ukraine, so Shell’s actions must suggest to the whole world that they are not in support of what Russia is doing. This is where suspending all of Shell’s operations/explorations in Russia comes in.

    Zik Gbemre, JP
    National Coordinator

    We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes as if Those Were Our Causes

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