Shell has received the green light to decommission its Goldeneye platform in the North Sea.

by Allister Thomas: 01/11/2019, 11:58 am

The Anglo-Dutch firm submitted plans to the UK Government for the installation, 80 miles north-east of Aberdeen, in November last year.

Plans have been approved to remove the jacket, topsides and decommision the wells and subsea infrastructure.

However a second document for the pipelines will be submitted later as they are hoped to be used as part of a carbon, capture and storage (CCS) project.

In August, Energy Voice revealed that Shell, in partnership with Chrysaor, intended to re-use pipelines for Goldeneye as part of the Acorn CCS project at the St Fergus Gas Terminal in Aberdeenshire. read more

 by Mark Lammey: 31/10/2019, 11:11 am

A boss at Shell insisted today that leaving the huge concrete legs of the Brent platforms at sea was the “right thing to do”.

Chief financial officer Jessica Uhl said she “appreciated the sensitivities” around the issue, but hoped the “strong fundamentals” of Shell’s plans would “come through”.

Earlier this month, Greenpeace activists protested against Shell’s intention not to remove the legs of three of the platforms from the North Sea.

The Anglo-Dutch company submitted its decommissioning programme in 2017, but has yet to receive formal approval from the UK Government, which has the final say on whether to grant a permit for “derogation”. read more

by Tom Baxter: 21 Oct 2019

As someone with a keen interest in decommissioning decision making, I have followed the Brent decommissioning saga with that same keen interest.

A question that keeps coming up for me is why did Shell present such an open goal to Greenpeace, the press and others?

Bearing in mind Shell’s previous experience and reputation hit with Brent Spar, the decision to recommend leaving the concrete cells and their contents is, on the face of it, very perplexing.

Greenpeace’s actions and ensuing headlines were completely predictable.

Shell leave ticking time bomb

Shell ignore international regulations

Shell should clean up its mess

Come on Shell what were you thinking about, why did you make that decision? read more

THEY are the giants of the deep which spent more than four decades pumping billions of pounds worth of oil from the seabed.

But now decommissioned rigs in the North Sea are at the centre of an environmental storm with an oil giant under intense pressure to rethink plans to leave some of the platforms in the sea.

Several hundred oil drilling platforms in the waters o

ff Scotland are due to be decommissioned over the next three decades as they approach the end of their operational lifetime. read more

by Allister Thomas: 18/10/2019, 7:48 am

Germany has said a special meeting on Shell’s Brent decommissioning plans will be the “litmus test” for a convention to protect Europe’s marine environment.

Ospar, an agreement of 15 European countries, made a ruling following Shell’s Brent Spar episode nearly 25 years ago requiring complete removal of oil and gas installations at the end of their production lives.

Shell was forced to abandon plans to sink the Brent Spar, an oil storage buoy, in the North Atlantic following sustained protests from Greenpeace in the 1990s.

Ospar meets in London later to discuss Shell’s plans to leave the concrete legs of the Brent Bravo, Charlie and Delta platforms in the North Sea, which contradicts Ospar rules. read more

Shell’s refusal to fully remove four old oil platforms has prompted a special North Sea treaty meeting called by Germany. Environmentalists suspect oil firms also intend to leave hundreds more behind.

Germany’s Environment Ministry said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that Shell intended to leave the “legs” of its platforms — after partial dismantlement — to decay at sea, still containing 12,125 tons (11,000 metric tons) of crude oil residues.

Ministry spokesman Stephan Gabriel Haufe told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that Germany wanted to avert a repeat of the “Brent Spar” drama of 1995 that saw Shell do a U-turn on disposal at sea — but only after a public outcry. read more

BERLIN — The German government said Wednesday it has called an international meeting over Shell’s refusal to dismantle old oil rigs containing thousands of tons of crude in the Northeast Atlantic.

A spokesman for Germany’s environment ministry told reporters in Berlin that the OSPAR Commission, which oversees a treaty on protecting the Northeast Atlantic, will hold an unprecedented special session in London to discuss the issue Friday.

Stephan Gabriel Haufe said the four Shell platforms in question — known as Brent Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta — contain about 11,000 metric tons (12,125 tons) of crude oil residue. read more

Shell has been dealt with a safety notice after failing to properly ensure workers would be protected during an emergency on a North Sea platform.

by Allister Thomas: 16/10/2019, 12:30 pmUpdated: 16/10/2019, 12:43 pm

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued the improvement notice following an inspection of the Gannet Alpha installation, around 112miles east of Aberdeen, in August.

The inspector said the operator “failed to, ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the Temporary Refuges on the Gannet Alpha Installation is capable of remaining effective in an emergency”.

Temporary Refuge areas are where workers can take cover during an emergency or evacuation procedures get underway, protecting them from flames and toxic gases. read more

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Greenpeace in ‘peaceful protest’ on Shell’s Brent platforms

Greenpeace has announced it is carrying out “peaceful protests” at Shell’s Brent field in the UK North Sea.

by Allister Thomas: 14/10/2019

Activists from the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark are protesting on two platforms in the field, around 115 miles north-east of Shetland – brandishing signs of “Shell, clean up your mess”.

It comes as a special meeting of Ospar, an agreement between 15 governments to protect Europe’s marine environment, takes place in London on Friday.

Some countries have lodged objections to Shell’s plans to leave the legs of three of the platforms – Bravo, Charlie and Delta – in the sea, with concerns around the contents of oil storage cells within them deteriorating. read more

Article by Bill Campbell, retired HSE Group Auditor, Shell International

Subject: Unethical, unwarranted reporting by the Independent and Guardian on the risks of leaving concrete gravity-based structures in situ

Anyone who cares to get at the truth, who spends 30 minutes looking through reports, many of which are independent and supported by authorities in UK and also Norway et al will come quickly to the conclusion that the alarming headlines that these structures are full and brimming with crude oil and chemicals, and represent a ticking time bomb are not only fake news but patently untrue.

The alarming articles in question

The Guardian: UK facing EU outrage over ‘timebomb’ of North Sea oil rigs: 4 Sept 2019

The Independent: North Sea oil rigs set to be abandoned while still full of crude oil and chemicals: 4 Sept 2019

In fact, the studies conducted to date suggest a high risk of failure in attempting to raise these structures with the individual risk of fatality of one per structure which in itself may if anything be an underestimate and does not include the potential loss of life of breaking up the structures at some land-based site.

No one is suggesting that cost, mainly the cost to you and I as taxpayers is high, with the total cost of lifting and removal included in the grand total of some 20 billion for all its North Sea facilities with the 14 billion of this being paid by our Government from your taxes. But cost does not appear to be the driver in the decision-making process. read more

Shell requires UK government permission to leave sub-aquatic structures in place

Shell’s Brent Delta Topside offshore oil drilling rig platform is towed by tug boats up the River Tees to Able Seaton Port for decommissioning in England ( Getty )

Thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste including crude oil could be abandoned in decaying North Sea rigs by Shell with the permission of the UK government, prompting growing concerns among other European countries.

Due to the cost and difficulty of dismantling the structures, the oil giant has proposed leaving the vast concrete legs from three oil rigs standing in the waters. read more

Germany leads complaint against plan to leave polluted remains of Shell rigs in place…

Philip Oltermann in Berlin and Jillian Ambrose

Wed 4 Sep 2019 05.00 BST

The British government is facing growing outrage from the European commission and five EU member states over its plans to leave some decommissioned oil rigs in the North Sea, with one senior German official describing the UK’s proposal as a “grotesque idea” that amounts to a “ticking timebomb”.

Disassembling the enormous pieces of infrastructure, each of which can be as tall as the Eiffel Tower, is a costly undertaking, and this year the UK government is intending to endorse plans by Shell to leave behind one steel jacket and the concrete bases beneath three of the platforms of its Brent oilfield installation. read more

The Shell Brent Bravo Platform and Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit vessel featured in this article both have a controversial history. Workers died in an avoidable accident on Brent Bravo after Shell management ignored the dire warnings and revelations of a “Touch F*** All” safety culture findings arising from a safety audit. Pioneering Spirit was originally named after a Nazi SS Officer, Pieter Schelte, the father of the owner of Allseas.

Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit has completed its second platform topsides removal in the North Sea in the last week, as the heavy lift and pipelay vessel removed the 25,000-ton Brent Bravo topsides. Allseas said in a statement that the operation took approximately four hours, from positioning the vessel around the platform to the moment of the lift.

The Brent field started production in 1976. At its peak in 1982, the four platforms in the field were producing more than 500,000 BOPD. The field has produced approximately 3 billion boe since 1976. Shell announced its plans to decommission parts of the field in 2015. read more

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden

CITY PEOPLE: APRIL 19 2019, 12:01 am

Patrick Hosking: The feuds,  the faces, the farcical

It’s not always much fun on a North Sea oil rig: shifts as long as three weeks with no grog allowed and restrictions on smoking. At least homesick platform workers can seek solace this Easter in roast lamb and apple crumble with cream. But for how much longer? Carys Bennett of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has written to Ben van Beurden, chief executive of Shell, urging him to ban meat and dairy products from its rigs to offset environmental damage by the oil company. “In addition to offsetting some of your gigantic carbon footprint, providing vegan meals would help workers eat with a clear conscience,” she wrote. No response yet from Shell. Too busy preparing the mint sauce perhaps.

Want to read more?

 RELATED ARTICLE

Aberdeen EveningExpress

Animal rights group calls for Shell to provide vegan-only meals on North Sea platforms

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