Shell Polar Pioneer fails USCG inspection

Shell Polar Pioneer fails USCG inspection

May 27th, 2015 

by John Donovan. 

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By Donal Scully: 27 May 2015

Seattle: The Polar Pioneer, one of two huge drilling platforms Shell plans to deploy in the Arctic, came up short under a US Coast Guard (USCG) inspection on Tuesday.

Although the USCG said the unspecified hitch was minor and would be easily remedied it was another in an array of small snags surrounding Shell’s planned return to Arctic oil exploration after a three -year hiatus.

Two weeks ago the city of Seattle, where Shell is mooring its Arctic fleet ahead of the trip north, said that by housing Shell’s fleet the port of Seattle is in violation of its lease that designates Terminal 5 as a “cargo terminal.”

And the port of Seattle sent mixed signals when it simultaneously backed Shell’s right to moor its fleet but also requested the oil giant delay the arrival of the Polar Pioneer. That request fell on deaf ears.

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Posted in: Alaska, Environment, Oil Spill, Pollution, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell Employee Safety, United States.
Tagged: Alaska · Arctic Ocean · Chukchi Sea · Environment · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc ·Shell

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Arctic drilling invites disaster: Column

Arctic drilling invites disaster: Column

May 27th, 2015 

by John Donovan. 

1 comment

Arctic drilling invites disaster: Column

Nick Jans: EDT May 27, 2015

An oil spill in sea ice is permanent. And Shell is nowhere near prepared for summer drilling.

I stood on the shore of the Chukchi Sea, at the far northern rim of Alaska. On that late May evening, a maze of shifting ice spilled off to the horizon; a world of the same stretched beyond that,more than 1,000 miles to the North Pole. Out in that vast expanse, Inupiat whalers waited in traditional camps for their first bowhead whale of the season; polar bears roamed, hunting walrus and seals. Slanting in, the midnight sun cast mirages and colors that have no earthly name. I squinted into the distance and tried to imagine oil wells out there, too — dozens, and eventually hundreds, scattered across the face of this harsh but fragile ocean wilderness.

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Posted in: Alaska, Arctic, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, Environment, Greenpeace,Litigation, Oil, Oil Spill, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Shell.
Tagged: Alaska · Arctic Ocean · Beaufort Sea · Chukchi Sea · Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc ·Shell · USA Today

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Shell drilling may spur Arctic resource race

Shell drilling may spur Arctic resource race

May 27th, 2015 

by John Donovan. 

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Colin Chilcoat, Oilprice.com: May 27, 2015

In a few short months Shell will (re)enter the Chukchi Sea, between Alaska and Russia. The oil and gas major still awaits approval from a number of state and federal agencies, but in early May the company received the consent of the Obama administration to explore the remote Arctic sea 70 miles off the coast of Alaska.

If it sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Shell was in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas for much of 2012 – a stint that ended with more headaches than drilling. Following some high-profile failures with its Noble Discoverer and Kulluk rigs, Shell put its Arctic operations on pause in early 2013. Amid slumping profits, the group called off its 2014 plans to resume. Today, the economic indicators are not much better – Shell lost $1.1 billion in the Americas in the first quarter of 2015 – but the company is committed to moving forward.

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Posted in: Alaska, Arctic, Beaufort Sea, China, Chukchi Sea, Gazprom, Oil Spill,Pollution, President Obama, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Russia, United States.
Tagged: Alaska · Arctic Ocean · Beaufort Sea · Canada · China · Chukchi Sea · Gazprom ·Oil · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Russia · Shell

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Oil Majors Falling Out Favor With This Hedgefund Boss

Oil Majors Falling Out Favor With This Hedgefund Boss

May 27th, 2015 

by John Donovan. 

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By Andy Tully: Posted on Tue, 26 May 2015

Huge oil companies, among the largest businesses in the world, don’t excite hedge fund manager Jim Chanos because today they have to work harder and more inefficiently than ever to bring their products to market.

“[W]e’re just seeing that … these guys like Exxon and Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell are simply replacing $20 [per barrel] oil with $80 oil,” Chanos said May 24 on the PBS television program “Wall Street Week.” “So high return-on-capital businesses are becoming more mundane return-on-capital businesses.”

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Posted in: BG Group, Oil Company Profits, Oil Prices, President Putin, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Russia.
Tagged: BG Group · Gas · Oil Prices · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell

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Exxon, Hunt among companies approved to bid on drilling in Gulf of Mexico

Exxon, Hunt among companies approved to bid on drilling in Gulf of Mexico

May 27th, 2015 

by John Donovan. 

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“Shell, the European oil giant, and Brazil’s national oil company Petrobras, both of which had initially explored pursuing drilling rights in Mexico, ultimately decided to pull their applications…”

By JAMES OSBORNE: Staff Writer: Published: 26 May 2015 

Exxon Mobil and Hunt Oil aren’t turning their backs on Mexico’s oil fields yet.

The North Texas-based oil companies were among 26 entities approved to bid on drilling rights in the shallow-water Gulf of Mexico off Veracruz, the Mexican government announced Monday.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced in 2013 that the country was opening its oil and natural gas fields to foreign companies for the first time in almost 80 years to try to revive lagging production. But enthusiasm has waned since last summer, as low crude prices threaten drilling projects worldwide.

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Posted in: Exxon Mobil, Gulf of Mexico, Oil, Royal Dutch Shell Plc.
Tagged: ExxonMobil · Gulf of Mexico · Royal Dutch Shell Plc · Shell

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This Presidential Candidate Wants Everyone To Be Able To Take A Vacation

BY BRYCE COVERT POSTED ON MAY 27, 2015 AT 9:21 AM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaking at his kick off rally

CREDIT: AP/ANDY DUBACK 

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I) held his first rally after launching his bid for the Democratic presidential candidacy on Wednesday evening. And during his speech, he made a call for “guaranteed vacation time for every worker in this country.”

That’s a first for someone vying for the American presidency, according to Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “I feel pretty comfortable saying that it is a first,” he said. “I’ve been pushing on this one for years and I’m pretty sure I would know if another candidate had pushed this idea.”

The United States does not in fact have any requirement that employers offer their workers vacation time. That makes it unique among developed countries. Twenty othersguarantee that citizens will get paid vacation, ranging from 30 days in France to 10 in Japan and Canada. Five even go so far as to make sure workers get a bit of extra pay to cover vacation expenses. Thirteen countries also tack on a required number of paid holidays; the U.S., again, does not require employers to offer any paid holiday time.

Some American employers offer paid vacation and holiday time even though they’re not required to. But the number that do so has fallen over the past two decades. About a quarter of Americans aren’t offered paid holidays, while a quarter aren’t offered paid vacation time. Those who do get vacation, meanwhile, got five fewer days of it last year as compared to the year before. READ MORE 

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The international flag of Earth is kind of a big deal. Here's why.

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Bernie's campaign launch yesterday

We're still in awe.

Watching thousands of Vermonters come together in Burlington yesterday to see Bernie officially kick off our campaign for president was something to behold. We pulled together some of our favorite shots so you can get a feeling of what it was like.

Check out photos and video from Bernie's campaign launch and share them with your friends and family.

Click here to see more photos and video from the campaign kickoff.

Thanks again for all your support,

Team Bernie

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