John Collingridge: October 20 2019, 12:01am, The Sunday Times
EXTRACTS
Investors turn fossil fuels into dinosaurs
Bank of England governor Mark Carney sent shock waves through the City four years ago by warning that investors in fossil fuel companies faced “potentially huge” losses from vast reserves that could become “literally unburnable”.
Oil giants’ multibillion-pound bet — that gas will power the global economy into a low-carbon future — now looks risky.
Royal Dutch Shell bet its future on gas in 2015 with its £47bn takeover of troubled rival BG, the rump of privatised British Gas. Shell lifer Ben van Beurden’s deal turned the Anglo-Dutch giant into the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) company.
Fear among investors is evident in the oil giants’ share prices.read more
Upstream Online: Shell learns from Prelude challenges
Shell is currently in the process of ramping up its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas development off Western Australia, but the ambitious project …
Extract ends
Printed below are extracts from recent postings on our Shell Blog relating to the above Upstream Online article and its interview with Shell VP Prelude, Bob Jager.
Posting on 19 August 2019
I would be interested to know the content of the article just published by Upstream Online about the Prelude FLNG problems?
What I do know is that Prelude is still having difficulties in with the processed volumes of any of the three streams of product, LNG, LPG and condensate.
I have been monitoring the Marine Traffic web site with Prelude as the target. The offtake tankers, LNG or condensate, can be seen hanging around but at a greater distance from Prelude making it not as easy to keep track of as in previous occasions. The latest LNG tanker, Symphonic Breeze, has been nearby for nearly a week waiting for its nominated cargo. The demurrage costs must be quite high by now as the “notice of readiness” will have been tabled on arrival.read more
The Anglo-Dutch energy major has, like its peers, spent the last few years cutting costs as it recovered from the 2014 oil price crash. It has also sought to cut debt after its $53bn deal for BG Group in 2016. Shell, in strategy update on Tuesday, said it planned to invest $30bn per year between 2021-25, up from a prior range of $25—30bn.
Angry Dutch citizens on Thursday will ask their country’s highest court to put an immediate end to gas production in the Groningen region due to the risk of life-endangering earthquakes.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.
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
Royal Dutch Shell has invested significantly in LNG with its takeover of British Gas in 2016. The acquisition of BG for more than $50 billion provided the Dutch company with a head start during a period when prices were low. Shell’s capacity in the LNG industry is nearly double compared to its nearest competitor. The company’s value currently is $53 billion less than Exxon’s, the largest oil and gas company in the world. Before the deal, the difference was more than $150 billion. FULL ARTICLEread more
After the Shell BG merger completed in 2016 , a lot of really good people lost their jobs, it was handled terribly by the HR dept and the so called ‘General Managers’ culled some of the best experts they had …in less than a year of the redundancies Shell were struggling and now with the lack of expertise…they have had to take in contractors to fill staff positions ..within a year of the redundancies … they could be liable if people took this issue up.. Also Shell were looking at hiring back some old boy network …who are now pensioners to come back in as managers to help out with the problems ..LOL . they have so much dead wood staff on their books and the company is ran like a club.read more
LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDSa.L) oil traders in the Caribbean island of Barbados are getting ready for a tough gig – they’re being moved to the Bahamas next month. The relocation of the oil and gas company’s trading hub for Latin America will make travel to customers in the key region easier for its employees, a company spokeswoman said. FULL ARTICLE
By Elizabeth Burden and Thomas Biesheuvel 15 August 2018, 08:54 BST
*Methodist fund developing system analyzing company ethics *Top mining and oil companies will be graded by end of 2018
Divestment may be too blunt an instrument to encourage the world’s biggest oil and mining companies to behave ethically: the Methodist Church is prepared to back those committed to mending their ways. FULL ARTICLEread more
Royal Dutch Shell has triggered the start of a long-awaited £19bn ($25bn) share buyback scheme that will reward patient investors over the next two years.
The oil major will kick off the payday by distributing $2bn over the next three months for those shareholders who accepted shares rather than dividends during a downturn in the oil price two years ago.
As the crude market has recovered, Shell has prioritised paying down debt and selling off $30bn in assets over repurchasing the dividend scrips.read more
Several oil majors, including Royal Dutch Shell and BP, are boosting their share of natural gas output. A Bloomberg report said these two oil companies, by increasing gas production, are trimming the lead between them and ExxonMobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company. ExxonMobil has a current market cap of $348 bn, while Shell has market cap of $317 bn, and BP at $156 bn.
BP expects by 2020 to produce about 60 percent gas and 40 percent oil, a reversal from 2014 when it was the opposite – a pivot that many other oil companies will likely follow. ExxonMobil for its part currently produces about 55 percent oil and 45 percent gas and remains the largest natural gas producer in the US. Shell’s acquisition of UK-based BG Group for $50 bn in 2016 boosted the share of natural gas to 50 percent of its global fossil fuels output and made it the world’s largest natural gas trader.read more
By Kevin Crowley and Kelly Gilblom Monday 25 June 2018, 00:00 BST
Big Oil’s fortunes are becoming tied more closely to natural gas than ever before.
Majors including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc have boosted their proportion of gas output in recent years, helping them trim Exxon Mobil Corp.’s lead as the world’s most valuable oil company. Meanwhile Chevron Corp. added two giant Australian liquefied natural gas projects and Exxon is punching back with two major projects of its own, in Papua New Guinea and Mozambique.read more
After the discussions between Buhari and van Beurden, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, sent a letter to the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company NNPC, Mikanti Baru, instructing the corporation and the Anglo-Dutch oil company to conclude arrangements for the start of the project.read more
Tanzanian MP Wants Shell-BG U.S.$500 Million Transaction Investigated
By Alawi Masare; 25 May 2018
Dodoma — Momba MP Mr David Silinde (Chadema) has asked the Parliament to form a special committee to investigate the transaction between Shell and BG over Tanzania’s gas blocks alleging that Shell did not pay capital gain tax.
Debating the budget of the Ministry of Energy on Friday, Mr Silinde said the company should pay the tax estimated at $500 million.
“There is a possibility that the transaction involved corruption. Hence, denies the country the revenue which could address different challenges in the energy sector,” said Mr Silinde. read more
A few more weeks and the champagne bottles can be uncorked at Shell headquarters. Then the British-Dutch oil and gas multinational for the first time in decades again greater in terms of market value than arch-rival ExxonMobil. At least, if the current price development at both companies continues at the current rate.
Where Exxon has had to deal with setbacks that have affected production, results and returns in recent years, investors are actually charmed by Shell’s growing cash flow, his lucrative oil and gas projects in the deep sea near the US and Brazil, the big financial discipline and cost savings. Important also: an announced share repurchase of $ 25 billion in the period up to the end of 2020.read more
Money in the pockets: The next round of Nigerian "engagements" are well and truly happening now. Bonga SW/A has been a great tool for regulators and others to return to the potential contractors for additional assistance to progress the project.
It might just fly in 2020, and get on stream 20 years after the initial project.
This will be a real money maker to everyone that can participate (staff, EPC contractors, fabricators, installers, regulators, etc.) just not the nation that continues to suffer.
John Donovan: Hello LondonLad.
Good to see that you still visit. Hope you are well. Glad you have felt sufficiently motivated to post a comment again, the first one since 2013 if I recall correctly.
Under your former alias as MUsaint and your current alias LondonLad we have argued extensively about Shell's track record in Nigeria.
I know you speak with authority given your own years in a senior position with Shell in Nigeria.
Suffice it to say that Shell has already paid out over £15 million in compensation to some relatives of the Ogoni 9 and millions more in fines relating to Shell corruption in Nigeria.
The posting of articles and other evidence dating back to those days have emerged from the current Dutch litigation against Shell brought by Esther Kiobel and two other Ogoni 9 widows who have yet to be compensated for the loss of their beloved husbands. Most of the archived articles supplied to me via Amnesty International have never been posted online. There are more to follow.
I note your mention of Greenpeace, the unfortunate subject of undercover activity by Shell's cherished MI6 hires via Hakluyt & Company. No doubt that situation continues.
These companies, including Shell, admitted they “approved of or condoned the payment of bribes on their behalf in Nigeria and falsely recorded the bribe payments made on their behalf as legitimate business expenses in their corporate books, records and accounts”.
Shell must pay a $30million “criminal penalty” over charges it paid $2million to a sub-contractor “with the knowledge that some or all of the money” would be used to bribe Nigerian officials to allow equipment into the country without paying duty. Shell, which has not admitted guilt, must pay a further $18million to repay profits and interests.
LondonLad: Oh, and while I'm on my soapbox why don't those idiots at Greenpeace learn from their mistakes? Now claiming that various Shell North Sea production platforms contain this and that amount of crude should trigger someone in the German Government to question their numbers. Greenpeace were completely wrong with their figures quoted for Brent Spar.
LondonLad: Jeeeez Mr.D you really are scraping the barrel. Articles from the "Tempo" dating from 1996 with still unproven (so one might assume false) claims about corruption in Ogoniland. Have to say that it's still clear that Nigerians remain convinced that the best way to extort money is by attacking Shell (SPDC/SNEPCO) rather than the real culprits which still remain as the State Government, DPR, NAPIMS etc. etc.
Bogus Group: https://www.accdocket.com/articles/tips-and-insights-a-world-class-combination.cfm
Sarah Franklin, Shell’s Associate General Counsel for Safety & Environment and her new team still don’t appear to have a focus on “complex safety matters”. As noted in the article, she would still appear to be “getting her Shell sea legs” despite being in the role for nearly 3 years.
Yesterday’s announcement that the HSE had issued Shell with an Improvement Notice for failing to ensure that the Temporary Refuge on the Gannet Alpha Installation was capable of remaining effective in an emergency, must question the validity of Shell’s focus on safety. TR compliance is not complex, it’s a fundamental prerequisite for the safety of the installation’s personnel in the event of an emergency, anything less is tantamount to dereliction.
If they can’t get basic safety requirement’s right, what chance have they with something more complex. Word of advice to Shell, employ more technically competent people who disclose and address safety concerns and fewer lawyers who suppress them.
Floundering at Scotford: The most profitable downstream site, we are losing good leader after leader, and we can’t figure out why? Maybe having mangers that say people get paid too much and don’t work hard enough and driving morale into the tank is the problem? When you actively devalue people, what do you expect? Now you throw a 5% raise at us? Really? What a disaster!
Bonus Group: Further to my post about how seriously Rob Jager takes his role as VP Prelude, his profile on LinkedIn shows him as being a Non Executive Director for Air New Zealand above being a Shell VP for Prelude. He is clearly a high flyer. Do Air New Zealand do Airmiles?
John Donovan: Oliver, regarding your message, please contact me via [email protected]
singapore love: Rumor on the street is the Shell Vito project is over a year behind schedule, AND Shell plans to double down and award Whale to the same contractors in the coming weeks.
Must be some serious love going on between the Singaporeans and Shell decision makers....
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EXTRACTS
Shell’s greener future is a matter of survival
…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.
POSTING ON OUR SHELL BLOG BY “EX SHELL MAN”
Shell oil traders trade one Caribbean paradise for another
By Elizabeth Burden and Thomas Biesheuvel
By 
After the discussions between Buhari and van Beurden, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, sent a letter to the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigeria’s state-owned oil company NNPC, Mikanti Baru, instructing the corporation and the Anglo-Dutch oil company to conclude arrangements for the start of the project.
Shell dumps interest in two Norwegian fields
Printed below is an English translation of an article published today by the Dutch Financial Times, 
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