Posts under ‘Oil’

FT: Investors pull green levers to reshape energy sector

Selective stockpicking, boycotts and engagement are all methods gaining ground among environmental stakeholders

Investing in energy is not what it was. Oil and gas companies like BP and Royal Dutch Shell were traditionally reliable dividend payers, the stalwart of any respectable income investor’s portfolio. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown that status into doubt. In April, Shell cut its dividend for the first time since 1945 as the oil price slumped, while some analysts have predicted BP could cut its dividend as early as next month as it struggles with the slowdown in economic activity this year.  read more

English translation of an article published today by the FD. 

Nearly eighty years after ‘Pearl Harbor’, Shell wins battle with the U.S. over outstanding war bill

Bert van Dijk

The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor withdrew the US World War II. It also marked the start of a decades-long lawsuit between Shell and the U.S. government, with Shell now emerging as the winner. Photo: Hugh Gentry / Reuters

In brief

• The US government also has to repay the last cent of interest on previously granted compensation to Shell.
• The payment is a compensation for clean-up costs incurred by Shell and other oil companies at a location where toxic waste was dumped in World War II.
• The judge finds that the US government is responsible for the remediation of the land.

Nearly eighty years after the attack on Pearl Harbor – the culmination of decades of litigation with the United States government – Shell is finally able to put an end to an ongoing legal battle over the disposal of a large amount of toxic waste. Or rather, about the costs of that clean-up. The US now also has to pay the last cent of interest to Shell. read more

Extracts from article published 13 July 2020

Global corporate debt surged to a record $8.3 trillion (£6.6 trillion) in 2019, up 8.1 per cent year-on-year and the fastest increase in at least five years. The Janus Henderson Corporate Debt Index, which covers the largest 900 non-financials in the world, predicts the overall figure to rise by a further $1 trillion in 2020.

Companies in the US and the UK are among the most indebted in the world…

In the UK, debts hit a record $539bn in 2019, growing slightly faster than the global average. Vodafone (VOD) accounted for half of the growth as it funded its acquisition of Liberty Global (US:LBTYA), while Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) also borrowed heavily to support its $15bn dividend. read more

Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and International Shipping: Extracts from above headlined article published in Oil & Companies News 13/07/2020

The global oil and gas industry has crashed. In mid-June, BP – formerly British Petroleum – slashed the value of its assets by US$17.5bn and revealed plans to cut its workforce by 15%. It forecast the price of oil would be a third lower than expected for decades to come and said it may be forced to leave new fossil fuel discoveries in the ground. read more

Oil and gas companies are hurtling toward bankruptcy, raising fears that wells will be left leaking planet-warming pollutants, with cleanup cost left to taxpayers.

Extracts from an article by Hiroko Tabuchi: July 12, 2020

Oil and gas companies in the United States are hurtling toward bankruptcy at a pace not seen in years, driven under by a global price war and a pandemic that has slashed demand. And in the wake of this economic carnage is a potential environmental disaster — unprofitable wells that will be abandoned or left untended, even as they continue leaking planet-warming pollutants, and a costly bill for taxpayers to clean it all up. read more

Bogus Group: Geert Vermeulen (Ethics & Compliance Officer) posted an article on Linkedin about the Shell OPL 45 debacle and all that surrounds it. This was a response to the article by Adam Bennett:

Geert, very easy to pass judgments without knowing full facts and in hindsight. Having previously led the business integrity department at Shell I can tell you things in Nigeria are never that clear cut. One thing I remain certain of is the moral compass of shells leadership.

Can’t be the same moral compass most of us are certain of. read more

Big Oil’s Investment Risk Is Spiking

By David Messler – Jul 07, 2020, 5:00 PM CDT

The major integrated oil companies: Shell,(NYSE:RDS.A, RDS.B); ExxonMobil, (NYSE:XOM); BP, (NYSE:BP); Chevron, (NYSE:CVX), and a few others, so named for their vertical stewardship of the hydrocarbon molecule from initial extraction to final refining, have come under increasingly accurate fire from climate change advocates. In the past organizations like Greenpeace and a host of other conservation organizations, have used direct measures to interdict oil company operations. Measures that were flashy, as they drew a lot of attention from the global press, but over the long haul did little to achieve their goals of stopping oil and gas exploration. read more

Ron Bousso: JULY 7, 2020

LONDON (Reuters) – The world’s top oil and gas companies locked in cheap borrowing rates to raise a record amount of debt in the second quarter of 2020 and boost cash reserves as a buffer against a collapse in revenues because of COVID-19.

The dash for debt piles pressure on company balance sheets and the issue is particularly acute for BP (BP.L) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L). Already burdened by high levels of borrowing, they also face the disruption of a major shift towards renewables and low-carbon. read more

Remainers proved wrong as Shell boss hints at switching HQ from Netherlands to London

OIL giant Royal Dutch Shell could relocate its headquarters from the Netherlands to the UK in a post-Brexit boost for the country.

Asked whether Shell could replicate Unilever, Mr van Beurden told Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad: “One always needs to keep thinking.

“Nothing is permanent and, of course, we take the investment climate into account.

“But moving your HQ is not a trivial measure, one should not be too easy about that.”

The oil giant is one of the largest listed companies in the UK, with a market capitalisation of £100 billion and more than 80,000 employees around the world. read more

Oil Giant Considers Drastic Move As Pandemic Persists

By Charles Kennedy – Jul 06, 2020, 12:00 PM CDT

Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell is not ruling out the possibility of moving its headquarters to the UK, the group’s chief executive Ben van Beurden told Dutch business newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad in an interview published over the weekend.

The move could offer Shell relief from the Netherlands ‘ dividend tax, which has now become taxing amid the low oil price environment and the pandemic. read more

English translation of an article published today by the FD.

“I don’t want to survive this pandemic with a company that is no longer capable of anything”

Bert van Dijk

The corona crisis is forcing Shell to restructure the company. At the same time, CEO Ben van Beurden must chart the course for a low-carbon future. What choices does he make and why can’t things go a bit faster? “We cannot organize ourselves anti-economically. We don’t have that mandate.”

Ceo Ben van Beurden leads Shell from home during the corona crisis. ‘The good thing about this period is that you can help with homework.’ Photo: David van Dam for FD

In brief

• Shell CEO Ben van Beurden has to guide the oil and gas multinational through various storms.
• In a long conversation with the FD, he explains why he couldn’t help but decrease the dividend.
• He also outlines the dilemma of developing new revenue models, while the old revenue model cannot be immediately discarded.

Last week, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden reduced the value of Shell’s assets by nearly $ 20 billion last week. The massive write-off is necessary because the corona pandemic has hit the global demand for oil and gas heavily and uncertainty about the future has increased. read more

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell is not ruling out moving its headquarters from the Netherlands to Britain, the oil company’s chief executive Ben van Beurden said in a Dutch newspaper interview published on Saturday.

Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever said last month it plans to ditch its dual Anglo-Dutch legal structure and create a single entity in Britain.

Van Beurden did not explicitly say Shell wants to move its headquarters, het Financieele Dagblad said.

“You always need to keep thinking,” Shell’s Van Beurden told the newspaper. “Nothing is permanent and of course we will look at the business climate. But moving your headquarters is not a trivial measure. You cannot think too lightly about that.” read more

Malabu Scandal: Jonathan, Etete, Aliyu, Adoke had long-standing relationships, says Italian prosecutor

July 3, 2020 Oladeinde Olawoyin

The major parties mentioned in the controversial Malabu scandal were involved in sundry corrupt activities, Sergio Spadaro, the Public Prosecutor of Milan, told a Milan court on Thursday.

The prosecutor also said that major Nigerian officials named in the controversial deal all had long-standing relationships.

According to activists working with anti-corruption group, Re:Common, who were at the hearing Thursday, Mr Spadaro made this known while going through evidence against the defendants in the controversial deal in Milan. read more

02 JULY 2020

Sergio Spadaro, the Italian deputy prosecutor, on Thursday told a Milan court prosecuting Shell and Eni over the OPL 245/Malabu affair that all parties involved in the deal were corrupt.

He said President Goodluck Jonathan, who led Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, Dan Etete, who allocated OPL 245 to Malabu Oil and Gas — a company in which he had interest as minister of petroleum — in 1998 and Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was minister of petroleum when the oil block was sold to Shell and Eni by Malabu in 2011, all had long-standing relationships. read more

Reuters: Reporting by Matthew Green in London, Valerie Volcovici in Washington and Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Katy Daigle and Lisa Shumaker: JULY 3, 2020

LONDON/WASHINGTON/GENEVA (Reuters) – Climate change may be having its day in court.

With the slow pace of international climate negotiations, lawyers from Switzerland to San Francisco are increasingly filing lawsuits demanding action.

And they are getting creative — using new legal arguments to challenge companies and governments before a judge. read more

One big question emerging from the pandemic is whether it will speed up the global shift away from oil. Life under lockdown gave a taste of a world that burns less petroleum, with consumption down by about a quarter and city dwellers from Los Angeles to New Delhi relishing the cleaner air. As restrictions eased, things weren’t exactly returning to normal. Many workers had given up on commuting and there was talk that air travel might never recover. On the other hand, rock-bottom oil prices and the desire to avoid crowded public transport had some people driving to work for the first time or taking road trips instead of flying. read more