Below is an English translation of a Dutch article published by the NRC last night. It suggests that Shell and Exxon are getting away with very good terms in regards to the financial fallout from the Groningen earthquake damage debacle. Basically Shell and Exxon are cleverer than the negotiators of the Dutch government. The article author Menno Tamminga makes the comparison ‘how would Putin have handled this’? With referral to Putin blackmail tactics used against Shell in the Sakhalin2 debacle. read more

Two Ogoni fishermen have described how they were arrested by members of the police unit seconded to guard Shell personnel and installations (known as the Supernumerary or SPY police) on 22 June 1994. In a letter faxed to journalists after their release
from prison in October 1998, Kagbara Bassee and Blessing Israel said that the police arrested them at Benson Beach, Akwa Ibon State. They said that the police officers, who were accompanied by Shell staff, beat them with batons, knocking Blessing Israel unconscious.

Extracts from pages 27, 28 & 29 of an Amnesty International document headed: “A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE? SHELL’S INVOLVEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN NIGERIA IN THE 1990s”

In July 1994, the Dutch ambassador told Shell Nigeria’s then chairperson Brian Anderson that the army had killed some 800 Ogonis.

EXTRACT BEGINS

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT OF DETAINEES

During this time, numerous people – mostly from Ogoniland – were detained and held in military-run camps and subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Many were arbitrarily arrested and detained without charge for varying periods in 1994 and 1995 at either Bori Military Camp, in Port Harcourt, or the military detention centre set up in what used to be the police station in Kpor, in Ogoniland.102

Two environmentalists (Oronto Douglas and Nick Ashton-Jones) who went to visit Ledum Mitee, the MOSOP vice-president, in detention in the Bori Military Camp, on 26 June 1994, have described how they were detained, flogged and threatened with execution, on Paul Okuntimo’s orders.103 Nick Ashton-Jones described his experience: read more

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

Three quarters of Groningen victims accept NAM offer

Louis Hoeks • Economics & Politics

Of all 6199 Groningers with outstanding reports about earthquake damage to their homes, almost 74%, 4562 people, accepted the offer from the Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) for compensation. In almost 10% of cases, the proposal was rejected and almost 17% have not yet responded. This is apparent from a letter that Dutch Minister Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs and Climate sent to the House of Representatives on Thursday.

These are claims for compensation that were submitted before 1 April 2017 and therefore do not fall under the damage protocol presented on 31 January of this year. “We are unhappy that some people have rejected NAM’s offer,” said Wiebes Thursday in a parliamentary debate. The minister spoke with NAM, together with Commissioner of the King René Paas. read more

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

Nijboer wants reaction from cabinet to NAM guarantees

Carel Grol • Entrepreneurship

Member of Parliament Henk Nijboer (PvdA) wants a response from the government to the message in the FD that Shell and ExxonMobil offer limited security with the NAM agreement. Lawyer and professor Steef Bartman of Leiden University wrote in an opinion piece in this newspaper on Monday, in which he wondered whether NAM can fulfill its obligation to damage and strengthen at any time.

A week ago Minister Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs concluded a deal with Shell and ExxonMobil. The oil companies said they stood surety for ‘Groningen’. However, a number of provisions leave room for Shell and ExxonMobil to renegotiate in the future the guarantees issued and the financial distribution of gas revenues. read more

Groningen needs reinforcement: watchdog

The repair and reinforcement of Dutch homes damaged by gas-extraction earthquakes in Groningen needed to be speededup, the state supervisor on mines SoDM told economic minister Eric Wiebes.

Monday 2nd July 2018

RTL Nieuws reported that SoDM found approximately 1,900 homes in the region that, if not reinforced quickly, would no longer meet official safety standards. The distinctly Dutch rules state the risk of someone dying in an earthquake must not be higher than the risk of someone drowning in a flood elsewhere in the Netherlands. Another 3,100 homes needed urgent attention and 2,100 others needed temporary reinforcement, at least until 2021, the watchdog reported. Declining output at the natural gas field meant only temporary reinforcement was essential, it added. read more

Esther Kiobel poses with a picture of her beloved late husband, Dr. Barinem Kiobel, one of “Ogoni 9” executed by Nigeria’s military government after a peaceful uprising against Shell in 1995. Photograph: Amnesty International

29 June 2018

Esther says Amnesty activists have given her the strength to carry on fighting for justice

A year ago today, Esther Kiobel stood on the steps of the Palace of Justice in The Hague. It had taken over twenty years to get there, but she had just filed a landmark case against the oil giant Shell over what she says is its role in the 1995 execution of her husband Dr. Barinem Kiobel. Dr Kiobel, a former government official, was hanged by the Nigerian military government in connection with widespread protests against oil pollution in the Niger Delta. read more

Jun. 27, 2018 2:57 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

U.S. court dismisses climate change lawsuits against oil companies

Reuters Staff: JUNE 26, 2018

(Reuters) – A federal court in California dismissed climate change lawsuits by the cities of San Francisco and Oakland against five oil companies, saying the complaints required foreign and domestic policy decisions that were outside its purview. San Francisco and Oakland sued Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, and BP Plc last year seeking an abatement fund to help the cities address flooding they said was a result of climate change. Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said in the ruling that the dangers raised by the complainants were real and worldwide, and both parties accepted the science behind global warming. FULL ARTICLE read more

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. NAM is the Shell/Exxon Joint Venture company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions to deal with damaged residences.

Shell and Exxon pay much less to Groningen funds

Ulko Jonker, Carel Grol • Economics & Politics

The State pays almost 90% of the € 1 billion fund for Groningen and the oil companies Shell and ExxonMobil only pay € 135 million on balance. This is confirmed by the Ministry of Finance, after questions from the FD. At the presentation of the deal between the State on the one hand and Shell and Exxon on the other, about the end of the gas production in Groningen, the impression was still created that each accounted for half.

On Monday, the agreement was signed between the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Shell and ExxonMobil, each with a 50% stake in NAM. They will refrain from claims against the State, and would deposit € 500 million into a fund for Groningen. That was the result of ‘tough negotiations’, as Rolf de Jong, CEO of ExxonMobil Benelux put it. read more

Extracts from the ebook “John Donovan, Shell’s Nightmare” (now available on Amazon websites globally)

Extract from page 147.

I publish articles on my website penned by me and authored by Shell insiders and former Shell employees.

A brief selection:

Roll call of Shell toxic brands deadly to insects, crop pests AND humans: 20 August 2010

Shell Corrib employee group leaking information to website: 6 August 2010

Adventures in Shell ‘Matulaland’: 11 June 2010

DATA SECURITY BREACH AT SHELL PUTS ITS EMPLOYEES AT RISK: 4 February 2010

Shell’s North Sea history of safety violations, blackmail and blacklisting: 28 January 2010

SEX, DRUGS & CORRUPTION SPONSORED BY SHELL

News headlines file for Royal Dutch Shell Sex and Drugs Scandal: 27 May 2009

Royal Dutch Shell Fat Cat Malcolm Brinded: Big Brain but no scruples: 28 May 2009 read more

It is not known how many people died during the raids, which lasted until August 1994, when the military claimed to have successfully “restored peace” to Ogoniland. In July, the Dutch ambassador told Shell Nigeria’s then chairperson Brian Anderson that the army had killed some 800 Ogonis.

Extracts from pages 25, 26 & 27 of an Amnesty International document headed: “A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE? SHELL’S INVOLVEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN NIGERIA IN THE 1990s”

EXTRACT BEGINS

ARREST OF MOSOP LEADERS AND FURTHER VIOLENCE IN OGONILAND

On 21 May 1994, four of the traditional Ogoni leaders, who had fallen out with Ken Saro-Wiwa the previous year, were attacked while they were holding a meeting in Giokoo, Ogoniland. Because of serious flaws in the investigation and subsequent trial, and because prosecution witnesses gave conflicting accounts of what happened, the key facts surrounding the killings have never been fully established. According to the version put forward by the prosecution, the attack was carried out by a mob of hundreds of men.82 The prosecution said that these attackers beat the four traditional leaders to death and then set fire to their corpses. The victims were Chief Edward N. Kobani, who had resigned as MOSOP Vice-President in 1993, Albert T. Badey, Chief Samuel N. Orage and Chief Theophilus B. Orage. read more

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil each own a 50% share in NAM, the company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions in damages to effected residences.

“The minister cannot sign a deal with Shell and Exxon, which involves billions of euros…

Shell and Exxon lack trump card in negotiations with Wiebes

BY BERT VAN DIJK AND GIJS DEN BRINKER

Negotiations between Minister Eric Wiebes of Economic Affairs & Climate and oil companies Shell and ExxonMobil about gas extraction in Groningen are almost complete. Within two weeks, the minister will present a coalition agreement on the billions issue. Which cards are on the table?

1. Security of supply

Minister Wiebes announced at the end of March that he wants to bring gas production in Groningen to zero as quickly as possible. That would mean that the gas extraction by those lower volumes would soon no longer be profitable for Shell and ExxonMobil. Even though there is hardly any money to be gained from gas extraction, several sources report the FD. read more

Nigeria’s oil wells may be flowing again, but the country’s largest operator says attacks continue to put a brake on output.

Written by Bloomberg – 05/06/2018 9:35 am

“Security in parts of the Niger delta remains a major concern with persisting incidents of criminality, kidnapping and vandalism as well as onshore and offshore piracy,” said Igo Weli, general manager for external relations at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s local unit. The warning underlines the enduring threat of attacks even as production recovers from a major militant campaign in 2016. Shell declared force majeure on Bonny Light crude shipments last month following pipeline leaks, while loadings of Forcados exports were also delayed. Weli didn’t specifically link those incidents to his comments on vandalism. FULL ARTICLE read more

Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, Financieele Dagblad. Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil each own a 50% share in NAM, the company responsible for the earthquake blighted Groningen Gas Field and consequential potential bill for untold billions in damages to effected residences.

‘Big step forward’ in dealing with Groningen earthquake damage claims

Lone Mugstorm • Economy & Politics

The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) has already dealt with more than half of the claims relating to natural gas extraction in Groningen. This is what Minister Wiebes of Economic Affairs reports in a letter to the House of Representatives on Friday.

These are the approximately 5,600 claims submitted before 31 March 2017. These will still be handled by NAM. Residents of Groningen who have suffered damage from gas extraction after that date can now go to a special government counter. read more

May 25, 2018 12:58 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

A confidential study that Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) has been accused of trying to shield from public view showed worsening “catastrophic” pollution around oil spill sites in Nigeria, WSJ reports.

At least one of the study’s authors has urged the findings to be widely distributed because they pointed to significant health risks to the local Bodo community in Nigeria but said that Shell had denied him permission to publish the study’s results in a scientific journal, according to the WSJ report. read more

REUTERS STAFF: MAY 24, 2018

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) – A British judge ruled on Thursday that Nigeria’s Bodo community, which has been involved in a protracted legal battle with Shell over the clean-up of two 2008 oil spills, should retain the option of litigation for another year.

Lawyers for Bodo had accused Shell of trying to kill off the legal case by seeking a court order that would have meant the community had to meet onerous conditions before it could revive its litigation, which is currently on hold. read more