Prelude floating LNG giant still offline after two months

Shell working to address safety concerns and restart production on giant offshore LNG ship

2 April 2020 4:52 GMT UPDATED 2 April 2020 4:54 GMT

By Russell Searancke in Wellington

The Shell-led Prelude floating liquefied natural gas project off Western Australia continues to be offline nearly two months after production was shut down due to safety concerns.

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The Prelude first received gas from its subsea wells in December 2018 and by the end of June 2019 had produced 2.32 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, according to emissions data released by the Clean Energy Regulator today.

Conservation Council of WA director Piers Verstegen said the emissions data was absolutely shocking and suggested that Shell was making no effort to reduce Prelude’s emissions. read more

Shell acts to reinforce business resilience and financial strength

Mar 23, 2020

As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the world – seriously impacting people’s health, our way of life and global markets – Shell is putting the safety and health of our people and customers first, along with the safe operations of all our businesses.

At the same time, we are taking decisive action to reinforce the financial strength and resilience of our business so that we are well-positioned for the eventual economic recovery.

“As well as protecting our staff and customers in this difficult time, we are also taking immediate steps to ensure the financial strength and resilience of our business,” said Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell. “The combination of steeply falling oil demand and rapidly increasing supply may be unique, but Shell has weathered market volatility many times in the past.” read more

A worker who has shown symptoms of the coronavirus has been placed into quarantine on Shell’s Brent Charlie platform in the North Sea.

The energy giant said the man has been placed in isolation and that arrangements are being made to fly him back to shore.

A spokesman said: “We can confirm that a colleague on Brent Charlie has been isolated as a precautionary measure, after showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus.

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12-Mar-2020

Royal Dutch Shell plc published its Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The 2019 Annual Report and Accounts can be downloaded from www.shell.com/annualreport.

In compliance with 9.6.1 of the Listing Rules, on March 12, 2020, a copy of the 2019 Annual Report and Accounts was submitted to the National Storage Mechanism. This document will shortly be available for inspection at http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM.

Printed copies of the 2019 Annual Report and Accounts will be available from April 16, 2020, and can be requested, free of charge, at www.shell.com/annualreport. read more

The employee works at Shell’s regional headquarters in Aberdeen.

A Shell worker has tested positive for coronavirus in Aberdeen as the number of cases across north-east Scotland has increased to six.

The employee, who works at the energy giant’s regional headquarters in Tullos, has been referred to health authorities.

Shell confirmed that Health Protection Scotland has been informed, adding that it has a “robust cleaning programme” and continuity plans in case the situation “develops further”.

The firm has told those who have worked closely with the individual to work from home and contact NHS 24.

A Shell spokesman said: “Shell’s priority is the safety and health of our people and the safe operations of all our businesses. We continue to monitor the situation closely and follow the advice of the relevant UK authorities. read more

by Callum Main: 10/03/2020, 2:18 pm

It’s understood the member of staff is based at the firm’s Tullos base.

The oil firm has informed Health Protection Scotland, and other staff who worked closely with the person have been asked to work from home and contact NHS 24.

In a spokesperson for Shell said: “Shell’s priority is the safety and health of our people and the safe operations of all our businesses.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely and follow the advice of the relevant UK authorities. read more

Prelude to remain shut three more weeks: regulator

18 February 2020

THE Prelude, Shell’s flagship floating LNG vessel moored offshore Western Australia, will remain shut down “for at least three weeks from Wednesday February 12,” the offshore regulator has told Energy News, based on information from Shell.

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A catalytic reformer was shut on Sunday night at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s (RDSa.L) 211,270-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Convent, Louisiana, after a brief fire, said sources familiar with plant operations.

The reformer has the capacity to process 40,000 bpd of feedstock, according to Refinitiv Eikon.

Shell spokesman Ray Fisher said the fire was quickly extinguished and there were no injuries.

Fisher also said Shell is investigating the cause of the fire.

He declined to discuss the status of individual units at the refinery, but said, “We will bring our units back on line only when it is safe to do so.” read more

Prelude shutdown

OPERATION of the world’s largest offshore facility, Shell’s embattled Prelude floating LNG vessel, has descended into chaos with back up power generation failing, cardboard potties issued to replace regular toilet facilities and a fleet of helicopters called in to reduce crew numbers.

05 February 2020

Only last week Shell chief executive Ben van Buerden told analysts the Prelude was evidence of how new assets would improve the gas giant’s cash flow in 2020. read more

Reaction to Shell’s temporary shut down of Prelude

The initial reaction from Bill Campbell

Trying to interpret what is going on is difficult because of lack of detail from journalist report so maybe misinterpreting what happened and my interpretation may be misguided, but… evidence if more is needed that something is wrong on this installation. read more

PRELUDE COMMENTS FROM “AN OLD SHELL E&P ENGINEERING SEA DOG”

With reference to the published info from Bill regarding the very serious operational shortcomings on the Prelude NGL vessel.

It may be worthwhile publishing the entire notice as if it read by senior people in the Hague central offices there may be a sounding of very loud alarm bells if not there should be as Prelude represents an enormous investment and a leap into the future.  The root cause of these issues requires to be identified and a root and branch analysis of how and why this state of affairs has been allowed to evolve, I believe it is a cumulative pressure from many sources over many months and not just the recent inspections, its much deeper than that. We can only speculate and read with a degree of horror the findings of the Australian Regulator. read more

By Bill Campbell

On 22 January past the Regulator wrote to Shell Australia with a direction, a mandatory notice requiring action by the Owner, because staff on Prelude FLNG were carrying out activities the risks of which were not being reduced to levels as low as reasonably practicable and thus there was a significant risk to the Health and Safety of persons on the facility.

In issuance of this direction, they took cognisance of three previous dangerous occurrences all resulting in a loss of containment, namely read more

Alarming warning addressed to The Australian National Offshore Petroleum and Environmental Management Authority.

Bill Campbell

Please read the information below from retired Shell Global Safety Consultant, Bill Campbell about the fears of a loss of hydrocarbons from the Shell Prelude facility. His comments were triggered by the recent article on Prelude FLNG and the recent intervention and involvement of the Regulator

Preamble 

Some 30 years of government statistics from some 200 installations in U.K. waters demonstrate that despite it being the Regulator and the industries highest safety priority a significant number of dangerous occurrences re the loss of hydrocarbons has continued over this prolonged period. No one will or could argue on this conclusion based not on supposition but on historic data that there is and continues to be a certain inevitability that hydrocarbons will leak into the atmosphere. Subsequent ignition of these leaking hydrocarbons has the potential of loss of life or threats to the structure of the installation. read more

We are judged by how we act: our reputation is upheld by how we put into practice our core values of honesty, integrity and respect for people. These values underpin our Shell General Business Principles and the Shell Code of Conduct. Our Global Helpline allows employees and stakeholders to raise concerns and report instances of potential non-compliance with our values and principles.

The Shell Global Helpline is not for customer complaints or enquiries.

• Please contact your local Shell office for customer service related issues.
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What is the Shell Global Helpline?

The Global Helpline enables Shell employees and others to raise concerns or dilemmas, or to seek advice on a matter related to compliance with the law and our business principles (SGBP) and Code of Conduct, in full confidence and without fear of retaliation. read more

The Shell plant will erase 30 years’ worth of air quality improvements. It will result in higher rates of respiratory disease, heart disease, asthma, lost productivity, cancer, early deaths and adverse birth outcomes…

BY MATTHEW MEHALIK, PH.D.

As people concerned about the future of the Ohio River Valley, we wish to tell President Donald Trump, who is in Pittsburgh today bowing to petrochemical interests, that petrochemical development is the wrong path for our community. Our region has battled economic disinvestment following generations of heavy industrial development with a subsequent burden of cleaning up. One of the lessons we have learned is that life and health are precious.

The Shell plant will erase 30 years’ worth of air quality improvements. It will result in higher rates of respiratory disease, heart disease, asthma, lost productivity, cancer, early deaths and adverse birth outcomes in a community with existing poor health statistics. This industry will sacrifice our health and economy in order to overproduce plastics and put our water supply at risk. read more