Oil Company Profits

How a gripe website kicked the world’s greediest oil giant where it hurts

How a gripe website kicked the world’s greediest oil giant where it hurts: the Donovan playbook that helped expose Shell’s 2004 reserves fraud

Royal Dutch Shell’s 2004 reserves scandal was not just a numbers fiasco; it was a morality play in hard hats. Shell—ultimate sin stock and serial planet-frier—admitted it had been boasting about barrels it didn’t actually have. Regulators pounced, executives walked (some under escort), investors sued worldwide, and a pesky website run by John Donovan became an improbable clearinghouse for witnesses, whistleblowers, and the lead shareholder who fronted a global class action.

The fraud in one line (Shell’s own regulators said it)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission put it starkly: Shell overstated proved reserves “by 4.47 billion barrels of oil equivalent, or approximately 23%.” Shell paid a $120 million civil penalty to settle. That’s not commentary, that’s the government. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell, Spies and the Church: Public Enemy Number 1 in the Pews of Power

UPDATED 6 Sept 2025

When oil, espionage, and institutional sanctity collide, you get more than corporate intrigue—you get disaster dressed as business. This isn’t a Bond novel. This is Shell—deploying spies, dodging accountability, and leaving death and pollution in its wake. And Amnesty International reminds us: Shell can divest, but it can’t wash away its crimes.

1.

The Church, the Fax, and Hakluyt’s Grip

In 2004, a letter Shell critic Alfred Donovan faxed to Hakluyt & Companyco-founder Christopher James (a private intelligence firm founded by MI6 veterans) mysteriously turned up on the desk of a surprised lawyer at the Church of England’s Legal Office. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell to the World: “We’re Not Moving to the US Yet—We’re Already Raking It In Just Fine from London, Thanks”

Wael Sawan reassures Wall Street that Shell’s morally bankrupt business model is working just great—no passport change needed.

Stop the presses! Shell, the planet-roasting oil baron, will not be moving its listing to the U.S. any time soon—because why mess with a system that’s already coughing up billions in buybacks while the world burns?

CEO Wael Sawan, delivering his signature “we care about shareholder value, not carbon footprints” charm, went on CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe this week to calm Wall Street’s eager little hearts. Despite previous hints that Shell might chase “the bright lights of New York,” Sawan has now confirmed that, no, this isn’t a “live discussion.” Translation: they’re already making a killing on the FTSE—why relocate when the cash faucet is flowing? 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

When Shell Met BP – A Love Story Fueled by Oil, Lies, and a $120 Million Fine

“And speaking of Shell’s finest: enter Simon Henry, Shell’s former CFO and now newly appointed BP board member. A man intimately connected to the hydrocarbon reserves scandal.”

Ah, Shell and BP. Britain’s answer to “Which fossil-fueled supervillain do you prefer?” Now there’s murmuring that Shell—the world’s leading oil-slicked PR machine and gold-medal winner in the Deadliest Workplace Olympics—might consider buying BP, its slightly less polished cousin. It’s like Dracula pondering whether to adopt Frankenstein.

But before we get too sentimental, let’s remember what Shell brings to the table:

  • A glorious history of employee care, like handing Dutch staff over to the Nazis during WWII, and later using workers as test subjects for carcinogenic chemicals. Experimental cruelty disguised as corporate efficiency.
  • A North Sea platform scandal so outrageous it could be a Monty Python sketch, were it not for the dead offshore workers. Lifeboats were reportedly unseaworthy, and Shell’s internal policy was colloquially dubbed “Touch Fuck All.” Charming.
  • The 2004 reserves scandal, where Shell admitted it had wildly exaggerated its hydrocarbon reserves. Shareholders were shocked. The SEC fined Shell $120 million, which the company could pay using just one of its greenwashing budgets.
  • Nigeria, where Shell’s legacy is so soaked in blood, corruption, and environmental devastation that it makes the Exxon Valdez spill look like a spilt milkshake.
  • Hakluyt, Shell’s in-house intelligence firm. If MI6 and Blackwater had a baby who hated Greenpeace, it’d be Hakluyt. This covert unit reportedly spied on activists, journalists, and anyone else who dared whisper the truth.
  • Let’s not forget Shell’s ties to the apartheid regime, its cameo in the Al-Yamamah BAE oil-for-arms scandal, and its incestuous intelligence links through Hakluyt.
  • And then there’s SPECTRE and SMERSH… oh wait, those are fictional. Shell isn’t. It’s worse.

Investors like BlackRock and Vanguard still happily line their pockets from Shell’s sludge-soaked profits. Because what’s a little ecological genocide when there are dividends to collect? 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell-BP Megamerger: When Greed Meets Greenwash in a Match Made in Hydrocarbon Hell

When Shell CEO Wael Sawan responded to speculation about a mega-merger with BP, he said the bar for acquisitions was “very high.” Clearly, it’s not nearly as high as Shell’s tolerance for greenhouse gas emissions, human rights controversies, or sheer corporate arrogance.

Now, as rumours swirl about Shell swallowing up its once-proud British cousin, BP, we are once again reminded that in Big Oil, consolidation is just a polite word for “expanding your emissions footprint while doubling your marketing budget.” 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell’s Oil-Soaked Toxic Legacy in Nigeria

“It’s Hell in the Niger Delta.” That’s not a protest slogan. It’s a summary of Shell’s business model.

While Shell executives clink glasses and rake in obscene profits behind the comfort of a Heathrow hotel AGM—conveniently sealed off from the unwashed masses by court injunction—just outside, campaigners from Amnesty International UK, Fossil Free London, and the Justice 4 Nigeria coalition were busy staging a protest as sticky and damning as Shell’s conscience ought to be.

The scene? Protesters in flaming Shell-logo suits theatrically spilling “oil” across a giant map of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, while seated activists bore shirts that read like an indictment: “Decades of Oil Spills”, “Polluted Waters”, “Devastated Communities.” A massive red location pin screamed, “It’s Hell in the Niger Delta.” But make no mistake—this wasn’t street theatre. This was truth. Vivid, unignorable, and slick with symbolism. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell Eyes BP Takeover While Drenched in Gas, Cash, and Climate Denial

There are corporate villains, and then there’s Shell—the Bond villain of Big Oil, now openly toying with the idea of swallowing BP whole like a boa constrictor eyeing a stunned rat. With BP’s renewable daydreams in flames and its share price gasping for relevance, Shell’s chief executive Wael Sawan has stepped forward as the calm, calculating undertaker, declaring at the AGM that “the bar for mergers and acquisitions is very high”—which in Shell-speak translates to: “We’ll wait until they’re cheap enough to loot.” 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell Gets Paid to Pollute: £12.4 Million Refund While Britain Chokes on Oil and Austerity

It’s hard to overstate the sheer audacity of Shell. While ordinary Britons scramble to heat their homes and feed their families, this oily behemoth has perfected a perverse alchemy: turning climate destruction into taxpayer-funded profit. According to Shell’s own “Payments to Governments” report, the company paid a paltry £8.6 million in UK taxes in 2024 for its North Sea operations—only to be handed back a jaw-dropping £12.4 million by HMRC. That’s right: the UK government effectively paid Shell £3.8 million to keep drilling holes in the seabed and warming 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell Games: Champagne Bonuses, Cracked Climates, and the BP Bait-and-Switch

In the latest episode of Oilopoly: Climate Be Damned, Shell—the planet-warming powerhouse formerly known as Royal Dutch, now just royally brazen—is facing a pesky little revolt. No, not from the millions affected by its carbon-spewing empire or the earthquake survivors of Groningen, but from its own shareholders, clutching their pearls at the audacity of an £8.6 million payday for CEO Wael Sawan.

Yes, Sawan—the man who makes eight figures while fending off climate lawsuits with one hand and greenwashing with the other—received a nearly £1 million raise last year. Apparently, polluting the planet, greenlighting LNG expansion, and flirting with a BP takeover is now a performance bonus category. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell “working with advisers” to assess the “merits” of acquiring BP

Shell Eyes BP: A Sin Stock Wedding Made in Hell

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Hell hath no fury like Shell with a cash pile and a conscience to ignore.

The ultimate sin stock — Shell Plc, the polluting powerhouse adored by BlackRock and Vanguard — is reportedly toying with the idea of buying BP, its longtime frenemy in fossil-fuelled destruction. The deal, if it goes ahead, would be one of the largest oil industry takeovers in history — and perhaps the most poetic union of corporate cynicism in living memory. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell’s Profits Drop — So Naturally They Bought More of Themselves

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Ah, Shell. That noble steward of the planet, tireless protector of shareholder portfolios, and — let’s not forget — connoisseur of pollution with a flair for corporate doublespeak. The oil giant just reported a 28% drop in Q1 profit, and what was their instinctive, compassionate, forward-looking response?

Buy. Back. More. Shares.

Because when your profit drops to a mere $5.58 billion (cue violins), the first thing to do is reward your most loyal environmentalists — sorry, investors — like BlackRock and Vanguard with $3.5 billion in buybacks. That’s the 14th quarter in a row. Consistency, if nothing else. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Exxon’s Eco-Warrior Makeover: Out-Greening Shell, the Sin Stock That Keeps on Spilling

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Well, well, well. Would you look at that. ExxonMobil — yes, that Exxon — is now strutting around like Greta Thunberg in an oil-stained tuxedo, about to overtake Shell and BP in so-called “low-carbon spending.” You know, the same Exxon that used to sneer at clean energy as a “beauty contest”? Suddenly it’s front row in the pageant.

According to investment guidance from six Western oil majors, Exxon now plans to splash out $30 billion on “low emissions opportunities” by 2030. That’s up from a humble $3 billion plan in 2021. Because apparently, all it takes is a PR makeover, some hydrogen buzzwords, and a boatload of government subsidies to turn one of the planet’s biggest polluters into an environmental pioneer. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell’s Slow-Motion Oil Orgy: How to Kill the Planet and Still Get a Bonus

Why invest in the future when you can squeeze the last dollars out of the apocalypse?

Well, well, well—look who’s back at it. Shell, the undisputed heavyweight champion of environmental disregard, has once again reminded us that its idea of “transition” involves moving from one yacht to another, not from oil to renewables. Welcome to the age of Big Oil’s “managed decline,” which is just a posh way of saying: we’re scaling down investment in the future so we can keep setting fire to the present more profitably.

Let’s cut through the fossil-fuel fog: Shell, the ultimate sin stock (proudly held by climate-conscience titans like BlackRock), has decided to lower its annual spending target to $20–22 billion through 2028, down from the already-not-exactly-ambitious $22–25 billion. At the same time, it has graciously committed to keeping oil output flat at 1.4 million barrels per day—because what’s good for emissions is good for business, 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell & BP’s “Capital-Light” Climate Hustle: Why Save the Planet When You Can Trade Around It?

Hold onto your lungs, folks—Shell and BP are back at it with their latest climate cosplay. Yes, the world’s favorite carbon barons have decided they still kinda want a piece of the “clean energy” pie—not to save the planet, of course, but because it gives them a juicy trading advantage. Welcome to the age of “capital-light” climate action, where you don’t have to build anything meaningful—you just trade electrons and slap a green label on it.

Shell, that bastion of environmental virtue (ahem), is now leaning into what CEO Wael Sawan proudly calls a “capital-light business model” for renewables. Translation: we’ll let other people build the stuff while we swoop in to make money off the volatility. Shell will “make use of project financing where it makes sense and work with partners,” said Sawan at the New York Stock Exchange, presumably while clutching a reusable water bottle for ESG optics. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell’s “Successful Failure”: Still Failing, But With Even Bigger Bonuses

CEO Wael Sawan says his strategy is working — if you define ‘working’ as slashing renewables, kneeling to Wall Street, and praying the Trump administration sticks around.

Shell — the fossil-fueled titan that never met a barrel of oil it didn’t want to burn — has declared its latest strategy a “successful failure.” Which is corporate code for: We didn’t achieve what we said we would, but we did make rich people richer, so that counts, right?

Two years into CEO Wael Sawan’s so-called “10-quarter sprint” to remake Shell into a leaner, meaner profit machine, the results are in: 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Shell CEO Bags $11 Million for a Year of Declining Profits and Climate Damage

Wael Sawan gets a raise for overseeing a 16% drop in profit. Meanwhile, the planet’s on fire, and Shell’s investors couldn’t be happier.

Ah, capitalism — where performance is optional, but payouts are guaranteed. Just ask Wael Sawan, Shell’s CEO and proud captain of the SS Planet-Burner, who just walked away with a cool £8.6 million ($11.1 million) pay package for 2024.

That’s up from £7.9 million the year before — because nothing screams “well done” like a 16% drop in profit.

Let’s review the numbers, shall we? Shell reported $23.7 billion in profit for 2024 — down from the year before thanks to (gasp) weaker oil and gas prices and a slight dip in demand. But don’t worry! The board wasn’t going to let something like reality get in the way of a good bonus. 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, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.