Expert comments received in response to the BoilingCold article by Peter Milne “No winners from Shell’s $US17B Prelude floating LNG”
Comment from retired Shell International Global Safety Consultant, Bill Campbell:
It’s all rather depressing, most worrying aspect as implied in the article is the potential gas supply, or lack of it, from the homogeneous and shared reservoir with another operator bleeding off volumes.
The boilingcold.com.au journalist Peter Milne has given the most detailed analysis yet of the Prelude story, elements of both tragedy and farce.
COMMENT FROM “AN OLD SHELL E&P ENGINEERING SEA DOG”
As before I feel very sorry for the Aussies who are under extreme pressure to get this unit up and running. I do not quite understand the journalist comment of “gas is running out”. It is a shared reservoir therefore there will be an agreement for the total volumes in place and a regular review taking place to determine the remaining producible volumes and the agreed volume share for each operator.
The links below are to a series of articles, many triggered by a well-placed whistleblower directly involved in the pioneering Royal Dutch Shell Prelude project. Includes articles by Mr Bill Campbell above, the retired distinguished HSE Group Auditor of Shell International and another retired Shell guru with a track record of spotting potential pitfalls in major Shell projects.
The fears voiced by Bill Campbell about a loss of containment (see article link 3) have proven well-founded.
Ask the Australian National Offshore Petroleum and Environmental Management Authority.
ARTICLE: Voser wisely abandons an unstable ship: 28 December 2013
ARTICLE: Royal Dutch Shell Prelude to disaster?: 10 Jan 2014
ARTICLE: Shell Prelude FLNG: loss of containment of hydrocarbons almost inevitable: 21 Feb 2014
ARTICLE: What should frighten stiff Royal Dutch Shell shareholders: 15 March 2014
ARTICLE: Tales of the Unexpected and Royal Dutch Shell Prelude FLNG: 28 March 2014
ARTICLE: Prelude FLNG: A case of all your eggs in the one basket: 10 July 2014
ARTICLE: Royal Dutch Shell Prelude Project ‘A Step Too Far’: 25 Sept 2014
ARTICLE: SpaceShip Two: Shell Prelude another pioneering venture fraught with risk: 2 November 2014
ARTICLE: WA turns spotlight on FLNG safety: 11 November 2014
ARTICLE: Prelude a giant production and processing barge masquerading as a ship: 11 November 2014
ARTICLE: Sunday Times Article: Prelude a potential white elephant: 11 November 2014
ARTICLE: Damning Verdict on Shell’s Prelude FLNG Propaganda: 12 November 2014
ARTICLE: Combustible pioneering behemoths – the Hindenburg and Shell Prelude: 21 November 2014
ARTICLE: Key role of Shell lawyers in pioneering Shell Prelude FLNG: 05 December 2014
ARTICLE: The Future of Natural Gas: LNG vs. FLNG: 26 Feb 2015
ARTICLE: THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: Delays slow Prelude’s sail-away: 11 April 2016
ARTICLE: THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: Gas industry needs to work harder, innovate: Shell boss: 12 April 2016
ARTICLE: THE AUSTRALIAN: Shell chief Ben van Beurden backs FLNG program:13 April 2016
ARTICLE: THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: Enthusiasm cools for Prelude FLNG: 13 April 2016