Why would the issue of payment for loss of office even arise? Perhaps I am wrong but I am left with the impression that his early departure was by mutual consent and on the basis of no compensation for loss of office? In other words the board wanted him to leave early and he agreed?

By John Donovan

I was intrigued by the inclusion of the following statement by Shell in the Remuneration Disclosure for Peter Voser published earlier today:

“Payment for loss of office
No payment for loss of office is made or will be made to Peter Voser.”

Consequently I sent the following email to a source with Shell insider knowledge:

Wording seems odd to me?

Why would the issue of payment for loss of office even arise?

Perhaps I am wrong but I am left with the impression that his early departure was by mutual consent and on the basis of no compensation for loss of office? read more

By John Donovan

On 21 March 2013 we broke the news that David Lawrence, the Royal Dutch Shell executive most directly responsible for Shell’s infamous “screw up” in Alaska had been fired.

This was possibly in an attempt to save his incompetent bosses, Marvin Odum and Peter Voser, from the same fate.

Voser later took early retirement.

It has been announced today that Lawrence has joined Stone Energy Corporation.

Stone Energy Corporation Announces the Appointment of a New Director read more

The people who will really be laughing are those who sold the US prospects to Shell over the past few years. These assets were acquired by Shell at a cost of several billion dollars right at the top of the market.

FROM A SHELL RELATED SOURCE

Looks like Ben van Beurden is going to be starting with a clean sheet – wholesale disposals (and huge write-offs) in Voser’s last quarter as chairman of the CMD…which of course starts tomorrow.
 
Today’s press mentions disposals of the Eagle Ford shale interests in Texas, shale prospects in Colorado and Kansas, the Chukchi sea prospects off Alaska (interests acquired at enormous cost), and onshore assets in Nigeria – essentially everything that Marvin Odum and Dave Lawrence built up over the past few years plus the Niger delta… And these are just the ones we know about.
 
The people who will really be laughing are those who sold the US prospects to Shell over the past few years. These assets were acquired by Shell at a cost of several billion dollars right at the top of the market. read more

Our arch-critic, LondonLad, who has been posting comments on our Shell Blog for many years under his current or former alias, mostly highly critical of our articles, has stated: “I genuinely salute the Donovan’s for inserting comments on the Blog from the likes of myself.” Unlike Royal Dutch Shell, we are receptive to criticism. Sometimes it is justified.

By John Donovan

Our arch-critic, LondonLad, a retired senior Shell executive who has been posting comments on our Shell Blog for many years under his current or former alias, mostly highly critical of our articles, has stated: “I genuinely salute the Donovan’s for inserting comments on the Blog from the likes of myself.” Unlike Royal Dutch Shell, we are receptive to criticism. Sometimes it is justified.

We have published every comment Musaint/LondonLad has supplied for posting.  We also gave him access as a guest author so that he could post articles directly onto the site without our involvement. He has never taken up the facility, probably because he prefers to spend time on more worthwhile pursuits, such as being a fanatical supporter of Manchester United. read more

Blunders during the 2012 drilling season, including permitting and technical issues with the Noble Discoverer drillship and the grounding of the Kulluk conical drilling unit, led Shell to halt its 2013 drilling season. Courtesy Shell

Suzanna Caldwell:May 1, 2013

Four months after a Royal Dutch Shell drillship ran aground in Alaska, raising questions about the company’s offshore drilling operations, the oil giant has appointed a new executive in charge of Arctic operations.

Ann Pickard, currently chairwoman of Shell’s Australian operations, will begin overseeing Shell’s Arctic operations in June.

Pickard will take over as executive vice president of Shell’s “Arctic, Upstream Americas” — part of a restructuring within Shell that separates Arctic operations from other divisions, said Shell spokesman Curtis Smith in an email Wednesday. read more

Mr Lawrence was the executive vice-president for exploration and commercial for Shell’s Upstream Americas division. His responsibilities are now being divided between three executives, including one with responsibility specifically for the Arctic. Its Arctic programme has already been beset by setbacks which forced it to put it on hold until at least 2014.

By Emily Gosden: Friday 29 March 2013 Page B5

ROYAL Dutch Shell’s beleaguered Arctic campaign has suffered yet another setback after the US Coast Guard asked prosecutors to consider whether the company’s Kulluk drilling ship had breached marine pollution rules.

The Kulluk ran aground off Alaska in a storm on New Year’s Eve in the most high-profile mishap of Shell’s 2012 Arctic drilling programme.

Shell has already abandoned plans to drill for oil in the Arctic this summer after a series of problems last year. read more

Posted on March 26, 2013 at 2:28 pm by Jennifer A. Dlouhy: Covers energy policy and other issues for The Houston Chronicle and other Hearst Newspapers from Washington, D.C.

A Shell executive in charge of oil exploration across the Americas has stepped down from his post after 29 years with the company.

Shell said the move by David Lawrence, the executive vice president of exploration and commercial for upstream Americas “was made by mutual consent” and that he was not fired. But skeptics have fostered a different view: that Lawrence was fired and made the scapegoat for Shell’s problem-plagued 2012 Arctic drilling season. read more

According to our whistleblower source, the entire rebuild and preparation was carried out at a reckless pace and the Noble Discoverer departed on its way to New Zealand without even being certified. As a consequence of the botched processes, the ancient ship repeatedly broke-down on the high seas during the move to New Zealand. Because almost everything went wrong, the well it had attempted to drill had to be abandoned before reaching its objectives so that the jinxed drilling ship could be moved to the Arctic with all speed. The magnitude of the fiasco has been such that Ken Salazar, the U.S. Secretary for the Interior, has recently written off Shell’s whole Arctic Campaign as a “screw-up.”
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“Can your source confirm if this formal PSUA was ever completed and if so what was the audit opinion?”: “…in summary were these 2008 recommendations signed off by Lawrence of Alaska in a flawed process when indeed they had not been fully implemented –  a not uncommon occurrence worldwide in the greater Shell empire?”

(Sacked Royal Dutch Shell Executive VP David Lawrence shown right)

CAUSES FOR CONCERN RAISED BY BILL CAMPBELL RETIRED HSE GROUP AUDITOR, SHELL INTERNATIONAL

John – some food for thought on how the internal processes should have worked, something to think about, questions that any concerned investor should raise at the future AGM or before.

Whether it be you, or investors that you may have contact with or shareholders like myself, or the many contributors to your web site, the information you provided such as the 2008 PSUA and the DOI Report and the sudden demise of Lawrence of Alaska as usual throws up more questions than answers.  Maybe Mr Brandjes could be forthcoming on the relevant issues, in line with the principles he is expected to comply with of openness honesty and integrity in its dealings with the public generally and its stakeholders including its employees, why don’t you ask him? read more

Campaigners hope move heralds end of programme

Kevin Rawlinson  Alex Jackson  Friday 22 March 2013

Shell’s controversial plan to drill in the Arctic has been dealt a further blow after it confirmed today that the man running its exploration programme in North America is to leave the company.

Campaigners said they hoped the move heralded the beginning of the end for the programme, which has been vehemently opposed by Greenpeace, among others.

“This disaster should force them to mothball the programme completely, but it will depend on whether or not shareholders can handle sinking more money into a project with minimal return for the foreseeable future,” one campaigner told the Independent. read more

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David Lawrence PR spin about Shell Exploration projects, including its Arctic Plans. Before he was fired after Shell’s plans fell apart.

AMENDED 11.22 GMT: The question mark can be removed. We have confirmation that David Lawrence has been fired.

By John Donovan

We have received a report from a normally reliable insider source that David Lawrence (right), Executive Vice President Exploration for Royal Dutch Shell has been fired. Mr Lawrence has been closely involved in Shell’s Arctic debacle and may have been chosen as the fall guy.  If confirmed, more information on the circumstances of his departure will follow when we receive it.
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