Printed below is a self-explanatory email sent within the last hour to Royal Dutch Shell Chairman Chad Holliday by Bill Campbell, retired global safety guru for Royal Dutch Shell Plc. Note that it was also sent to HSE officials.

I have redacted personal email addresses and corrected typos. 

From: William Campbell
Subject: Royal Dutch Shell lied to thousands of its employees over offshore deaths
Date: 17 January 2019 at 11:03:41 GMT
To: [email protected]
Cc: susan moncrieff <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected] read more

Despite his sleazy record, Malcolm Brinded (above) remains President of the Energy Institute

By John Donovan

The Shell cover-up surrounding the deaths of two workers on the Shell Brent Bravo North Sea platform is coming under active scrutiny again as a result of an initiative by retired Shell *safety guru Bill Campbell. Bill is acting on behalf of the family of one of the deceased platform workers, Keith Moncrieff.

For over a decade, the truly extraordinary story about what happened was withheld from the families of the deceased and from investigating authorities by Shell and those parties over whom Shell had influence. read more

Ben van Beurden Photographer: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg

The boss of oil giant Shell has admitted he is “still unhappy” with the firm’s safety performance, despite pledging a redoubling of efforts in 2018.

Written by David McPhee – 07/01/2019 1:03 pm

Chief executive, Ben van Beurden, raised a call to redouble the firm’s focus on safety last year after a number of serious incidents in 2017.

An overturned tanker spill and explosion in Pakistan caused the tragic death of 200 people, while there were also fatalities in Canada and Nigeria.

Mr van Beurden added he is also focusing on restoring trust in the oil firm.

He said: “I’m still unhappy with our safety performance.

“In 2018, sadly two people died on our watch – one at a refinery in Germany and another at an onshore well in the USA.

“More broadly, the safety performance at our facilities has improved, but our performance on personal safety is worse than the previous year.

“We have to step up our efforts to keep people safe.”

Mr van Beurden also said that he can see that trust has noticed an “eroding” or trust in the UK, the Netherlands and the USA.

Shell came under heavy criticism from climate groups in 2018, with high profile opposition coming from investor group Follow This.

The firm also faced widespread shareholder opposition over chief executive pay last year.

Mr van Beurden said: “I feel an attack on Shell as an attack on my personal integrity. It’s something I feel deeply, probably at least once a day. If I can reduce that to once every other day, I’ll know that we are making progress.

“Of our three strategic ambitions – to become a world-class investment case, to thrive through the transition to lower-carbon energy and to have a strong societal licence to operate – I’m confident that we can achieve the first two.

“But I can’t see a sure path towards strengthening our societal licence to operate just yet.

“We need to change people’s perceptions through better performance and behaviours. And we need to have a better dialogue with civil society in some parts of the world.”

SOURCE

Marissa Luck, Houston Chronicle: Monday, Jan 7, 2019

The Gulf Coast has become home of one the largest producers of a common plastic: Shell fired up its fourth alpha olefins unit at its chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, the company said Monday.

The multi-billion dollar expansion adds 425,000 metric tons per a year in capacity to the chemical manufacturing site, bringing its total alpha olefin production up at Geismar to more than 1.3 million metric tons per a year. That makes it the largest alpha olefins producing site in the world, the company said. read more

One of the listed articles focussed on allegations that Shell was spying on its own employees. Runar Kjørsvik, a whistleblower from the Shell Nyhamna Gas Plant, had discovered to his shock and horror that Shell was in possession of surveillance photographs of him taken by persons unknown. He alleges that Shell used undercover agents to spy on him.

Norske Shell whistleblower, Runar Kjørsvik

By John Donovan

Nearly two years ago, I published an extraordinary series of articles about the sinister conduct at Norske Shell, the Norwegian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Links are provided below in date order.

A translated example of one of the news articles published in Norway in the late few days is printed below. They reveal the pressure being put on the Norwegian government over the involvement of “external investigators” in so-called fact-finding surveys used in proceedings against employees. read more

FULL ARTICLE

SOURCE

Worker dies and two more injured at Shell Buenos Aires refinery fire

(SCREENSHOT – NOT A WORKING VIDEO)

16 November 2018

Passing this on from Argentinian colleagues: one worker has died and two more were hospitalised with injuries after a fire at Shell’s Dock Sud refinery near Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sunday. (Video of fire here.) 

The historic Dock Sud refinery was commissioned in 1931 and last year Shell passed on ownership to its 50% controlled Brazilian subsidiary Raizen. The fire started last Sunday in a sector of the refinery that was closed for repairs, where the three injured workers were soldering. Two were able to escape the fire themselves and the third was discovered by colleagues who began fighting the fire, according to trade union outlet Prensa Obrera. He died in hospital the day after. The story has been reported in a couple of small outlets in Argentina but not anywhere else.

Translated article

TRAGIC FIRE AT SHELL

On Sunday, 11 November, at about 11 am, a fire broke out in the CD3 sector of the Raízen refinery (acquired just a few months ago from the multinational Shell) in Dock sud, Avellaneda party with a tragic balance of a deceased worker and several injured.

During the course of the morning, in the sector HV2 (high vacuum 2) also occurred a fire, in smaller scale, but that seemed to be portent of what would come next.

The episode took place at the plant called CD3, a sector subject to “plant shutdown”, an exercise planned for the restructuring and commissioning of said complex. There they were working on different companies, including Raízen (Shell), Hidrocinetic S.A., Velo S.A. (last two, outsourced under the UOCRA agreement). The fire was caused by the absolute negligence of the employer, responsible for a large number of anomalies and deficiencies in the work processes. read more

Malcolm Brinded, standing trial for Corruption in Italy over Nigerian OPL 245 oil deal, a key figure in many Shell scandals, including the tragic deaths on Brent Bravo.

EMAIL TO ALL MP’s: ON 1st OCT, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL CEO BEN VAN BEURDEN HAD ADVANCE SIGHT OF THE TOXIC FACTS SET OUT HEREIN. NO LEGAL ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN TO STOP YOU SEEING THIS. 

Although I am not one of your constituents, I hope you agree that the safety of UK offshore workers is a matter of importance to ALL MP’s. Some unfortunate Royal Dutch Shell workers have already lost their lives. More lives are at stake. Please at least glance through the information below, which includes my name and address. 

SHELL NORTH SEA PLATFORM WORKER DEATHS DESERVING A FULLY INFORMED PUBLIC INQUIRY

Just how bad does has a company have to be before the Church of England withdraws investment on ethical grounds?

You may have seen the email I recently sent to over around 1,000 parliamentarians, including senior clergy and the former Scottish Energy Minister Baroness Liddell, who, as you will see, has a Shell connection. The email was about the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Church of England’s significant investment in Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Many thanks for all the responses received.

I would like to bring to your attention just one of the many scandals rattling around in Shell’s corporate cupboard. read more

From: John Donovan
Subject: Next Email to Parliamentarians
Date: 1 October 2018 at 21:00:35 BST
To: [email protected]
Cc: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>, William Campbell

Dear Mr Thomson

DRAFT

EMAIL TO ALL MP’s AND PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL LAWYERS HAVE HAD ADVANCE SIGHT OF WHAT YOU ARE HOPEFULLY ABOUT TO READ.

SHELL NORTH SEA PLATFORM WORKER DEATHS DESERVING A PUBLIC INQUIRY

Just how bad does has a company have to be before the Church of England withdraws investment on ethical grounds?

You may have seen the email I recently sent to over around 1,000 parliamentarians, including senior clergy and the former Scottish Energy Minister Baroness Liddell, who has a Shell connection. The email was about the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Church of England’s significant investment in Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

Many thanks for all the responses received.

Today I would like to bring to your attention just one of the many scandals rattling around in Shell’s corporate cupboard. read more

…if we continue operating Bravo in its current condition a major incident involving injury or fatality, and with the potential of Impairing the TR ;s inevitable. It may take a week or a year, it doesn’t matter. it will happen. You also need to consider your position. You are clearly working under instruction from Malcolm to keep a lid on this bag of worms, you should not be confident if the worst happens that the bold Malcolm will protect you. you will be hung out to dry to protect the golden boy’s progression up the ladder.

SHELL BLOG COMMENTS ON PUBLICATION OF BRENT BRAVO JAW-DROPPING AUDIT NOTES MADE IN 1999 BEFORE THE FATALITIES OCCURRED

FROM RETIRED OIM (addressed to Bill – Bill Campbell)

Bill, now the full horror of your findings during the Expro audit have been made available via Johns’ web site I wonder what kind of reaction, if any, will be generated. In retrospect and with hindsight, publishing earlier might have sealed Brinded’s demise sooner and he would never have risen to an apparent level of “the untouchable”.

The Italians hopefully will ensure he will be disgraced never to be any where near a responsible position again. read more

REUTERS STAFF: AUGUST 12, 2018 / 11:12 PM

HOUSTON (Reuters) – The heavy oil hydrocracking unit (HCU) at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s (RDSa.AS) 209,787 barrel per day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana, refinery was shut after a fire early on Sunday, sources familiar with plant operations said. The fire broke out on the 45,000 bpd HCU, call the H-Oil Unit, at about 1:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday, the sources said. A Shell spokesman was not immediately available to comment. No injuries were reported due to the blaze, the sources said. FULL ARTICLE read more

Written by Allister Thomas and Chris Jaffray – 03/08/2018

Shell has been fined £60,000 after a technician was severely injured by a gas cylinder on a North Sea platform.

The incident in November 2014 took place on the Brent Delta installation when a gas cylinder unexpectedly discharged, causing projectiles to strike a worker.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard today that technicians were required to replace a gas cylinder within a system used to extinguish fires on November 9, 2014.

One technician rolled what he thought was an empty cylinder and took off a protective cap, however the cylinder was in fact fully charged which caused an uncontrolled release of gas and a loud bang –  resulting in the technician dropping the cylinder which caused the valve to shear, with projectiles severely injuring a second technician. read more

Extracts from the ebook “John Donovan, Shell’s Nightmare” (now available on Amazon websites globally)

Extract from page 147.

I publish articles on my website penned by me and authored by Shell insiders and former Shell employees.

A brief selection:

Roll call of Shell toxic brands deadly to insects, crop pests AND humans: 20 August 2010

Shell Corrib employee group leaking information to website: 6 August 2010

Adventures in Shell ‘Matulaland’: 11 June 2010

DATA SECURITY BREACH AT SHELL PUTS ITS EMPLOYEES AT RISK: 4 February 2010

Shell’s North Sea history of safety violations, blackmail and blacklisting: 28 January 2010

SEX, DRUGS & CORRUPTION SPONSORED BY SHELL

News headlines file for Royal Dutch Shell Sex and Drugs Scandal: 27 May 2009

Royal Dutch Shell Fat Cat Malcolm Brinded: Big Brain but no scruples: 28 May 2009 read more

A quarter of Shell shareholders turned on Ben Van Beurden after he pocketed €8.9m (£7.8m)

Jillian Ambrose: 22 MAY 2018 • 2:02PM

The boss of Royal Dutch Shell has suffered a bruising shareholder revolt after more than a quarter of its investors voted against his multi-million euro payout for last year.

Ben Van Beurden pocketed €8.9m (£7.8m) for 2017 after trebling the company’s profits to $12.1bn (£9bn) as the oil giant staged an impressive recovery from a crash in prices.

But shareholders took against the FTSE 100 boss after an accident in Pakistan last year claimed the lives of more than 200 people in an explosion of a fuel tanker operated by one of the energy giant’s subsidiaries. read more

Royal Dutch Shell Plc will face difficult questions at its annual general meeting next week after an investor-advisory group urged shareholders to challenge executive pay and the company’s response to a fatal accident in Pakistan. 

Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., an influential adviser on corporate governance, has recommended investors reject Shell’s pay report at its AGM on May 22, saying it was initially “silent” on the Pakistan incident. ISS also said it could only offer “qualified support” to the re-election of the independent director looking after corporate social responsibility.  read more

By City & Finance Reporter for the Daily Mail: PUBLISHED:21:51, 13 May 2018 | UPDATED: 21:51, 13 May 2018

The boss of oil giant Shell is facing the threat of a revolt over his £7.8million pay packet.

Institutional Shareholders Services, a leading investor advisory group, is recommending that Ben van Beurden’s pay is voted down at the annual general meeting later this month.

ISS said it also wants more information about how the 60-year-old’s bonus was affected by an incident in Pakistan in 2016, when a fuel tanker operated by a Shell Pakistan contractor exploded, killing more than 200 people. read more

The firm also drew attention to a number of safety incidents in 2017 which it is working to address and provide support to victims for, including oil spills and theft in Nigeria, earthquakes in Groningen and a road tanker disaster in Pakistan.

Allister Thomas read more