Sakhalin

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 2 SEPTEMBER 2026

Sep 2nd, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 2 SEPTEMBER 2026

SLF-2007-045

The Sakhalin Papers XXXV: Stop the Survey — When the Western Gray Whale Panel Told Sakhalin Energy to Stand Down

Sakhalin Energy had spent two years developing an elaborate monitoring and mitigation programme for a 2009 seismic survey beside the feeding grounds of one of the world’s most endangered whale populations. The independent scientists advising the company said the plan itself was approaching exemplary standard. Then new evidence from the 2008 feeding season changed the calculation. The Panel recommended postponement. Sakhalin Energy maintained that it could operate safely — but stood down anyway.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-045
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal scientific record: Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel, Report of the Sixth Meeting, Geneva, 21–24 April 2009
Authenticated Shell records: Shell Sustainability Report 2005; Shell Sustainability Report 2009
Contemporaneous reporting: Offshore, 24 April 2009; Sakhalin Energy press-centre material reported 30 April 2009; contemporary conservation reporting
Court record: Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin), used solely for the earlier financing and environmental context
Evidence standard: Scientific observations and WGWAP recommendations are distinguished from conclusions about causation. Sakhalin Energy’s statements are identified as the company’s position. NGO commentary is attributed. The WGWAP was an advisory scientific body, not a court or Russian regulator; its April 2009 recommendation was not a legal prohibition. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 1 SEPTEMBER 2026

Sep 1st, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 1 SEPTEMBER 2026

SLF-2007-044

The Sakhalin Papers XXXIV: The Second Japanese Lifeline — NEXI and the Extra $1.4 Billion That Took Project Finance to $6.7 Billion

In February 2008 Sakhalin Energy abandoned its proposed British export-credit backing. By June, Japan’s JBIC and commercial banks had supplied a $5.3 billion replacement financing package. Then, in October 2009, another $1.4 billion arrived — this time from commercial banks protected by Japanese government export-credit insurance. Shell no longer controlled Sakhalin Energy, but the documentary record shows that it remained a shareholder, technical participant and one of the sponsors standing behind the financing until project completion.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-044
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal financing record: Mitsubishi Corporation/Sakhalin Energy announcement, 7 October 2009
Authenticated Shell record: Royal Dutch Shell plc Annual Report and Form 20-F 2009; Shell corporate reporting archive
Contemporaneous reporting: Reuters, 1 October 2009; Offshore, 7 October 2009; LNG Journal, October 2009
Public-finance record: Nippon Export and Investment Insurance — NEXI — resource and untied-loan insurance framework
Environmental record: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel material from 2009
Court record: Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin), used here to establish the termination of the earlier British financing route
Evidence standard: Financing agreements, shareholdings and company statements are distinguished from lender or corporate assessments of the project’s creditworthiness. Environmental-group allegations are identified as such. No inference is made that NEXI financing constituted a judicial or regulatory determination that every environmental controversy surrounding Sakhalin II had been resolved. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 31 AUGUST 2026

Aug 31st, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 31 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-043

The Sakhalin Papers XXXIII: The $5.3 Billion Alternative — When Britain’s Proposed Guarantee Disappeared and Japan Stepped In

On 29 February 2008, Sakhalin Energy withdrew its applications for British and US export-credit support. Less than four months later, Japan’s state-backed development bank signed a $3.7 billion loan and commercial banks added another $1.6 billion. The environmental controversy had not disappeared. The source of the money had changed.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-043
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Japan Bank for International Cooperation announcement, 16 June 2008
Authenticated Shell record: Royal Dutch Shell plc Annual Report and Form 20-F 2008; Shell SEC filings concerning the Sakhalin Energy ownership restructuring
Court record: Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Contemporaneous reporting: Oil & Gas Journal, June 2008; contemporary project-finance reporting; environmental-group statements issued immediately before and after financial close
Evidence standard: The financing amounts, ownership interests and stated purposes of the JBIC loan are treated as documentary fact. Environmental organisations’ criticisms are identified as allegations or assessments made by those organisations. The decisions of institutions that did not finance the project are not inaccurately characterised as judicial or regulatory findings against Sakhalin Energy. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

The Donovan–Shell Documentary Chronology: Correspondence, Shell Internal Communications and Legal Records, 1981–Present

Aug 31st, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

UPDATED 1st SEPT 2026

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a living documentary index and remains under construction. It brings together direct correspondence between the Donovans and Shell, Shell internal communications, correspondence involving lawyers acting for Shell, and relevant evidential emails. Thousands of pages of archival material, including the extensive ShellNews.net collection and the Sakhalin-2 files, remain under review. Further dated documents will be added as they are identified and verified. Inclusion records what a document says or alleges; it does not necessarily establish the truth of every allegation contained within it.

Standing invitation to Shell: corrections and contrary evidence

Shell Plc, its current or former officers, employees, advisers and lawyers are invited to identify any factual error in this documentary chronology or elsewhere in the Donovan/Shell archive.

Where an error is established, it will be corrected or removed as appropriate. Where the issue is genuinely disputed, Shell’s position will be recorded alongside the relevant evidence wherever practicable.

We particularly welcome original contemporaneous documents that contradict, qualify or provide additional context to material published here. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 30 AUGUST 2026

Aug 30th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 30 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-042

The Sakhalin Papers XXXII: Parliament Rewrites the Rule — How a Sakhalin Financing Problem Entered Britain’s 2009 Export-Credit Law

The abandoned Sakhalin II judicial review had challenged ECGD’s power to “facilitate” exports when the goods and services concerned might already have been supplied. No court ever answered that question. Then Parliament changed the statute. The official record does not support saying that Sakhalin II alone caused the new law — but it establishes something considerably stronger than coincidence.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-042
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal records: Industry and Exports (Financial Support) Act 2009; Parliamentary debates of 16 March and 21 April 2009; House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Eleventh Report, 20 October 2008; Government response published 5 March 2009; ECGD Annual Review and Resource Accounts 2009-10
Shell records: Royal Dutch Shell plc filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission concerning Sakhalin II
Court record: Statement of Facts and Grounds in R (WWF-UK and The Corner House Research) v Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Evidence standard: Parliamentary statements, legislation, Shell regulatory filings and official ECGD records are treated as documentary facts. Arguments advanced by WWF and The Corner House remain allegations or legal submissions unless independently established. No court ruled that ECGD’s 2004 Sakhalin commitment was unlawful, and the 2009 legislation is not characterised as an admission that it had been. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 29 AUGUST 2026

Aug 29th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 29 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-041

The Sakhalin Papers XXXI: The Judicial Review That Never Reached Judgment — WWF, The Corner House and the Unanswered Legality Question

In August 2007, WWF-UK and The Corner House asked the Administrative Court to examine a question created by a three-year-old ECGD letter: could Britain’s export-credit agency make a legally binding conditional commitment to support Sakhalin II contracts before completing its environmental assessment — and while the very British supplies it was supposed to “facilitate” were already being delivered? The pleadings survive. The arguments survive. The judgment does not. Sakhalin Energy withdrew its application before the case could be decided.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-041
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal legal record: R (WWF-UK and The Corner House Research) v Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform — Statement of Facts and Grounds, dated 11 August 2007
Supporting records: Royal Dutch Petroleum Company/The “Shell” Transport and Trading Company Form 6-K, May 2003; WWF and Corner House witness material; contemporaneous reporting by The Guardian; Sakhalin Energy statements reported by Interfax; Parliamentary material concerning ECGD and Sakhalin II
Evidence standard: The allegations in the judicial-review papers are identified as allegations advanced by the claimants. They are not court findings. ECGD’s responses are identified separately. Sakhalin Energy’s withdrawal of its financing application is not treated as an admission of illegality or environmental wrongdoing. No court adjudicated the merits of this judicial review. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 28 AUGUST 2026

Aug 28th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

SLF-2007-040

The Sakhalin Papers XXX: The Letter That Was Both a Commitment and “No Decision” — Inside ECGD’s 4 March 2004 Conditional Support

One day Britain’s export-credit agency told Sakhalin Energy it was able to support specified contracts, subject to conditions. The next day a minister told Parliament that approval would come only after the outstanding issues had been satisfactorily addressed. The apparent contradiction would eventually reach the High Court — but never receive a judgment on its merits.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-040
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Export Credits Guarantee Department letter to Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd, 4 March 2004
Supporting record: Royal Dutch/Shell Form 6-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, May 2003; Parliamentary answers of February and March 2004; Administrative Court papers in R (WWF-UK and The Corner House Research) v Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform; National Audit Office case study submitted to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee; contemporaneous reporting
Evidence standard: The existence and wording of the ECGD letter are treated as documentary fact. ECGD’s later description of the letter, ministerial statements and Shell corporate filings are separately identified. Allegations advanced in the proposed judicial review are not represented as judicial findings because the proceedings ended without a merits judgment. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 27 AUGUST 2026

Aug 27th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

The next instalment follows exactly from the teaser at the end of SLF-2007-038. I have reconstructed the three Whitehall responses separately rather than treating them as a single government position, and I have been particularly careful to distinguish the disclosed departmental correspondence, evidence submitted to Parliament, contemporaneous journalism and the actual High Court ruling. (Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com)

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 27 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-039

The Sakhalin Papers XXIX: The Hidden Whitehall Warning — What DEFRA Told ECGD About Shell’s Sakhalin II Project

Before Britain offered conditional export-credit support, three government departments were asked what they thought. Their answers were strikingly different.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-039
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: UK interdepartmental responses to the Export Credits Guarantee Department’s Sakhalin II sensitive-case notification of 28 February 2003; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Supporting record: House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee published evidence; Royal Dutch/Shell Form 6-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, May 2003; contemporaneous reporting following disclosure of the Whitehall documents
Evidence standard: Departmental correspondence is distinguished from campaign interpretation, Parliamentary publication from Parliamentary findings, and judicial findings from the environmental merits of Sakhalin II. Different departmental emphases are not represented as a formal dispute unless the documents establish one. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 26 AUGUST 2026

Aug 26th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

Image

Image

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 26 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-038

The Sakhalin Papers XXVIII: The Financing That Never Arrived — ECGD, EBRD and the Environmental Test That Outlived the Loan

Britain considered roughly $650 million of public-backed support. The EBRD spent years assessing a Phase 2 loan. Neither financing package was ultimately issued — but the scrutiny they generated left behind one of the richest independent records of Sakhalin II.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-038
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Independent Recourse Mechanism record, updated 17 January 2007; Export Credits Guarantee Department letter to Sakhalin Energy, 4 March 2004; National Audit Office case study on Sakhalin Phase II; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Supporting record: ECGD Annual Review and Resource Accounts 2007–08; House of Commons and Hansard material; contemporaneous reporting on the Gazprom restructuring; Shell regulatory filings; Japan Bank for International Cooperation financing announcement of 16 June 2008
Evidence standard: This instalment distinguishes a conditional indication of support from a final guarantee; an environmental due-diligence process from an environmental liability finding; EBRD’s withdrawal from the then-current financing proposal because of the ownership restructuring from rejection on environmental grounds; and Sakhalin Energy’s later withdrawal of its ECGD application from a refusal by the British 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 25 AUGUST 2026

Aug 25th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

Image

Image

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 25 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-037

The Sakhalin Papers XXVII: The Remedial Action Plan — When Compliance Failures Became a Formal Recovery Programme

By August 2007, Sakhalin II had moved beyond individual defects and scattered corrective actions. Rivers, erosion, reinstatement and wetlands were placed inside a formal lender-monitored remediation programme — with full HSESAP compliance not expected until the end of 2008.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-037
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: AEA Technology, Independent Environmental Consultant Final Report — Agency Lenders: Sakhalin II Phase 2 Project Health, Safety, Environmental and Social Review, 28 September 2007; August 2007 Sakhalin Energy Remedial Action Plan
Supporting record: Shell’s April 2007 Sakhalin II corporate announcement; Sakhalin Energy Environmental Action Plan agreed with the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources in March 2007; UK National Audit Office/House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee evidence; contemporaneous RIA Novosti reporting; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Evidence standard: The existence, scope and August 2007 completion of the Remedial Action Plan are established. AEA’s identification of historical and continuing HSESAP non-compliances is established. The plan does not prove that Shell or Sakhalin Energy deliberately caused those failures, and AEA’s acceptance of the plan did not establish that its objectives were subsequently achieved. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 24 AUGUST 2026

Aug 24th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 24 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-036

The Sakhalin Papers XXVI: The NCR Trail — What the Non-Conformance Reports Actually Tell Us

The whistleblower alleged hundreds of ignored quality reports. The surviving record proves that formal NCRs existed, that defective work was identified and replaced — but it does not prove the alleged suppression.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-036
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: May 2007 Sakhalin II whistleblower material concerning SEIC Quality Control reports and project non-conformance notifications; AEA Technology’s September 2007 Independent Environmental Consultant Final Report
Supporting record: Shell internal correspondence of 11 May 2007 subsequently disclosed under the Data Protection Act; The Shell Sustainability Report 2005 and 2006; Sakhalin Energy River Crossing Strategy; UK Parliamentary evidence; contemporaneous Russian reporting; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Evidence standard: The existence of a formal Sakhalin II non-conformance process is established. Specific defective riverbank works and resulting NCRs are documented by AEA. The allegation that hundreds of Quality Control reports were deliberately ignored, concealed or suppressed is not established by the public documents located for this instalment. A project NCR is not automatically evidence of a breach of Russian law, and a regulatory breach is not automatically evidence of deliberate wrongdoing. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 23 AUGUST 2026

Aug 23rd, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 23 AUGUST 2026

SLF-2007-035

The Sakhalin Papers XXV: The QA/QC Warning — Rivers, Permits and the Pipeline Built Under Pressure

An anonymous insider alleged corners were being cut. Months later, the lenders’ own environmental consultant documented a substantial record of non-compliance.

Archive reference: SLF-2007-035
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: May 2007 Sakhalin II whistleblower material concerning quality assurance, quality control, river crossings, permits, erosion, geohazards and alleged suppression of non-conformance reports
Supporting record: Shell internal 11 May 2007 correspondence subsequently disclosed under the Data Protection Act; AEA Technology’s September 2007 Independent Environmental Due Diligence Report to prospective agency lenders; UK Parliamentary answers; Russian regulatory and prosecutorial reporting; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Evidence standard: Where the whistleblower’s allegations overlap with findings by AEA, regulators or Parliamentary records, that overlap is identified precisely. Independent evidence of a non-compliance does not establish the source’s allegation that management deliberately cut corners, suppressed reports or acted dishonestly. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 22 AUGUST 2026

Aug 22nd, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-034

The Sakhalin Papers XXIV: “A Sakhalin Pseudo Exposé” — Shell’s Internal Response to the May 2007 Contractor Allegations

A false sender name, a real Shell investigation of authorship, detailed Starstroi claims — and a pipeline forecast that deserves to be tested separately from the accusations

Archive reference: SLF-2007-034
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Shell internal correspondence of 11 May 2007 concerning an email falsely attributed to Sakhalin Energy Deputy CEO David Greer; subsequent whistleblower material published 14 May 2007
Supporting record: Shell DPA-disclosed correspondence; Sakhalin Energy Annual Review 2004; contemporaneous Oil & Gas Journal and Reuters reporting; Royal Dutch Shell and shareholder regulatory filings; later Sakhalin Energy operational milestones; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Evidence standard: The false attribution to David Greer is established. Shell’s internal reaction is established from its own correspondence. The underlying contractor, procurement, bribery, commercial and quality-control claims remain allegations unless independently corroborated. Accuracy of a technical forecast does not authenticate unrelated accusations. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 20 AUGUST 2026

Aug 20th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-032

The Sakhalin Papers XXII: The Pecten Complaint — Shell, the Hosting Companies and the Day the Website Went Dark

A trademark complaint, a 48-hour ultimatum, a brief deactivation — and what Shell’s own internal emails do and do not prove

Archive reference: SLF-2007-032
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Shell internal correspondence of 24–25 June 2007 concerning the Donovan website; Keith Ruddock correspondence of 25–26 June 2007; BlueHost deactivation notice dated 25 June 2007
Supporting record: SoftCom/MyHosting correspondence; WIPO Administrative Panel Decision D2005-0538; Shell’s confidential 2006 “Focal Point” brief; contemporaneous Prospect reporting
Evidence standard: Shell’s admitted challenge to unauthorised use of the Shell Pecten is treated as established. The hosting-company warning and BlueHost deactivation are documented contemporaneous events. The available record does not establish that Shell expressly instructed either provider to close the entire website, nor that suppressing Sakhalin reporting was the purpose of the trademark complaint. Assertions of retaliation or censorship are identified as allegation or inference rather than fact. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 18 AUGUST 2026

Aug 18th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-031

The Sakhalin Papers XXI: “We Do Not Respond in Public to Anonymous Allegations” — Shell’s Internal Corruption Response

A June 2007 complaint, Shell’s private deliberations — and the unanswered question of what “proper channels” meant

Archive reference: SLF-2007-031
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Shell internal emails of 25–26 June 2007 concerning allegations forwarded by John Donovan to Shell Exploration & Production General Counsel Keith Ruddock
Supporting record: Contemporaneous Donovan–Ruddock correspondence; Shell Sustainability Report 2007; Reuters reporting; later Shell “Focal Point” material; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Evidence standard: The Shell emails and Shell’s response are treated as documentary facts. The underlying accusations against named individuals remain allegations. Neither Shell’s refusal to provide a substantive public answer nor the absence of a located rebuttal establishes that the allegations were true. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 17 AUGUST 2026

Aug 17th, 2026
by John Donovan.
Comments are off for this post

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-030

The Sakhalin Papers XX: Starstroi, SU4 and the Allegations That Reached Parliament

An Anonymous Insider, a Pipeline Contractor Chain — and the Difference Between Parliamentary Publication and Proof

Archive reference: SLF-2007-030
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Sakhalin II whistleblower allegations first published in June 2007 and republished on 6 January 2008 concerning Starstroi, SU4 and alleged contractor relationships
Supporting record: Shell internal correspondence subsequently disclosed under Data Protection Act subject-access requests; contemporaneous Sakhalin contractor reporting; Royal Dutch Shell SEC filings; WWF evidence to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee; Export Credits Guarantee Department v Friends of the Earth [2008] EWHC 638 (Admin)
Evidence standard: The existence of a contractor, a subcontracting structure or a management role does not establish corruption. Anonymous allegations are identified as allegations. Their later appearance in evidence submitted to a Parliamentary committee does not convert them into Parliamentary findings. No allegation of bribery, improper benefit, manipulated procurement or conflict of interest is treated as established without independent evidence. 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, 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 created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.
← Earlier Posts Newer Posts →