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Shell’s Great Australian Escape: Fossil Fuels, Fickle Strategy and the LNG Laundromat

Opinion / Commentary — Not Financial Advice

By John Donovan

The Exit Interview Nobody Asked For

Shell Plc — the global oil and gas supermajor once synonymous with “the future of energy” — is performing what might be the most dramatic corporate version of “it’s not you, it’s me” in fossil fuels. Its latest act is to divest a roughly 16.67% stake in Australia’s North West Shelf (NWS) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project — a facility that helped define Australia’s decades-long gas boom — in a maneuver analysts say signals more than a portfolio tweak. It’s the unravelling of a 50-year partnership and perhaps a metaphor for Shell’s strategic identity crisis.  read more

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A Troubling Cross-Era Review Shell Cannot Ignore

Introduction: A Troubling Cross-Era Review Shell Cannot Ignore

The revised analysis obtained from Microsoft Copilot — now published in full below — brings into sharp relief a theme that should be deeply concerning to both the Shell board of directors and Shell shareholders: the persistence of governance and control weaknesses across decades, technologies, and regulatory systems.

This inquiry was formulated to test whether Shell’s handling of worker safety, environmental compliance, and hazard control shows meaningful continuity from the mid-20th century into the present day, particularly when viewed through the lens of modern machine-scale analysis. The response incorporates: read more

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Is There a Long-Term Pattern in Shell’s Risk Management Failures?

Is There a Long-Term Pattern in Shell’s Risk Management Failures?

UPDATED 18 JAN 2026 WITH ILLUMINATING REPLIES FROM A NUMBER OF AI PLATFORMS

This article presents a structured question put to ChatGPT and the platform’s full response, published to enable comparison with other AI systems and to illustrate how AI re-processes corporate history in the modern information environment.

Question put to ChatGPT:

The Past, the Archive, and the Algorithm: Is There a Persistent Pattern in Shell’s Worker-Safety and Public-Health Risk Management in the Age of AI?

I am seeking a research-based analysis (not speculation) of whether there is any meaningful continuity or correlation between several historically separated episodes that are alleged to reflect a similar organisational posture toward health, safety, and human lives—taking into account that large language models can now ingest, cross-reference, and recontextualise entire multi-volume corporate histories alongside modern regulatory and safety records. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s scandalous approach to safety

In the corridors of global energy, Shell presents itself as a monolithic symbol of industrial prowess, dividend reliability and transition ambition. Investors like BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc. hold sizeable stakes. Yet behind the investor-slides and glossy sustainability pledges lies a series of historical shadows: offshore disasters, legacy pollution, human-rights litigation and repeated admissions of safety underperformance. This article takes a tour through select episodes—chronologically arranged—of how Shell has, in many instances, placed lives and safety on the back burner. While satire underpins the tone, the facts are stubbornly real. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Bets the Planet on LNG: Ten More Years of “Lower-Carbon” Storytelling

Shell CEO Wael Sawan has finally shown his hand: the company’s main contribution to the energy industry for the next decade will be liquefied natural gas (LNG). Not wind. Not solar. Not storage. LNG. The same fossil fuel dressed up as a climate saviour.

What Sawan Said

At the Economic Club of New York, Sawan declared:

“We are absolutely committed to this sector.”

He argued LNG is “one of the most effective fuels” for lowering emissions because it can displace coal in Asia, citing India and China. (Reuters) read more

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Shearwater Shambles: Shell’s Nitrogen Leak Turns Decking Into Deadfall (and History Repeats Itself)

When you’re Shell—the company that brought you unseaworthy Brent Bravo lifeboats, the Prelude floating gas plant evacuation in Australia, and the occasional oil-for-arms scandal—you’d think safety blunders would be less frequent by now. Think again.

The Incident

On July 12, the Shell-operated Shearwater platform, 140 miles off Aberdeen, sprang a leak of liquid nitrogen. The leak damaged the underside of the deck, sending debris crashing onto a walkway below. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) later confirmed the falling material had the potential to cause a “fatal injury.”

Shell was served an improvement notice on August 4, with the HSE citing six separate breaches of health and safety law, including failures to protect workers from risks tied to “loss of containment events.” The notice must be complied with by September 9. read more

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Shell Built a Floating Cathedral to Gas – Then Spent Years Praying the Lights Stay On

Let’s talk about Shell’s Prelude FLNG, a.k.a. the biggest corporate midlife-crisis purchase ever parked on the ocean. Shell didn’t just build a platform; they launched a 488-meter-long, 74-meter-wide, 600,000-tonne floating factory that maritime media straight-faced called “the largest offshore structure ever built”—and, yes, “it displaces six times as much water as the largest aircraft carrier.” 

Anchored some 475 km (295 miles) off Australia, Prelude was moored with 16 giant chains to a 93-meter turret—“secured to the seabed by mooring lines”—so the behemoth could spin with cyclones and still keep pumping. Very metal. Very expensive. And very on-brand for a company that thinks the solution to climate and cost risk is… more steel.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s $66 Million Audit Fiasco, a Flaming Gas Rig, and That Time They Lied About Oil Reserves: Business as Usual

Let’s give a warm, fiery round of applause to Shell plc—the undisputed heavyweight champion of corporate facepalms. This week’s episode in the long-running series What the Actual Fuck, Shell? features the oil Goliath filing amended financial reports in the US, after its beloved auditor EY—yes, the Ernst & Young you know and regret—forgot the actual rules of auditing.

Apparently, the lead audit partner overstayed their welcome on Shell’s books, breaking SEC rotation rules two years in a row. But don’t worry! No financials were changed. Which is great, because if there’s one thing more reliable than Shell’s gas leaks, it’s their ability to break the rules without breaking a sweat. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Shocker: “Oops, We Broke the Planet (Again), But Don’t Worry, Trading’s Fine”

🤡 Unplanned Maintenance, Cyclones, and a Whole Lot of Fossil Fuel Fantasy

Just when you thought Shell Plc might start taking the climate crisis seriously, they drop a fresh load of fossil-fueled optimism—while their gas output slumps and their climate credibility melts faster than Arctic ice in a heatwave.

In a new “trading update” (read: PR gloss-over), Shell confessed that natural gas and LNG production in the first quarter of 2025 was—gasp!lower than expected. The reason? Oh, just some “unplanned maintenance” in Australia and “cyclones.” You know, the kinds of weather events that are becoming more frequent because of companies like Shell. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Latest Offshore Gas Grab: Australia Bows to Big Oil’s Demands Yet Again

Prelude FLNG itself has been a spectacularly unreliable disaster, shutting down multiple times due to safety and operational failures. 

Shell. The shining beacon of corporate responsibility. The ethical North Star of the energy sector. The company that never—ever—puts profit over people, the planet, or basic decency. And now, thanks to the ever-accommodating Australian government, this benevolent titan has been given the go-ahead to unleash yet another offshore gas project. Because if there’s one thing the world desperately needs in 2025, it’s more fossil fuel infrastructure!

Shell Australia—the local arm of the UK-based money-printing empire—has been handed the regulatory stamp of approval by none other than the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA). This means Shell can now plow ahead with its “Crux” development (oh, the irony), a massive offshore natural gas project in the northern Browse Basin, 190 kilometers off the northwest Australian coast. Given that Shell’s track record on environmental stewardship is as spotless as an oil-soaked pelican, what could possibly go wrong? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Whines About “Dysfunctional” Regulations Slowing Energy Transition

Shell Whines About “Dysfunctional” Regulations Slowing Energy Transition – Because, You Know, It’s Not Like Shell’s The Reason We’re In This Mess

23 Sept 2024

Oh, the irony. Shell, that beloved beacon of environmental stewardship (cue laughter), is apparently very concerned about the “dysfunctional” rules slowing down the transition to clean energy. Yep, the same company that’s spent decades pumping out enough carbon to fuel a planet-sized barbecue now wants you to know they’re ready to dive headfirst into renewables – if only the government would stop getting in their way.

According to Cecile Wake, chairwoman of Shell Australia, the gas giant’s brave attempts to go green are being sabotaged by a “deharmonised patchwork quilt of regulations.” Ah, yes, because what’s really threatening humanity’s ability to hit climate targets is regulation – not, you know, Shell’s multi-billion dollar investments in fossil fuels. “Right now, what we have is a dysfunctional, deharmonised patchwork quilt of regulations that really make it difficult to have successful investments,” she lamented in an interview, apparently straight-faced. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Latest Flaring Success: Because Setting Fire to the Environment Wasn’t Enough

Shell: making sure your future stays as bright as their gas flares—and just as toxic.

Posted by John Donovan: 9 Sept 2024

Hold on to your gas masks, folks—Shell is back, lighting up the Queensland sky with a gas flare so bright you could probably see it from space. Apparently, Shell’s digging around in the Taroom Trough has sparked industry hopes of a brand-new gas supply that could save Australia’s east coast from impending shortages. Because, of course, when you think about solving an energy crisis, the first name that comes to mind is the greedy sin stock Shell, renowned for its commitment to burning through both fossil fuels and the planet’s future. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Newest Environmental Circus Act: Prelude FLNG in Western Australia

Posted by John Donovan: 9 July 2024

In the latest chapter of “Shell’s Ever-Expanding Environmental Impact,” John Wood Group PLC has snagged a massive engineering contract for Shell’s Prelude Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) facility in Western Australia. Because clearly, the world’s largest floating offshore gas facility is exactly what we need right now.

Brownfield Engineering Extravaganza:

This shiny new contract has Wood providing brownfield engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCm) solutions for Prelude. In other words, they’ll be making sure this gigantic floating gas factory operates smoothly while Shell continues its legacy of prioritizing profits over the planet. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell to Save Asia with More Pollution and Broken Promises

Posted by JOHN DONOVAN: 22 May 2024

In the latest episode of “How to Ruin the Planet While Making Billions,” Shell, the infamous oil behemoth, has announced that it will generously provide more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to emerging Asian markets. Because what could be better for countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bangladesh than a hefty dose of fossil fuels?

Asian spot LNG prices hit their highest levels since January last week, thanks to scorching weather that left everyone sweltering and clamoring for that sweet, sweet “super-chilled fuel.” Shell’s Country Chair in Australia, Cecile Wake, beamed with pride as she revealed this grand plan at the Australian Energy Producers Conference. According to her, “That combination of decarbonisation, and declining domestic production (will drive LNG demand growth).” Yes, nothing screams decarbonization like ramping up fossil fuel production. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Throws a Tantrum Over $99 Million Tax Bill

Posted by John Donovan: 17 May 2024

In a classic display of corporate audacity, Shell is throwing a fit and suing the Australian Tax Office (ATO) over a claim that it owes a measly $99 million in unpaid taxes. This dispute stems from Shell’s $3.5 billion exit from Woodside Petroleum back in 2017. Because when you’re a multibillion-dollar oil giant, every penny counts, right?

The ATO has the audacity to argue that Shell understated its capital gains by a whopping $193.9 million for the 2017 sale and an additional $135.7 million for a 2014 sale. But Shell, with its pristine track record of environmental and financial responsibility (cue laughter), insists it has complied with all tax obligations. They even claim to have a “cooperative relationship” with the ATO. Cooperative, as in, “We cooperate by trying to pay as little tax as possible.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Down Under: Prelude of Profits or Prelude to Disaster?

Posted by John Donovan: 19 April 2024

Well, folks, gather ’round for another riveting episode of “Shell’s Great Aussie Adventure,” where the profits are plummeting faster than a kangaroo on a trampoline! In the latest saga, our beloved oil behemoth, Shell, has taken yet another hefty blow on its floating Prelude LNG project in sunny north-west WA. But fear not, mates, because the real kicker? They still managed to ship a cool $4 billion back to their global parent! Talk about priorities, right? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment.