Shell takes giant writedown on Prelude: Massive pre-tax writedown on troubled $US12bn Prelude floating LNG plant raises concern over the long-term prospects. 

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MP calls for urgent safety assessment’ over maintenance job cuts at Fife NGL Plant

Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath SNP MP Neale Hanvey has written to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) raising “serious concerns” about reductions in staff at Shell’s Fife NGL Plant at Mossmorran.

It is understood  Shell intends to axe 63 out of 77 contractor jobs at the plant – a move trade union Unite has claimed could put lives at risk.

However, Shell has maintained, despite not disputing Unite’s figures, that not all roles being lost relate to “safety critical maintenance” and has given an assurance that safety at the plant would not be compromised. read more

Prelude will not resume full production this year, says Shell

Article by Adam Duckett: 21st October 2020

SHELL has said its huge floating LNG production plant – the Prelude FLNG facility – is not expected to resume full production this year, following a troubled start for the pioneering facility.

Production aboard Prelude – which at 488 m long is the largest ship ever built – was halted in February after an electrical trip and it has not resumed. This fault followed, though was not linked to, an order from Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for Shell to revise its safety management system. read more

Shell’s plans to slash maintenance staff at Mossmorran would put lives at risk warns union

by Aileen Robertson: October 21 2020, 7.00am

Trade union Unite said it understood Shell was intending to axe 63 out of 77 contractor jobs at the Fife NGL Plant and that this could put lives at risk.

Shell has disputed the union’s claims of an 80% cut in workforce, insisting the safety of its plants was “paramount” and would not be compromised.

Posts under threat are said to include scaffold inspectors and supervisors, riggers and rigging supervisors, forklift drivers, general assistants and mechanical supervisors. read more

Shell deny huge job cuts at two Scots plants then U-turns as union raises ‘critical’ safety concerns

SHELL have come under fire after denying union claims of huge job cuts at two of its plants raising ‘critical’ safety concerns – that were later confirmed.

Details seen by the Herald confirm Unite concerns that proposals affecting the energy giant’s Northern Systems and Plants (NSP) operations in Fife and Aberdeenshire would result in 63 out of 77 Kaefer jobs being axed at the Mossmorran plant with a further 46 out of 52 jobs being proposed for redundancy at St Fergus. read more

Is Shell’s $17 Billion Bet On Floating LNG A Flop?

What new ship construction project has cost more than a US Navy Supercarrier and is equally troubled with delays and problems? Shell’s Prelude FLNG.

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Shell’s Australian Prelude LNG will not resume shipping LNG this year

By Sonali Paul: OCTOBER 15, 2020

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L said on Thursday its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project off Australia, off line since early February, is working on restarting operations but would not resume full production this year.

The troubled Prelude FLNG platform was shut down following an electrical trip and Shell has faced a number of issues over the past few months in trying to restart full production and now does not expect to ship any LNG before next year. read more

Prelude FLNG maintenance workers to go on strike

Paul Hunt: Senior Journalist: Oil & Gas, Policy. 07 October 2020

The Australian Workers Union and Maritime Union of Australia filed for protected action to legally strike across the massive LNG project a fortnight ago.

Protected action gives the workers legal immunity to conduct a strike without facing consequences imposed by the employer. Unions claim Monadelphous is paying Prelude maintenance workers below industry standard pay and conditions.

The unions are seeking a pay rise and better job security, citing a casualisation of the offshore workforce as a major issue. read more

Shell’s Prelude FLNG becomes a big headache!

By Bill Campbell

According to a recent article in Forbes “the biggest vessel in the world costing todate between 12 and 17 billion US may have also turned into Shell’s biggest blooper.”

It’s all been Technically very challenging as Shell has attempted to squeeze a complex LNG plant into a relatively small space Forbes say. (this website has covered this as a fundamental concern a number of times) – (1)

Goodman Sachs are also of the opinion that when eventually fully operational Prelude, the worlds most expensive LNG project, will only break even in current market conditions at around 20 dollars per a thousand cubic feet. read more

Shell focused on turning around troubled Australian operations

By Sonali Paul: September 15, 2020

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Undaunted by hefty writedowns on its Australian gas assets, Royal Dutch Shell RDSa.L sees its liquefied natural gas business and “new energy” acquisitions Down Under as core to its long term plans, the Australian unit’s chairman said on Tuesday.

As Europe’s biggest oil company aims for net zero emissions from its operations by 2050 and plans a major restructuring, Shell still sees gas as a crucial part of the puzzle, with around a quarter of its gas assets in Australia. read more

Shell Resumes Work at Prelude Floating LNG Facility

Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A recently confirmed that it resumed activities at Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility offshore Western Australia. The facility remained offline since February due to engineering glitches. This suspension followed an order from Australia’s upstream regulator to perform additional work following three safety incidents that took place at the facility between September and January.

The closure of the Prelude plant depressed Australia’s LNG export volumes, which further took a hit from an extended shutdown of Train 2 at the Chevron Corporation CVX-regulated Gorgon LNG site due to technical snags stemming from fractured heat exchangers. read more

Shell begins restart activity at Prelude FLNG

Published 04 Sept 2020

Shell has begun restart operations at its 3.6mn t/yr Prelude floating LNG (FLNG) facility offshore Western Australia (WA), which has been off line since February. But it has yet to define the timeline for when production will resume.

“The process for hydrocarbon restart of Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility has commenced,” a Shell spokeswoman said. “Once we have safely started up, we will be in a stronger position to talk about timing of production and cargo.” read more

POSTED BY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ON AUGUST 26, 2020 

Dow Chemical and Shell Oil were hit with a lawsuit Wednesday by South Pasadena accusing the companies of contaminating the city’s water supply with a toxic chemical found in pesticides the companies once made.

The suit filed in Los Angeles federal court alleges the companies knew or should have known that the chemical, known as 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP, is toxic and renders drinking water unsafe. The companies manufactured and marketed agricultural pesticides containing the chemical for years — and it was used on land in the vicinity of South Pasadena’s wells. read more

Coronavirus Further Complicates Shell’s Giant Floating Gas Project

The $15 billion Prelude vessel highlights how Covid-19 is hindering operations and challenging the economics of energy megaprojects

Royal Dutch Shell PLC spent billions of dollars developing one of the world’s most challenging energy projects, a floating gas terminal five football fields long. The coronavirus pandemic is posing a new problem: How to get workers to safely start it back up.

After years of delays, cost overruns, technical problems and safety concerns, Shell began exporting natural gas from the enormous vessel, known as Prelude, last year off the coast of Australia. But production was halted in February because of an electrical fault. Efforts to restart are now being slowed by social-distancing requirements, the company said. read more

Paul Hunt: Senior Journalist: Oil & Gas, Policy. 07 August 2020

Currently FIFO staff work three weeks on, four weeks off, then three weeks on and five weeks off but under the new proposed agreement, employees would simply do a four week on, four week off roster.

In a power-point presentation leaked to Energy News this week, Shell Australia said a new roster was needed due to interstate travel restrictions, and the combined impact of a 14-day quarantine requirement for FIFO staff.

“This is placing significant pressure and strain on Prelude FLNG production team resourcing, as well as work-life balance for all personnel,” Shell said in its proposal to its employees. read more

Shell: 17 new COVID cases at cracker plant, 14 active

By Chrissy Suttles: Posted Aug 4, 2020 at 5:28 PM

The site has seen 35 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March — 14 active and 21 recovered. More than 1,000 tests have been conducted at Shell’s on-site lab, with approximately 1 percent coming back positive.

POTTER TWP. — The number of COVID-19 cases at Beaver County’s ethane cracker plant has nearly doubled in less than three weeks.

Another 17 employees at the Shell Chemicals complex have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since mid-July, and 35 people have been infected since the pandemic hit Pennsylvania in March. read more