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January, 2013:

Irish Supreme Court rules against Corrib protesters

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Supreme Court has today overturned a High Court decision by ruling that opponents of the Corrib gas pipeline are out of time to challenge the validity of the compulsory acquisition orders.

The decision allows planning consent to be granted to Shell to build the pipe.

The legal action began as a counterclaim to a case by Shell against several opponents for obstructing the development.

SOURCE

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 Corrib Gas Project mired in corruption allegations

By John Donovan

The graphic message below was apparently sent by email earlier today to Michael Crothers, the Chief Executive of Shell EP Ireland and Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser.

It was fired off by an irate Irish company OSSL, a supplier of goods and services to the Shell Corrib project in Ireland.

OSSL has previously accused Shell management of instructing them to make corrupt payments/gifts to third parties on behalf of Shell, including Police involved in handling environmental protests against the controversial project. OSSL claim that invoices were falsified on the express instruction of Shell EP Ireland. 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.

Will the shale-oil revolution sink Shell’s Arctic ambitions?

Alex DeMarban | Jan 20, 2013

Perhaps more important than the clamor of environmentalists, the grandstanding of politicians, or the blunders of Royal Dutch Shell‘s own making is how long oil prices will remain high enough to support Arctic exploration in northern Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Not long, believes one analyst watching the clouds gather over the Lower 48, where a shale-oil boom and new railroad projects are expected to push more oil toward the same West Coast refineries where Alaska crude is processed. 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.

Simon Henry and the reserves time bomb

Were they aware that Simon Henry was a key player, as Head of Global Investor Relations, in dealing with the reserves data and actually had responsibility to ensure the quality/accuracy of the data before it was disclosed to analysts and investors? As we all know, it turned out that some of the data was not only inaccurate, but fraudulent. He had been warned that a Gorgon 600 million BOE reserves booking was an IR time bomb.

Introduction: A draft of the article below was supplied to Shell in advance, namely to Mr Michiel Brandjes, the Company Secretary & General Counsel Corporate of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and the CFO, Mr. Simon Henry. We invited Shell to point out any factual inaccuracy and/or supply comment for unedited publication with the article. No response other than an automated message has been received.

ARTICLE

By John Donovan

On 13 March 2009, the Financial Times published an article about Simon Henry, who was about to become Chief Financial Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc. It said that he had survived the reserves misreporting scandal with his reputation intact. I wonder how much investigation of the facts was undertaken before arriving at that conclusion? 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.

Nigeria’s Illegal Oil Refineries

Jan 15, 2013

Reuters photographer Akintunde Akinleye recently gained rare access to an illegal oil refinery near the river Nun in Nigeria’s oil state of Bayelsa. There, he was able to document the secret and dangerous practice of oil bunkering, where locals hack into oil pipelines, steal the crude oil, and refine or sell it abroad. For over 50 years now, crude oil and natural gas have been extracted from the Niger Delta by large corporations, which have had their share of environmental disasters. The ongoing damage from the tapped pipes and these makeshift refineries continue to take a terrible toll on the environment and the local population. 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.

As Shell looks to future, critics point to timing, risks

Shell’s first year of drilling on those leases was nothing short of a PR disaster, with a grounded rig and a drifting drillship highlighting the challenges of searching for crude in the remote and icy waters hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle. The high-profile mishaps have prompted a federal investigation of the perils of Arctic drilling and are spurring some in the oil industry to re-evaluate whether the crude on top of the world is worth the logistical challenges, financial costs and environmental risks of getting to it.

Updated 20 January 2013

By JENNIFER A. DLOUHY — Hearst Newspapers

WASHINGTON — When Shell started buying leases to drill in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in 2005, the company was betting on Americans’ thirst for any oil locked under those Arctic waters, which could replace declining crude production from Alaska’s North Slope and other onshore resources.

Flash forward eight years, and the scenario has changed dramatically.

Now, energy companies are extracting ever more oil from dense rock formations in south Texas, North Dakota and other states, making the need to tap offshore frontiers less urgent. 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.

Kulluk provides lesson in humility, Murphy’s law

Unlike some of Shell’s critics outside, we know the Gulf isn’t the Arctic, the Beaufort isn’t the Bering, Wainwright isn’t Dutch. But geography isn’t the issue here. It’s Shell’s judgment and operations.

Posted: Friday, January 18, 2013 10:47 pm

“If there is to be a path forward with respect to offshore energy development in the Arctic it would be wise not only for Shell but for all oil companies attempting to engage this challenging environment to temper their path with the prudent and more productive human quality of humility.”

— veteran marine pilot Peter Garay, in a May 2010 Anchorage Daily News Compass commentary

There once was an oil company named Humble, but it’s not a quality most of us associate with the industry. High-stakes risk is inherent in oil exploration, so the industry naturally has people willing and able to take chances. 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.

Not So Fast On ‘Drill, baby, Drill’

Now that the operation has been nothing but bad news, the Obama administration must put an end to this terrible idea.

By Jane Zhang ‘15, News Staff Reporter   
Friday, 18 January 2013 00:00

On January 10, the Obama administration reviewed its decision to open up Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort Seas to oil exploration following the grounding of Shell’s offshore oil rig the Kulluk. Though none of the Kulluk’s 43,000 gallons of diesel or 2,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid was spilled, this accident must act as a wake-up call for President Obama. The administration missed a vital chance to stop offshore drilling when it approved Shell’s 4.5 billion dollar Arctic effort last year. Now that the operation has been nothing but bad news, the Obama administration must put an end to this terrible idea. 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.

Does Obama become a nationalist when it comes to oil disasters?

Today, Shell is the company in the American hot seat, under investigation in the Dec. 31 grounding of a drilling vessel in the Alaskan Arctic, and a former senior BP executive is warning the Anglo-Dutch company of the ethnic calumny that is coming.: Shell should be prepared for him to start calling it ‘Royal Dutch.’

By Steve LeVine — January 15, 2013

During the fallout of BP’s 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, some UK media and company executives suggested that Americans were singling out the firm for its foreign—specifically British—roots. Indeed, fully one-third of Britons in a poll at the time said that Obama, who once referred to the company as “British Petroleum”, had gone “anti-British.” If an American company had the same accident, it would not be so rudely handled, these Britons suggested. 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.

Selection of Shell related article links 19 January 2013

Selection of Shell related article links kindly supplied by a regular contributor

Scope of damage to Shell drill vessel more clear: Alaska Dispatch-The Kulluk, a floating rig that’s been used in Shell’s offshore oil and gas exploration in Alaska’s Arctic, suffered damage “consistent with what is …

The Cordova Times – Opinion: We’ve been warned: Cordova Times-Jan 18, 2013

Algeria’s oil and gas industries pillars of its economy: Irish Times-The huge oil and gas industries are pillars of the Algerian economy. … Statoil, Gazprom and Shell retaining a big presence despite a 1971 … 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’s plans in Arctic at risk as Obama advisers call for halt to oil exploration

The entire future of Shell’s drilling plans in the Arctic was put in doubt on Friday after two of Barack Obama’s most trusted advisers called for a permanent halt to oil exploration. In a piece for Bloomberg news, Carol Browner, who was Obama’s climate adviser during his first two years in office, and John Podesta, who headed his 2009 transition team, said they now believed there was no safe way to drill for oil in the Arctic.

After several equipment failures and safety and environmental lapses, Shell’s drilling plans now under review

, US environment correspondent: Friday 18 January 2013 20.02 GMT

The entire future of Shell’s drilling plans in the Arctic was put in doubt on Friday after two of Barack Obama’s most trusted advisers called for a permanent halt to oil exploration.

In a piece for Bloomberg news, Carol Browner, who was Obama’s climate adviser during his first two years in office, and John Podesta, who headed his 2009 transition team, said they now believed there was no safe way to drill for oil in the Arctic.

Their opinions come at a critical time for Shell, which has invested six years and nearly $5bn trying to gain access to the vast undersea reserves of oil and natural gas in the Arctic ocean. 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.

Salvagers Tight-Lipped on Shell Vessel Recovery

By DAN JOLING Associated Press: ANCHORAGE, Alaska January 19, 2013 (AP)

A spokeswoman for the united command overseeing the salvage of Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill barge that ran aground on a remote Alaska island says no new information will be released until a vessel assessment is completed.

Shell’s drill vessel Kulluk (KUL’-uk) ran aground New Year’s Eve. It was pulled off the rocky bottom Jan. 6 and towed to a protected bay within Kodiak Island.

The operation is under the direction of a unified command structure made up of the Shell, the Coast Guard, and state and local authorities. 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, Ukraine Sign Shale Gas Production Sharing Act

Jan. 18, 2013, 7:37 a.m. EST

KYIV, Ukraine, January 18, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Donetsk and Kharkiv regional administrations voted in favor of the production sharing agreement with the oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell. The document features ecology, social and other requirements for the investor and regulates the relationship between the investor and the state. According to the agreement, Shell will hand over 31-60 percent of the extracted gas to the Ukrainian state.

The Shell project at the Ukrainian shale gas field Yuzivske has the potential of evolving into the largest investment in Ukrainian history, reckons the Environment and Natural Resources Minister Oleh Proskuryakov. “Shell’s basic scenario would be investing more than USD 10 billion, optimistic scenario – USD 50 billion,” he said. During the initial phase of the project, investments into the Donetsk and Kharkiv region social infrastructure will amount to USD 140 million. 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.

Short list of praiseworthy senior Royal Dutch Shell executives

Now we have his equally scandal tainted successor, Peter Voser, Chairman of the UBS Audit Committee at the time when UBS was engaged in all kinds of criminal activity.

Posting on Shell Blog by LondonLad on Jan 17th, 2013 at 19:56

In all honesty can the Donovan’s kindly list some of the past and present senior executives of Royal Dutch Shell that they would support for their good work, honesty, ability to abide by country HSE requirements, etc. etc. More and more it seems that if you work for RDS at a (very) senior level they’ll get shafted via real AND tabloid reporting on this website, Greenpeace (dick-heads), and other tree hugging websites. We (the countries around the world) need to advance, risks need to be taken as a result…. 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.

As Shell’s Arctic Drilling Hopes Hit Snags, Its Rivals Watch

HOUSTON — Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic drilling program is now officially in jeopardy and its prospects will depend on the findings of two continuing federal inquiries. One review is on the grounding of the Kulluk drill ship on New Year’s Eve after it was set adrift for five days in stormy weather, and the other is on the safety management of the entire Shell program.

By and : A version of this article appeared in print on January 18, 2013, on page B1 of the New York edition

HOUSTON — Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic drilling program is now officially in jeopardy and its prospects will depend on the findings of two continuing federal inquiries. One review is on the grounding of the Kulluk drill ship on New Year’s Eve after it was set adrift for five days in stormy weather, and the other is on the safety management of the entire Shell program.

Rival oil companies, as they form their strategic choices, are keenly watching to see how Shell’s $4.5 billion exploratory operation off the North Slope of Alaska is faring and how the effort is working with wary United States regulators. 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.

Selection of Shell related article links 17 Jan 2013

Selection of Shell related article links kindly supplied by a regular contributor

As one ship enough to tow Shell oil drilling rig in Gulf of Alaska?: Anchorage Daily News-Jan 14, 2013: Mass was so irritated by Shell’s assertions that he wrote a lengthy post disputing them on his weather blog. “Shell Oil made a misguided and …

Shell Oil Has Cut Corners and Put the Arctic At Risk During a Drilling ...: PolicyMic-Jan 14, 2013: The U.S. is set to become the world’s top oil producer by 2020, and new technologies in offshore oil drilling have been a significant factor in … 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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