Shell remains willing to deal with the devil.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden audience with corrupt despot, the Sultan of Brunei

Nov 27th, 2014 

by John Donovan. 

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By John Donovan

Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden had “an audience” on Tuesday with the head of the corrupt, seedy Brunei Royal Family, the Sultan of Brunei, who once accepted a $500,000 wedding gift (bribe) from Royal Dutch Shell.

In April he went ahead, despite international opposition, with his plans to introduce a tough Islamic penal code that under Sharia law will include amputations.

Shell has always been willing to deal with dictators including Adolf Hitler, Muammar Gaddafi and General Sani Abacha. Profits first, ethics last. Shell remains willing to deal with the devil.

I note that nearly a year after the departure of Peter Voser as Shell CEO, it is his signature that is still displayed on Shell’s Business Principles. That tells us all we need it know about the priority and importance that Shell attaches to its claimed ethical code.

FROM THE BORNEO POST ONLINE

Posted on November 26, 2014, Wednesday

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam consented to receive in audience the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell, Mr Ben Van Beurden, ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.

The audience ceremony took place yesterday at Istana Nurul Iman.

Present during the audience were the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Awg Lim Jock Seng who is also Chairman of Brunei Shell Joint Venture Companies and the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamenteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awg Haji Mohd Yasmin bin Haji Umar.

Also present were the Permanent Secretary Downstream & Power at Energy Department, Prime Minister’s Office, Dato Paduka Haji Jamain bin Haji Julaihi, Executive Vice President Joint Ventures Royal Dutch Shell, Mr De Ray Venter and the Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad, Mr Ken Marnoch.

SOURCE

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Posted in: Adolf Hitler, Ben van Beurden, Bribery, Brunei, Business Principles,Corruption, GoogleNews, Human Rights, John Donovan, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell.
Tagged: Brunei · Brunei Shell Petroleum · Corruption · John Donovan · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell · Sultan of Brunei

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

World on brink of oil price war

OPEC IN DISARRAY AS OIL PRICE TUMBLES

Nov 26th, 2014 

by John Donovan. 

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Major Opec nations, Russia and US shale oil drillers now appear on the brink of a price war as these three giant producing blocs fight for a greater share of global demand. (Potentially disastrous news for Big Oil – ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron and Total)

The Telegraph: World on brink of oil price war as Opec set to keep pumping

Extracts

Oil slumped on Wednesday as expectations that Opec will cut production faded following dovish remarks by cartel kingpin Saudi Arabia, which could signal the beginning of a price war. Crude traded in the US fell to as low as $74 per barrel as traders bet that Opec will allow the price to fall further amid growing signs of a global price war amid producers.

Major Opec nations, Russia and US shale oil drillers now appear on the brink of a price war as these three giant producing blocs fight for a greater share of global demand.

FULL ARTICLE

BBC News: Oil price falls ahead of Opec meeting

The price of oil has fallen as Opec oil producers prepare for their meeting on Thursday and data showed crude stocks rose last week.

FULL ARTICLE

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Posted in: BBC News, BP, Chevron, Daily Telegraph, Exxon Mobil, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Oil,Oil Company Profits, Oil Prices, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Russia, Shale Oil, Shell, Total.
Tagged: Oil · Oil Prices · Saudi Arabia

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

SHELL LIED

Shell Lied to Dutch Court About Oil Spills in Nigeria

Nov 26th, 2014 

by John Donovan. 

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The significance of the Newsweek article is therefore threefold: firstly Shell appears to have misled the court in the Hague which from a reputational perspective is extremely damaging (hence the headline of the article), secondly the case will now return to court for a retrial, and thirdly the lawyers and witnesses in the original case may be subject to legal action by the Dutch authorities.

COMMENT ON NEWSWEEK ARTICLE: Shell Lied to Dutch Court About Oil Spills in Nigeria, Say Friends of the Earth

POSTED BY JOHN DONOVAN

I’m not a lawyer, but the following is my understanding of the significance of the Newsweek article and the case brought by the “Friends of the Earth”.

The two Nigerian cases are actually very significant to anyone forced to confront Shell in a Dutch court.

Unlike the UK or US, there is no “discovery” in Holland and no opportunity to request documents from the other side to support a case.

The system works when everyone is honest, but fails dismally when US or UK lawyers see their role as “misleading the court” to the advantage of their client. For many lawyers, this is of course the basis of hearings in the US and the UK.

In Holland, “misleading the court” is a very serious offence, and lawyers and witnesses are very careful to avoid presenting anything to a court which might be construed as “misleading”. In general, submissions are in writing, so remain on the record. There is no statute of limitations for cases to be referred back to a court if submissions are subsequently found to have been misleading, and the penalties for witnesses and lawyers found to have misled a court are very severe. In contrast, both the US and English courts generally protect witnesses from prosecution if their testimony is subsequently found to have been inaccurate.

American and English lawyers who fail to understand this and assume that they can say whatever they choose in their court submissions in Holland are taking a major risk, as any court decision in Holland is subject to review if the court was misled at the original hearing.

It appears that in the Nigerian case, discovery documents from the English case indicated that Shell’s previous submissions to a court in the Hague had been inaccurate, but had been accepted by the Dutch judges and used in making their decision (no jury is involved).

The significance of the Newsweek article is therefore threefold: firstly Shell appears to have misled the court in the Hague which from a reputational perspective is extremely damaging (hence the headline of the article), secondly the case will now return to court for a retrial, and thirdly the lawyers and witnesses in the original case may be subject to legal action by the Dutch authorities.

RELATED

Nigeria’s parliament says Shell should pay $4 billion for 2011 oil spill: Reuters Wed 26 Nov 2014

Extracts

(Reuters) – Nigeria’s National Assembly said on Wednesday oil major Shell should pay $3.96 billion for a 2011 spill at its offshore Bonga oilfield in the latest assessment of damage to the environment.

Shell is also being pursued in a class action case for two other spills in the Niger Delta in 2008. In June, it offered 30 million pounds ($51 million) in compensation to 15,000 residents in the Bodo Community but this was rejected.

The United Nations Environment Programme has criticised Shell in the past for not doing enough to clean up spills and maintain infrastructure.

On Monday, Shell had to shut down a pipeline as a result of a new leak close to where it was removing oil taps.

FULL ARTICLE

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Posted in: Africa, Business Principles, Environment, Friends of the Earth, GoogleNews,John Donovan, Litigation, Nigeria, Oil, Oil Spill, Pollution, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell.
Tagged: John Donovan · Nigeria · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc

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Oil futures slumped to their lowest close

OIL, OIL, TOIL AND TROUBLE

Nov 26th, 2014 

by John Donovan. 

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ARTICLE BY STEVEN HAYWARD, PUBLISHED BY POWERLINE 25 NOVEMBER 2014

The fall OPEC meeting is under way right now in Vienna, and all eyes are on the Saudis, to see whether they will lead a strategy to stop the fall in oil prices, which is putting the crimp on Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, among other worthies. We’ve commented previously about what the Saudis may be up to (here and here), and today Business Insider reports that the Saudis show no interest in curtailing production to shore up the price, and in fact may be willing to go for two years or more with falling prices, with some Saudi insiders saying the real objective is to retard the shale oil revolution in the United States and elsewhere…

FULL ARTICLE

RELATED: Oil drops to 4-year low as traders await OPEC

EXTRACT

NEW YORK (MarketWatch)—Oil futures slumped to their lowest close in more than four years Tuesday, as traders grew more doubtful the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will deliver meaningful` production cuts when cartel officials meet later this week.

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Posted in: Iran, Oil, Oil Prices, OPEC, Russia, Saudi Aramco, Shale Gas, Shale Oil,United States.
Tagged: Oil · Oil Prices · Saudi Arabia · United States

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Closure Of Shell‘s Pipeline

Nigeria Suffers After Closure Of Shell‘s Pipeline

Nov 25th, 2014 

by John Donovan. 

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Nigeria was already under pressure from lower US oil imports due to the US shale boom but the closure of Shell‘s pipeline due to leakage and theft has worsened conditions for the economy

Published: November 25, 2014 at 3:23 pm EST
By: Micheal Kaufman

Nigeria is amongst those members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which have suffered the most due to the US shale boom. The oil boom has allowed the US to reduce its dependability on the OPEC for oil imports. Higher oil production coupled with lower demand has led to a fall in the oil price. Since June, crude price has plummeted over 32%.

The quality of Nigerian crude oil is quite similar to the shale oil that is now produced in the US region of North Dakota, and consequently has helped to lower US’ demand for oil imports from Nigeria. This has become a major source of concern for Nigeria as the nation is currently not exporting any oil to the US, compared to exports of 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) since February 2006.

Moreover, Nigeria’s Niger Delta has been affected by major thefts, causing many foreign investors to divest their assets and leave the region. Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.A) as a pre-cautionary measure also intends to sell all assets and leave the region. According to sources, the Nigerian economy suffered from thefts worth $35 million every day and Shell reported to have lost a massive $1 billion in 2013 alone.

On November 20, Shell sold 30% stake in Oil Mining Lease 24(OML24) to Newcross Exploration. This means that the country is now its attractiveness to foreign investors due to security concerns. Although these assets are sold off to local producers, the local companies lack the technical expertise and skills possessed by the foreign investors.

Unfortunately, this is not the only problem faced by Nigeria. Recently, Shell’s Nigerian unit was shut down after a leak was discovered on November 22. The leaked pipeline holds great significance for Nigeria in terms of export revenue. The pipeline is said to carry around six cargoes each month, or approximately 180,000-200,000 oil bpd. To make matters worse, the pipeline also carries one of Nigeria’s main export grade oil, called Bonny Light BFO-BON. Regarding the issue, Shell’s spokeswomen in London confirmed that force majeure had not been declared on the grade.

The leak transpired near the 24- and 28-inch Trans-Niger Pipelines (TNP). The leak was noticed when one of Shell’s workers was preparing to remove some of the theft connections that were on the pipeline. The 24-inch pipeline was already inactive. The facility had been closed for repair and integrity checks since the period.

Prior to the recent leak, the company set out booms and also closed the 28-inch TNP. It now seems that Nigeria is undergoing more problems. The recent closure of the local Shell unit has greatly reduced Nigeria’s export potential. The African nation is already suffering from decreased exports, and now foreign investors like Shell winding up their operations and exiting the country can impose greater damages onto the economy.

Nigeria needs to start taking counter measures and reduce the theft to maintain and attract foreign investment in the region. The oil-producing nation needs the expertise of foreign companies to start drilling new varieties of oil, which will help regain its lost exports to the US.

SOURCE ARTICLE

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Posted in: Africa, Environment, Nigeria, Oil, Oil Spill, Pollution, Royal Dutch Shell Plc

The TRUTH will set you FREE.