9 Hospitalized After Fire at Shell Chemical Plant Near Houston: Sheriff

By Associated Press • Published May 5, 2023

Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, sending nine workers to a hospital and causing a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.

Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier in the day that five contracted employees were hospitalized for precautionary reasons, adding that they were not burned. He said they were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire. read more

The Washington Post

Widows of executed Nigerian activists end case against Shell

By Mike Corder | AP: November 8, 2022 at 5:49 a.m. EST

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The widows of four Nigerian activists executed in 1995 have withdrawn their appeal in a Dutch civil case in which they alleged that oil giant Shell was complicit in the men’s deaths, ending a yearslong legal battle for compensation and an apology.

The four widows, Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula, launched the case in 2017. It was rejected in a final ruling by The Hague District Court in March, following an interim decision in 2019 dismissing parts of their claim.

Their husbands were among nine activists from the Ogoni tribe, led by writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, who were hanged in 1995 for the murder of four political rivals. Supporters say they were really targeted because of their involvement in protests against environmental damage by Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary. read more

The Washington Post

Shell posts record earnings again as energy prices soar

By Associated Press: July 28, 2022 at 7:25 a.m. EDT LONDON — Shell posted record profits Thursday for a second straight quarter as the energy giant benefited from soaring prices of oil and natural gas fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

London-based Shell said it’s second-quarter adjusted earnings — which exclude one-time items and fluctuations in the value of inventories — rose to $11.5 billion from $5.5 billion in the same three-month period last year.

The latest earnings smash its record set in the previous quarter, when the company recorded $9.1 billion in adjusted earnings.

Shell also said it would buy back another $6 billion in shares, underlining its healthy cash position. read more

Contractor quitting puts Shell in spotlight over climate

A longtime contractor for Shell has accusing the oil and gas company of “double talk” by saying it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions while working on tapping new sources of fossil fuel

By Frank Jordans Associated Press: May 23, 2022, 6:03 PM

BERLIN — A longtime contractor for Shell has publicly called out the oil and gas company’s climate plans, accusing the company of “double talk” by saying it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions while working on tapping new sources of fossil fuel. read more

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

‘Victory for our planet’: Royal Dutch Shell must cut emissions

The Hague District Court has ruled Royal Dutch Shell must cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. The landmark case will likely set a global precedent for holding polluting multinational organizations accountable for curbing emissions.

May 27, 2021

By Mike Corder Associated Press

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS

A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions by net 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels in a landmark case brought by climate activism groups, which hailed the decision as a victory for the planet. read more

Shell, Eni acquitted in Nigeria oil corruption case

Three year trial revolved around the 2011 purchase of offshore oil field, report says

MILAN – A court in Milan on Wednesday acquitted oil giants Shell and Italy’s Eni of corruption charges in a $1.1 billion bribery case involving control of a lucrative Nigerian oil block.

In addition to the companies, Eni’s current CEO, his predecessor and a former Nigerian oil minister were among 13 defendants acquitted after a three-year trial involving the 2011 purchase of the OPL 245 offshore oil field. read more

Dutch court orders Shell Nigeria to compensate farmers

Jan. 29, 2021 at 12:16 am Updated Jan. 29, 2021 at 4:03 am: By MIKE CORDER: The Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a victory for environmentalists and Nigerians whose land was polluted by oil leaks, a Dutch appeals court ordered energy giant Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary Friday to compensate two farmers for damage to their land caused by leaks in 2004 and 2005.

“Tears of joy here. After 13 years, we’ve won,” the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth tweeted. read more

Shell seeks Alaska lease extension, but no plans to return

Extension seen as way to make the leases more attractive to a potential buyer

The Associated Press · Posted: Sep 25, 2020 5:59 PM CT | Last Updated: September 26

Oil company Shell is seeking an extension of leases it holds in Alaska as a way to make the leases more attractive to a potential buyer and does not itself plan a return to operations in the state, spokesperson Curtis Smith said Friday.

Smith said the leases for which the company is seeking an extension represent the bulk of leases Shell still holds in Alaska. read more

In an Italian case, prosecutors accuse former and current executives of Eni and Shell of paying bribes to secure the licence, and allege roughly $1.1 billion of the total was siphoned to agents and middlemen.

UPDATE 1 – Nigeria’s ex-attorney general arrested in Dubai over $1.3 bln oil deal

Chijioke Ohuocha: NOVEMBER 20, 2019

ABUJA, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s former attorney general Mohammed Adoke has been arrested in Dubai, his lawyer said, seven months after Nigeria’s anti-graft agency issued a warrant for his arrest as part of an investigation into one of the oil industry’s biggest suspected corruption scandals.

Adoke’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, said Adoke was arrested by Interpol on Monday 11 Nov., after travelling to Dubai for a medical appointment.

The investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agency relates to the $1.3 billion sale of a Nigerian offshore oilfield known as OPL 245 by Malabu Oil and Gas in 2011. read more

SHELL TO BE A BIG PLAYER IN MICROPLASTICS

By John Donovan

The timing of President Trump’s delayed visit to Shell’s new Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex, which will produce more than a million tons of plastic in the form of tiny pellets, turned out to be unfortunate.

It happened to coincide with the release of scientific research and evidence about the unknown consequences of airborne microplastics on the heath of “birds, fish, whales and people”.

Please read the extracts below from various news organisations covering the Trump visit, which inevitably was surrounded by controversy and scandal. read more

Associated Press: June 17 at 12:02 PM

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court has fined oil giant Shell 2.5 million euros ($2.8 million) for breaching Dutch labor and environmental laws in a case linked to two explosions and a gas leak at a chemical plant south of Rotterdam.

The East Brabant court ruled Monday that Shell did not take sufficient precautions to prevent two blasts and a subsequent fire that injured two workers when the company restarted two reactors at a chemical plant in the village of Moerdjik on June 3, 2014. read more

Mike Corder 12 Feb 2019

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The widow of a Nigerian activist executed by their country’s government more than two decades ago accused oil giant Shell of complicity in his death at a civil case in a Dutch court Tuesday.

“Shell came into my life to make me a poverty-stricken widow,” Esther Kiobel told judges at a one-day hearing.

“With this case I seek justice for my murdered husband so that he can be exonerated from a crime he never committed,” she added. read more

Shell Subsidiary to Pay $3.8 Million for 2016 Gulf Spill

A subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to pay $3.8 million to the U.S. government to settle a lawsuit over a 2016 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to pay $3.8 million to the U.S. government to settle a lawsuit over a 2016 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The May 11, 2016, spill of nearly 2,000 barrels (317974.6 liters) occurred about 97 miles (156 kilometers) off the Louisiana coast.

The New Orleans Advocate, citing court documents, reports that an investigation pointed to a leak in a piping system that is used to transport oil from a production well on the sea floor.

The settlement isn’t final. It must first be published in the Federal Register and have a 30-day public comment period before it can get final approval from a federal judge. read more

Originally published March 4, 2018 at 9:02 pm Updated March 5, 2018 at 2:13 am   By COLLEEN BARRY: The Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — A corporate bribery trial billed as the biggest in history opened Monday against the Shell and Eni oil companies as well as former and current executives, all charged in a $1.1 billion scandal to win control of one of Nigeria’s most lucrative oil blocks.

The size of the two oil companies makes the trial the biggest ever, according to anti-corruption campaigners, who also say it is unprecedented that Eni’s current CEO, Claudio Descalzi, remains in his post while he faces such serious charges.  read more

By Colleen Barry | AP December 20 at 12:28 PM MILAN — Shell and Eni as well as former and current executives will face trial over a $1.1 billion bribery scandal to take control of one of Africa’s most lucrative oil blocks in Nigeria, a judge in Milan ruled Wednesday.

Anti-corruption campaigners say the trial, which is set to open March 5, will be the biggest corporate bribery trial in history, citing the heft of the two major oil companies involved. In all, 15 individuals face charges, including Eni’s current and former CEOs.

According to Milan prosecutors, $520 million of the $1.1 billion paid into an escrow account was converted into cash and distributed as bribes, while several hundred-million more went to a former oil minister.

Both Anglo-Dutch Shell and Italy’s Eni issued separate statements denying wrongdoing and expressing confidence that the court would exonerate the individuals charged and the companies themselves. Both companies are also under investigation in the case in the Netherlands and face charges in Nigeria. read more

FULL ARTICLE