The Brazilian Petrobras Scandal: The Brazilian oil giant Petrobras is the largest company in the Southern Hemisphere. On November 14, 2014, a series of police raids netted politicians and Petrobras bigwigs who had paid $2 billion in bribes… Now we have news that Petrobras is linking up with Royal Dutch Shell, which is currently mired in a billion dollar scandal: OPL 245…

Shell and Petrobras sign technical cooperation agreement to strengthen deep water partnership

Posting on Shell Blog by Bogus Group

Shell MoU with Petrobras and their partnership to share experience on cost efficiency and use of technology.

Déjà vu springs to mind (Daily Telegraph 01 March 2012) on BG Group finance of $1.8bn from Brazilian Development Bank to fund interests offshore Brazil (was this the same interests that Chapman demanded his cohorts in Brazil disclose over estimated reserves?).

Daily Telegraph 14 May 2013 also noted Chris Finlayson rhetoric to “keep up the pace with huge discoveries” and focusing on “value over volume”, leaving the company “lean and agile”. read more

Shell suffering legacy of BG Group negligence in maintaining safety critical equipment

Opinion from a contributor to our Shell Blog

A media article has revealed that Shell is already suffering from the legacy of BG Group negligence in maintaining safety critical equipment.

The HSE have issued an improvement notice for failing to install gas detection equipment on the Lomond Platform, despite recommendations from two separate studies.

A second improvement notice was issued for failing to test a High Integrity Protection System (HIPS) since 2014, despite the associated Performance Standard requirement to test annually.

It could be assumed that Finlayson encouraged the infamous Brent TFA during his tenure at the helm of BG to maximise production volumes (an obsession with executives), at the expense of safety system testing. That assumption would not be entirely accurate, the same culture was evident in BG Group long before. Previous failures of a HIPS testing regime had been exposed at another BG operational location, yet despite this no one was held accountable. Maybe if they had been the ‘management team’ in question would not have been implanted in Aberdeen in 2012. read more

LINK TO ARTICLE

JOHN DONOVAN SAR APPLICATION LETTER TO SHELL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998

19 July 2016

Mr. Gary Thomson SI-LSC/K
Shell International Limited
40 Bank Street
London E14 5NR

Dear Mr Thomson

Data Protection Act 1998 – Subject Access Request (SAR)

Thank you for your email dated 19 July 2016.

Please find enclosed completed application forms together with a postal order for £10 made out to Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

I obtained it before finding out that the fee can now instead be paid to a charity.

As you are aware, I operate royaldutchshellplc.com – a website focussed on the activities of Shell. read more

Rakteem Katakey: Bloomberg.com: February 11, 2016

BG Group Plc, pioneer of natural-gas shipping, will trade on stock exchanges for the last time on Friday, 19 years after it was created.

The shares will delist Monday as BG becomes a fully owned unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc following the industry’s biggest acquisition in more than a decade. The stock has increased ninefold since 1997, when former state monopoly British Gas Plc split its exploration and production arm from retail. Shell gained just 15 percent in the period, while BP Plc declined 4.4 percent.

The BG takeover will catapult Shell into second place among the world’s most valuable public oil companies, behind Exxon Mobil Corp. Shell plans to run BG as a subsidiary initially, merging the two companies over the course of a year, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the matter. BG’s assets, including gas projects from Australia to Kazakhstan, will help the Anglo-Dutch energy giant ride out the oil-price slump. read more

Outspoken articles about Shell up to end of 2016

For Jan 2017 onwards click here

Dan Etete turns on his accomplices Eni and Shell: 30 Dec 2016

Alarm Bells – Shell Pearl GTL gasifiers crippled?: 28 Dec 2016

Shell’s complicity in human rights abuses in the Niger Delta: 27 Dec 2016

ENI AND SHELL TO BE PROSECUTED OVER OPL 245 $1.1 BILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL: 24 Dec 2016

A devastating blow for Shell in U.S. Federal Court: 23 Dec 2016

Explosive allegations around Shell and Eni’s OPL 245 deal: 23 Dec 2016

Obama’s April Fool’s Joke Approving Shell Arctic Drilling: 22 Dec 2016

RoyalDutchShellGroup.com for Shell Breaking News:21 Dec 2016

THE OPL 245 SCANDAL INVOLVING SHELL: 21 Dec 2016

Corruption of Police by Shell: 16 Dec 2016

Shell cost-cutting plan will undermine the welfare of its pensioners: 12 Dec 2016

Shell Canada President Michael Crothers says Canada should stick to its values: 29 Nov 2016

Pleased to assist Leigh Day in Suing Shell says John Donovan: 22 Nov 2016

21st Anniversary Commemoration of Ogoni Martyrs: 12 Nov 2016

LIVING IN TRUMPWORLD: 11 Nov 2016

The Uncensored History of the Shell Brent Oil and Gas Field: 9 Nov 2016

Award for deadly Corrib Gas Project: 8 Nov 2016

Irish Police, Shell, Corruption and Alcohol: 7 Nov 2016

No credibility in Shell Peak Oil Forecasts, says John Donovan: 3 Nov 2016

Hearing on Royal Dutch Shell: Committee Room 1, House of Commons Wednesday 2 November 2016: 1 Nov 2016

Lament for Royal Dutch Shell: 14 Oct 2016

CORRUPT IRISH POLICE FORCE: THE GARDA: 10 Oct 2016

Australian Government unconvinced about FLNG safety claims: 28 Sept 2016 read more

Christopher Helman

So this is how the consolidation starts. Royal Dutch Shell is making a smart move in its $70 billion acquisition of BG Group . The deal will gain Shell access to the most exciting deepwater oil projects in the world, in Brazil. While adding in BG Group’s fast-growing liquefied natural gas business will soon make Shell the undisputed world leader in LNG. The combination will set Shell on the path to unseat Exxon Mobil XOM -1.95% as the world’s biggest oil company — at least until the next big acquisition is revealed. read more

Love hurts: How a special relationship between a Shell oil executive and a Government Minister contributed to offshore deaths 

SELF-EXPLANATORY EMAIL FROM JOHN DONOVAN TO BARONESS HELEN LIDDELL: 

From: John Donovan 

Subject: THE EMAIL YOU RECEIVED FROM MR BILL CAMPBELL

Date: 9 March 2015 22:50:38 GMT

Cc: Campbell <Cambell

To: [email protected]

Dear Baroness Liddell,

I understand you have received an email from Mr Bill Campbell, the highly esteemed retired HSE Group Auditor of Shell International.

As you are aware, it relates to your alleged contact some years ago with Mr Malcolm Brinded, when he was a Shell Managing Director whose responsibilities included Shell North Sea Platforms.  read more

Chris Finlayson representing Shell and Alexander Medvedev, Gazprom’s Vice Chairman

By John Donovan

Royal Dutch Shell executive Chris Finlayson held a leadership position in Shell’s Sakhalin II project in Russia from September 2005 to September 2009.

The venture was described as “the Mother of all Projects” by the Financial Times.

When Finlayson joined the Sakhalin II project, Shell was the controlling stakeholder in the venture.

By the time he departed, Shell had lost its controlling stake and had become a junior partner in humiliating circumstances.

The Putin government found out that Shell had hidden information from them in a high level cover-up. As a Russian government minister, Oleg Mitvol, confirmed to the news media at the time, and more recently in a GERMAN TV documentary segment broadcast across Europe, I supplied that crucial insider information to him. I did so before the real nature of Putin had become apparent.   read more

(THE ABOVE SCREENSHOT IS FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE INDEPENDENT PUBLISHED SUNDAY 28 DEC 2014)

ARTICLE BY BILL CAMPBELL, RETIRED HSE GROUP AUDITOR, SHELL INTERNATIONAL

Could you really trust ex Shell executives to run a railway network?

In the usual manner *TFA Malcolm the Tank Engine arranged for his apprentice Marc Carne to take over as CEO of Network Rail, but like his disciples Bjorn Berget, Chris Finlayson, Gregory P Hill, dear Marc is a follower, not a leader, how otherwise would TFA Brinded have recruited them as his obedient servants in the first place.

Outside the protected arena of Shell, and in the public domain, we sense their true worth. read more

Bichsel will undoubtedly leave shortly, joining Ollila, Rees, Brown, Brinded, Voser, Finlayson, Carne… And when everything starts to collapse, he will at least now have the satisfaction of saying “I told you so”. This is typical for a coward…

By John Donovan

Earlier today Reuters published comments attributed to Royal Dutch Shell Plc Executive Director, Matthias Bichsel.

Extract

“There is always so much talk about these big LNG projects around the world, but only a small fraction of them will get built,” said Matthias Bichsel, who is also a member of Shell’s Executive Committee.

The Financial Times has this weekend pointed put “the company’s leadership is changing at a time when its financial performance has been under scrutiny from investors” and also drew attention to the recent profit warning, following a succession of dismal quarterly results.  read more

Shell Germany had offered a free Kindle e-reader for 999 points to be earned when filling up. But also when buying a chocolate bar of € 1.29, this gave 100 points…. Buying 10 bars of chocolate and you had an e-reader. They ran out of Kindles after 3 hours!!!  Their website collapsed due to 40-fold traffic increase. Big disaster. Many people pissed off.

FROM AN OLD EP HAND

Shell Germany had offered a free Kindle e-reader for 999 points to be earned when filling up. But also when buying a chocolate bar of € 1.29, this gave 100 points…. Buying 10 bars of chocolate and you had an e-reader. There were ‘only’ 10.000 e-readers so they soon ran out, Germans are not crazy and can calculate. Now many disgusted customers.  Shell offered excuses to customers.

Good idea, not thought through and blind to an error of giving many points for a chocolate bar.

From their website:
 
http://www.shell.de/products-services/on-the-road/card-services/clubsmart/informationen-zum-neuen-shell-clubsmart-praemienprogramm.html
 
They ran out of kindles after 3 hours!!! 
 
Their website collapsed due to 40-fold traffic increase.
 
Big disaster. Many people pissed off. If only Shell would admit they screwed up people would understand. Now lot of wishy washy language. read more

“With hindsight you should revisit his CV printed out by the BG Group at the time of his appointment, a work of fiction that Hans Christian Andersen would have been proud of. You are right, your web site warned the World about his previous track record but such foresight is often ignored.”

Comment received from Bill Campbell, Retired HSE Group Auditor, Shell International

John

There was many years ago a principle put forward by LJ Peter in his 1969 book as to why things always go wrong in organisations.  Peter espoused that managers were oft promoted into positions that they were incompetent to handle. So it was with Chris Finlayson who was tracked up through the ranks holding on to the coat tails of his mentor TFA Brinded.  I used to call it the parasitical approach to development and promotion through attachment to a big powerful animal who was on an accelerated promotion curve the employee could avoid the normal HR assessment process safeguarded by his powerful mentor.  In return Brinded had a set of disciples who would be loyal and unquestioning and whom he could micromanage as he saw fit.  read more

Leads me to speculate whether Chris Finlayson was infiltrated into BG Group by Royal Dutch Shell for surreptitious purposes, including dragging the company down. If so, he appears to have done a magnificent job.

By John Donovan

BG Group has been the subject of bid speculation for a long time. e.g.

• BG Group shares rise on bid reports (BBC News Aug 2010)
• Speculation over hostile bid for BG Group (London Evening Standard Nov 2012)
• BG Exposed to Bids (Bloomberg Jan 2013)
• BG Group investors say Finlayson’s exit raises takeover prospect (FT 28 April 2014)

Extract from the FT article:

However, a top 10 shareholder said that, with BG now rudderless, it had become a prime takeover target. “It’s a green light to a potential bidder….”

ExxonMobil is identified as one such potential bidder.

According to an email I received this morning from a Shell source: “BG… reserves might also be good for Shell…”

Shell has certainly flirted with the idea many times. read more

“BG Group chief executive Chris Finlayson has been ousted by the oil and gas explorer’s board following a disastrous 16 months in the job….” No one can say that we did not repeatedly warn BG Group about the competence and ethics of Chris Finlayson…

By John Donovan

The news media is reporting that former Royal Dutch Shell executive Chris Finlayson has quit as CEO of BG Group.

Actually, he was unceremoniously fired.

Extract from article published by The Independent: “BG Group chief Chris Finlayson resigns after 16 months at the helm”

BG Group chief executive Chris Finlayson has been ousted by the oil and gas explorer’s board following a disastrous 16 months in the job.  He is understood not to have another job to go to… In an unusually blunt statement Gould said: “The board felt that it was in the best interests of the group to accept Chris’ resignation and seek fresh leadership.” Since taking over Finlayson has presided over a succession of profit warnings and a 37% slump in annual profits… read more

LONDON EVENING STANDARD TODAY:

Chris Finlayson’s dreadful first year as chief executive at BG Group was today capped by the news that profits slumped 37% to $4.16 billion (£2.54 billion) in 2013. The former Royal Dutch Shell executive said he shared shareholders’ “disappointment” at the oil producer’s many problems, which have included four profit warnings in little more than 12 months. Garry White, chief investment commentator at broker Charles Stanley, said: “I reckon it’s time for BG Group to be broken up.”

By John Donovan

WE REPEATEDLY WARNED BG SHAREHOLDERS AND EMPLOYEES ABOUT CHRIS FINLAYSON…

HE IS NOT THE ONLY COMMON DENOMINATOR BETWEEN ROYAL DUTCH SHELL AND BG GROUP.

BOTH COMPANIES HAVE JUST ISSUED PROFIT WARNINGS

• How Chris Finlayson bungled the Mother of all Projects: Sakhalin II: 24 December 2012
• BG Group corporate incubator for Shell strays?: 22 December 2012
• BG Group CEO Chris Finlayson and the Shell ‘Touch F*** All’ Scandal: 20 December 2012
• CHRIS FINLAYSON AND THE ROYAL DUTCH SHELL RESERVES SCANDAL: 18 December 2012
• Contact with BG Group about its controversial new CEO Chris Finlayson: 17 December 2012
• Shareholder alarm over appointment of BG Group CEO Chris Finlayson: 16 December 2012
• Chris Finlayson: One can of worms after another: 17 Jan 2013
• Chris Finlayson saw himself as the victim of a brutal Shell regime: 21 October 2013

THE DEVASTATING ARTICLE PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE LONDON EVENING STANDARD IS SELF-EXPLANATORY

Gloom continues for new BG boss amid profits slide

4 February 2014

Chris Finlayson’s dreadful first year as chief executive at BG Group was today capped by the news that profits slumped 37% to $4.16 billion (£2.54 billion) in 2013.

The former Royal Dutch Shell executive said he shared shareholders’ “disappointment” at the oil producer’s many problems, which have included four profit warnings in little more than 12 months. read more

In summary, and there was evidence in 1999 to support this to a degree, Finlayson (right) saw himself as a victim of a brutal regime run out of Seafield House where the TFA mode was born and his MD Malcolm Brinded who was frantically doing everything in his power to suppress all this because he was seen by the Audit to be the principal architect of the demise in standards throughout the oilfield.  Finlayson in my book was weak, and ineffective, promoted in my opinion into a position he wasn’t competent or willing to handle.

EMAIL SENT 21 OCT 2013 TO A THIRD PARTY BY BILL CAMPBELL, RETIRED HSE GROUP AUDITOR, SHELL INTERNATIONAL

Subject: Chris Finlayson

My dealings with Chris were a long time ago during an Audit in 1999.  This Audit uncovered remarkably bad behaviour in the then Shell Expro organisation stemming from the business drivers and messages coming from the top of the organisation.  I spent some hours in the presence of Aberdeen auditors trying to get Finlayson to retract his statements made to journalists and the BBC North reporter Colin Wight that the Touch F All concerns raised by workforce representatives were unwarranted whilst in fact the situation was worse, much worse than anyone outside the organisation could have envisaged.  Last December on his appointment as the BG Chief the Independent newspaper (Mark Leftly) run a article on Finlayson titled if I can remember BG Chief breached safety rules when he was at Shell.  Subsequently I wrote a couple of articles putting the meat on the bones of this which John Donovan published.  BG given the right to reply made no comment and to date have not requested the evidence to support although this was offered to them.
 
In summary, and there was evidence in 1999 to support this to a degree, Finlayson saw himself as a victim of a brutal regime run out of Seafield House where the TFA mode was born and his MD Malcolm Brinded who was frantically doing everything in his power to suppress all this because he was seen by the Audit to be the principal architect of the demise in standards throughout the oilfield.  Finlayson in my book was weak, and ineffective, promoted in my opinion into a position he wasn’t competent or willing to handle.
 
Finlayson however was the accountable person as Oil Director that position in the installation Safety Cases having prime responsibility for the health and safety of some 3000 staff offshore (taking into account both shifts so in terms of the potential loss of life this figure has to be taken for quantitative assessment of risk).  After the MD brought the Audit to a premature halt Brent Bravo in particular continued to operate at intolerable risk levels.  The Audit actions reluctantly accepted by Finlayson but not implemented leading inevitably to the deaths in 2003.
 
All that I can say in summary is that in allowing Brent Bravo in particular to continue in operation Finlayson demonstrated a callous disregard for his duty of care for the health and safety of employees, direct and indirect, offshore.
 
Shell appears to accept this given that raised no objections to the articles published recently to commemorate the deaths, the evidence supporting these articles can be provide to you if you think this would be helpful to your cause.
 
I wish you luck and if I can help with any specific questions you may have please feel free to ask.
 
Regards
 
Bill read more