Sin Stocks

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From Swiss trademarks and Bahamas trading profits to Dutch tax secrecy, Shell’s financial history has acquired an impressive recurring theme: when the numbers become interesting, the explanation becomes complicated. Very complicated.

SATIRE — based on documented events, published investigations and official regulatory records.

After three Shell tax articles in a single morning, readers might reasonably wonder whether we are in danger of becoming repetitive.

Not at all.

Shell has thoughtfully provided several decades of material.

Today we learned that the Dutch Ministry of Finance cannot discuss Shell’s leaked transfer-pricing arrangements because they remain protected by fiscal confidentiality — despite the relevant documents having been leaked, published, analysed by researchers, debated by tax academics, defended by Shell and placed before Parliament. 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, the Independent Shell Archive, 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 conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Books About Shell

Sep 9th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Books About Shell: An Expanded Bibliography

Introduction

Royal Dutch Shell, now Shell plc, has generated an unusually large body of literature stretching from official corporate histories and executive memoirs to academic studies, environmental investigations, human-rights accounts and books written by people directly involved in disputes with the company.

The bibliography below includes:

histories commissioned or published by Shell;
independent corporate histories;
biographies of important Shell figures;
books about particular Shell businesses and projects;
books concerning Nigeria, Ogoni and Ken Saro-Wiwa;
books about Brent Spar and Corrib;
studies of Shell’s celebrated scenario-planning system;
broader histories of the international oil industry in which Shell is a significant subject;
and Amazon Kindle books by John Donovan concerning his long-running relationship with Shell.

The descriptions below are original summaries rather than reproductions of publishers’ copyrighted descriptions.

Early Royal Dutch and Shell Histories

1934

An International Oil Man

Author: Sir Henri Deterding, as told to Stanley Naylor
Format: Print read more

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 30 AUGUST 2026

Aug 30th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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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

Algorithms of Misconduct: How the Battle for ‘RoyalDutchShellPlc.com’ Rewrote Corporate History

Aug 25th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 13 AUGUST 2026

Aug 13th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-026

The Sakhalin Papers XVI: The Permit, the Prosecutors and Gazprom

Archive reference: SLF-2007-026
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Shell Sustainability Report 2006; official Kremlin transcript of the 21 December 2006 Sakhalin Energy shareholders’ meeting; Gazprom corporate records
Supporting record: contemporaneous Reuters and oil-industry reporting; EBRD records; Russian court proceedings as reported contemporaneously; subsequent UK tribunal and High Court proceedings concerning governmental scrutiny of Sakhalin II
Evidence standard: corporate admissions, government statements, judicial findings, regulatory allegations and commentary are kept separate. read more

THE MAN BEHIND THE WEBSITES: NICK GILL AND A QUARTER-CENTURY IN SHELL’S DIGITAL SHADOW

Aug 12th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Nick Gill

Timeline correction made on 19 Sept 2026: Nick Gill was 19 when he answered the job advert placed by John Donovan (Jan 1998), still 19 at the time of the London Evening Standard article (Sept 1998), and 20 by the time the trial opened (15 June 1999) at the Royal Courts of Justice— See pages 5 and 6 of the trial transcript.

By John Donovan

For more than a quarter of a century, my father Alfred Donovan and I became publicly associated with an extraordinary internet campaign against one of the world’s largest energy companies.

Our names appeared in newspapers. Shell executives knew who we were. Lawyers knew who we were. Whistleblowers knew where to find us.

But behind much of the machinery that allowed the campaign to function was another man whose name rarely appeared in the headlines.

Nick Gill.

This is the story of the computer “whiz kid” who answered a small newspaper advertisement and ended up helping to build and maintain an internet operation that Shell itself would later describe internally in remarkably complimentary terms. read more

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 12 AUGUST 2026

Aug 12th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-025

The Sakhalin Papers XV: A Thousand Rivers — Salmon, Pipeline Crossings and the Contractor Problem

Archive reference: SLF-2007-025
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: The Shell Sustainability Report 2005; Sakhalin Energy river-crossing documentation and monitoring records; UK Export Credits Guarantee Department evidence to Parliament
Supporting record: Russian regulatory actions, Reuters and other contemporaneous reporting, EBRD records and subsequent court proceedings concerning UK government scrutiny of Sakhalin II
Evidence standard: Shell and Sakhalin Energy admissions are distinguished from regulator allegations, NGO claims, journalistic reporting, subsequent governmental assessments and judicial findings. read more

COMING TOMORROW: Inside the Shell Nigeria Files

Aug 12th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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A new daily investigation into the documents behind the battle over Shell, oil pollution and accountability in the Niger Delta

Tomorrow we begin something substantial.

Over the coming days and weeks, we will be examining a remarkable collection of documents concerning Shell’s operations in Nigeria, oil pollution in the Niger Delta, pipeline integrity, oil theft, environmental damage and what senior personnel inside the company knew about the problems confronting its operations.

And we intend to examine them one story at a time.

Not with slogans.

Not by pretending allegations are proven facts.

And not by accepting corporate explanations without examining the documentary record behind them. read more

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 8 AUGUST 2026

Aug 8th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-023

The Sakhalin Papers XIII: The British Government File — Export Credits, Environmental Warnings and the High Court Challenge

Archive reference: SLF-2007-023
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: UK Export Credits Guarantee Department records, Parliamentary evidence, Administrative Court papers and official Shell filings
Supporting record: Contemporaneous parliamentary statements and press reporting
Evidence standard: Government records, court documents and corporate filings are distinguished from campaign allegations and editorial commentary. Two separate legal proceedings are identified separately to avoid attributing a judgment from one case to another. read more

Three Decades of Publishing About Shell: Why a Record of Challenges, Corrections and Silence Matters

Aug 7th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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By John Donovan

Article note: This article distinguishes between matters supported by public records and statements based on my own publishing records and recollection. Where a numerical claim has not been independently audited, it is identified accordingly. Site wide disclaimer also applies.

A Point About Credibility

During a recent discussion about Shell, Wikipedia and the evidential standards required when making claims about a multinational corporation, I made a point that deserves expanding.

I said:

“I know that you must exercise due caution on information supplied and allegations made. Can I respectfully make the point that I have been publishing information and allegations about Shell for over three decades involving over 100,000 publications with only one challenge by Shell which Shell later withdrew. That fact should speak volumes about my caution and integrity.” read more

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 7 AUGUST 2026

Aug 7th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-022

The Sakhalin Papers XII: “I Received These Letters From John Donovan” — How Shell’s Internal Emails Entered the Russian Regulatory Record

Archive reference: SLF-2007-022
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal evidence: 2002 Shell/Sakhalin-linked internal emails; contemporaneous press reporting; Oleg Mitvol’s published account of receiving the material; authenticated Shell internal correspondence; UK High Court judicial-review records; official SEC filings
Evidence standard: Documentary provenance is distinguished from allegation, regulatory assertion and editorial commentary. No causal claim is made unless the record supports it. read more

Shell’s US Security Unit Faces Another Discrimination Lawsuit

Aug 6th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Shell’s US Security Unit Faces Another Discrimination Lawsuit

The Hall/Oaks History Is Background, Not Proof

Archive reference: SUSA-SEC-2026-001
Subject: Thomas Hutt v. Shell plc and others
Forum: US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, according to contemporaneous reporting
Evidence standard: Reported allegations in a newly filed civil complaint, Shell’s response to the press, and separately documented earlier litigation concerning Shell’s corporate-security function.

The allegations discussed below have not been proven in court. Shell has denied wrongdoing. Historical litigation involving other people is included only to explain the public record around the same corporate-security organisation; it is not evidence that those people were involved in the new case. read more

The Moscow Times, a Retired Shell Manager and Sakhalin II

Aug 5th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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The Shell Leaks Files

SLF-2006-011

The Moscow Times, a Retired Shell Manager and Sakhalin II

Archive Reference: SLF-2006-011
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Document date: 21-22 November 2006
Evidence standard: Contemporaneous email correspondence, including the Bouman/van Spronsen emails published in full in 2006. Statements about technical, commercial or management matters remain attributed to their authors.

This article is a historical-document publication. It does not identify people whose names have been redacted in the source record, and it does not treat the correspondence as independent proof of every allegation or prediction contained in it. read more

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 5 AUGUST 2026

Aug 5th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-020

The Sakhalin Papers X: The Letter to Putin — A $26 Billion Warning Before the Showdown

Archive reference: SLF-2007-020
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal document: Alfred Donovan’s communication addressed to President Vladimir Putin, dated 25 November 2005
Supporting record: Shell’s 2005 Annual Report, contemporaneous financial reporting, EBRD records, SEC litigation materials and the WIPO administrative decision
Evidence limitation: The surviving document establishes what Alfred Donovan wrote. It does not, by itself, establish delivery to, receipt by or consideration within the Kremlin. read more

The Sakhalin Papers IX: The Story Shell Tried to “Kill” — An Unpublished Sunday Times Investigation and the Surviving Paper Trail

Aug 4th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-019

The Sakhalin Papers IX: The Story Shell Tried to “Kill” — An Unpublished Sunday Times Investigation and the Surviving Paper Trail

Archive Reference: SLF-2007-019
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Evidence Standard: Authenticated Shell documents, contemporaneous reporting, formal legal correspondence and statutory material. No court determination is relied upon in this instalment.

Introduction

On Friday 2 February 2007, an internal Shell email circulated under the subject line “Donovan – Sunday Times.”

The message reported that The Sunday Times had picked up a story from the Donovan website concerning leaked Sakhalin and drilling emails. Shell’s Group media office was preparing agreed questions and answers previously used with The Guardian. read more

The Shell Leaks Files: 31 JULY 2026

Jul 31st, 2026

by John Donovan.

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The Shell Leaks Files

SLF-2007-016

The Sakhalin Papers VI: After the Deal — “Pipeliners All!” and the Internal Record of Shell’s Response

Archive Reference: SLF-2007-016
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Evidence Standard: Official corporate filings, authenticated or corporately acknowledged internal communications, contemporaneous reporting and direct company correspondence.

Introduction

On 18 April 2007, the shareholders of Sakhalin Energy signed the agreement that triggered the transfer of control of Sakhalin-2 to Gazprom.

Gazprom obtained 50 per cent plus one share. Shell’s interest fell from 55 per cent to 27.5 per cent. Shell publicly welcomed the new majority shareholder, emphasised future growth opportunities and presented the transaction as another step towards completing the project and supplying contracted LNG customers. read more

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.
Extremely slow broadband for 10 months, not fixed. I have had slow broadband well below the guaranteed speed for 10 months and Shell Energy have not been able to fix it. They have tried sending about 4 or 5 engineers but have not fixed the problem. Gurps, who I have been dealing with most recently, has been friendly and polite, alth… Read more

Extremely Slow Shell Broadband

Sin Stocks

From Swiss trademarks and Bahamas trading profits to Dutch tax secrecy, Shell’s financial history has acquired an impressive recurring theme: when the numbers become interesting, the explanation becomes complicated. Very complicated.

Books About Shell: An Expanded Bibliography

Introduction

Early Royal Dutch and Shell Histories

1934

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 SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-026

The Sakhalin Papers XVI: The Permit, the Prosecutors and Gazprom

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-025

The Sakhalin Papers XV: A Thousand Rivers — Salmon, Pipeline Crossings and the Contractor Problem

A new daily investigation into the documents behind the battle over Shell, oil pollution and accountability in the Niger Delta

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-023

The Sakhalin Papers XIII: The British Government File — Export Credits, Environmental Warnings and the High Court Challenge

By John Donovan

A Point About Credibility

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-022

The Sakhalin Papers XII: “I Received These Letters From John Donovan” — How Shell’s Internal Emails Entered the Russian Regulatory Record

Shell’s US Security Unit Faces Another Discrimination Lawsuit

The Hall/Oaks History Is Background, Not Proof

The Shell Leaks Files

SLF-2006-011

The Moscow Times, a Retired Shell Manager and Sakhalin II

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-020

The Sakhalin Papers X: The Letter to Putin — A $26 Billion Warning Before the Showdown

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-019

The Sakhalin Papers IX: The Story Shell Tried to “Kill” — An Unpublished Sunday Times Investigation and the Surviving Paper Trail

Introduction

The Shell Leaks Files

SLF-2007-016

The Sakhalin Papers VI: After the Deal — “Pipeliners All!” and the Internal Record of Shell’s Response

Introduction

Sir Henri Deterding, resurrected!

JOE LYCETT DISCUSSES SHELL WITH JOHN DONOVAN

Meta

John Donovan’s ebooks

JOHN DONOVAN TV DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW

SHELL EXECUTIVES AT THE CENTER OF A SCHEME TO STEAL $1.3 BILLION FROM NIGERIA’S PEOPLE

SHELL ADMITS DEALING WITH NIGERIAN MONEY LAUNDERER – BBC NEWS

SHELL, ENI AND NIGERIAN OFFICIALS IN OPL 245 CORRUPTION SCANDAL

INVESTIGATION OF OPL 245 NIGERIAN OIL CORRUPTION SCANDAL

DUTCH EARTHQUAKES CAUSED BY SHELL/EXXON

SHELL KILLS FOR OIL IN NIGERIA

SHELL LIED ABOUT CLEANING UP OIL IN NIGER DELTA

SHELL SPIES INFILTRATED NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT

LEGO DROPS SHELL OVER GREENPEACE OIL SPILL VIDEO

SHELL ARCTIC DRILLING ACCIDENTS

SHELL KNEW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE DECADES AGO

ROYAL DUTCH SHELL FOUNDER SIR HENRI DETERDING, NAZI FINANCIER

JOHN DONOVAN PROMOTIONAL GAMES FOR SHELL AND OTHER CLIENTS

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The worst ever

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.

The worst ever

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