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February, 2011:

Oil majors stall Libya drilling, withdraw staff

Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:22am EST

* Statoil, Shell, BP plan evacuations as unrest spreads

* Repsol, Eni say oil production unaffected

LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – European oil and gas companies have evacuated staff and suspended drilling preparations in Libya as violence spreads across the north African country.

Norway’s Statoil, Austria’s OMV and Royal Dutch Shell have moved some staff as scores of anti-government protesters were killed in the country’s second-biggest city, Benghazi, and unrest spread to the capital Tripoli over the weekend.

Production at the Murzaq oil field run by Spain’s Repsol (REP.MC) has been unaffected so far, as has output from Eni’s operations. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Senator Kirk joins bill for Iran sanctions on Royal Dutch Shell

Senator Mark Kirk supports a measure for sanctions against companies doing business with Iran. (Getty Images)

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Bi-partisan members of Congress, including an Illinois senator, are supporting a measure that aims to toughen sanctions against businesses that have relations with Iran.

The bill would require companies to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission any sanctionable investments in Iran and require U.S. Banks to report sanctionable activities by their banking customers. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Agrees To Sell Majority Stake In Most Africa Donwstream

LONDON (Dow Jones)–Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN) Monday agreed to sell a majority stake in much of its African downstream to Vitol Holding BV and Helios Investment Partners for around $1 billion, as it trims non-core assets.

Oil-products businesses are generally considered of less importance to oil majors than oil and gas exploration and production assets.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant will sell 80% in fuels and lubricants assets in 14 African countries to oil trading giant Vitol and Africa-focused private investment firm Helios and keep the remaining 20%. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Essar Energy to provide $1bn bank guarantee for Shell’s Stanlow refinery

21 Feb, 2011, 06.35AM IST, Pradeep Pandey,ET Bureau

MUMBAI: Essar Energy will provide a bank guarantee of $1 billion to close the offer it made to acquire Shell’s Stanlow refinery in the UK, according to a person who is part of ongoing negotiations with banks. This bank guarantee would be over and above the $350 million that Essar Energy agreed to offer for the assets of Stanlow refinery.

“The company (Essar) will finalise the bankers who will furnish the guarantee in the next three to four months,” said the person who requested anonymity as the transaction is still underway. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Royal Dutch Shell discusses plans for 24% stake in Woodside Petroleum

21 Feb 2011

Woodside: despite the sell-offs chief executive Don Voelte maintains relations are still good between the two companies

Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is in talks with Woodside Petroleum about what it plans to do with its remaining 24% stake in the company after catching Australia‘s largest oil and gas producer on the hop last November when it sold off a big chunk of the company.

Shell sold a £1.67 billion stake – equivalent to a third of its holding, last year, reportedly angering Woodside‘s board and triggering speculation that Woodside could fall to a takeover. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Nigeria: U.S. Court Declines to Hear Suit Against Shell

allAfrica.com

This Day (Lagos)

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku: 8 February 2011

A United States Appeal Court on Friday refused to entertain a lawsuit that accused Royal Dutch Shell Plc of helping Nigerian authorities violently to suppress protests against oil exploration in the 1990s.

Specifically, the plaintiffs, families of seven Ogoni indigenes who were executed by the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, had accused the oil giant of violations related to the 1995 hangings of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other protesters by Nigeria’s then-military government. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Essar agrees break fee on Shell’s Stanlow

FT.com

By David Blair in London and Tom Burgis in Mumbai: Published: February 19 2011 01:30

Essar Energy has taken a significant step towards buying Shell’s refinery at Stanlow, on the south bank of the Manchester Ship Canal near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

Essar has until March 31 to confirm that it wants to buy Stanlow. If it decides not to proceed, it will be liable for a break fee of $50m. If Essar decides to go ahead, Shell will have three days to decide whether to accept – and it will be liable for a $10m fee if it turns down the offer. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell sells Africa businesses to Vitol, Helios

Feb 19, 2011 2:07 PM GMT+0000

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC has entered into a $1 billion agreement to sell a majority share of most of its downstream businesses in 14 African countries to the Vitol trading company and Helios, an African investment company.

The announcement by the three companies says two joint new ventures will be created. One, to be 80 percent owned by Helios and the Netherlands-based Vitol, will continue supplying the Shell brand of fuels and lubricants in the 14 countries, with five more nations possibly joining later. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Donovans v. Royal Dutch Shell

By John Donovan

Printed below is our most recent correspondence with Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

It is self-explanatory.

From: John Donovan <john@shellnews.net>
Date: 2 February 2011 14:47:14 GMT
To: gavin.white@shell.com
Cc: michiel.brandjes@shell.com
Subject: Section 7 (1) of the Data Protection Act

To:

Mr. Gavin White
Company Secretarial Department
Shell International Limited

Dear Mr. White

Section 7 (1) of the Data Protection Act

As you may be aware, my father Alfred Donovan and I reached an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell Plc Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, Mr Richard Wiseman, that in future our Subject Access Request applications to Shell would be made on a joint basis i.e. in the names of Alfred and John Donovan. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co

“Second Circuit Leaves Intact Ruling Limiting Jurisdiction of Alien Tort Statute Over Corporations”
Fulbright Briefing
Judith A. Archer and Sarah E. O’Connell
February 16, 2011

On February 4, 2011, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied en banc reconsideration of a September ruling in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., holding that the jurisdiction granted by the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”) does not extend to civil actions brought against corporations. The vote of the full 10-judge panel of the Second Circuit was split 5-5, leaving intact the original ruling from September. The initial panel voted separately not to rehear the case. Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., No. 06-4800-cv, 06-4876-cv, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 2200 (2d Cir. Feb. 4, 2011) read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Essar may pump Indian fuel into UK

Petrol from India is likely to find its way into the UK market for the first time, after Essar Energy bought Royal Dutch Shell’s Cheshire oil refinery for $350m (£216m).

Essar may pump Indian fuel into UK Photo: ALAMY Rowena Mason By Rowena Mason 7:15AM GMT 19 Feb 2011

It is the latest deal in the struggling UK refining industry, which has found it difficult to stay profitable in recent years and is expected to face increasing global competition.

The $350m price tag is about half what Shell was initially expected to get for the Stanlow refinery, following 18 months of negotiations with Essar.

The Indian company, which listed on the FTSE 100 last year, has promised that jobs will be safe and the refinery will remain open.

A spokesman for Essar said the company had already identified a number of investments it wanted to make to increase output from 75pc to nearer 100pc capacity. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

US House Votes To Help Clear Path For Shell Drilling In Arctic

By Tennille Tracy, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Feb 18, 2011

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a measure that helps clear a path for Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA, RDSA.LN) to drill an exploratory well in the Arctic Ocean.

With most of the favorable votes coming from Republicans, the measure blocks the Environmental Protection Agency’s appeals board from revoking any permits for projects along Alaska’s Arctic Coast.

The goal of the measure, introduced by Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young, is to prevent this appeals board from revoking a clean-air permit Shell is seeking in its effort to drill an exploratory well in the Beaufort Sea. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Carson residents frustrated at Shell Oil over toxic soil

6:48 a.m. | Molly Peterson | KPCC MP3 Download

Carson’s Carousel residents frustrated at Regional Water Board, Shell Oil over toxic soil

Molly Peterson/KPCC: Residents of Carson’s Carousel neighborhood voiced anger and frustration at a public meeting Thursday, where water regulators said they’re readying a cleanup order for soil contamination under their houses.

Officials at the regional water quality control board say they’re almost ready with a cleanup order for the Carousel neighborhood of Carson. Some residents of the Carousel neighborhood are greeting those plans with anger and criticism.

Environmental testing has revealed toxic soil contamination under hundreds of homes on land where Shell Oil once ran a tank farm. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell receives offer for Stanlow refinery in the UK

As one Stanlow insider put it…

“John, Looks like we have been sold by the cowboys to the Indians.”

Shell receives offer for Stanlow refinery in the UK

18/02/2011

Shell today confirmed it has received an offer from Essar Energy to buy its 272,000 barrel-per-day Stanlow refinery and associated local marketing businesses in the UK for a total expected consideration of some $1.3 billion.

In light of Essar’s offer, the two companies today signed an exclusivity agreement until 1st April 2011, under which break fees would be payable if either company fails to sign an asset sales agreement.

Pursuing this deal is aligned with Shell’s strategy to concentrate its global manufacturing portfolio on larger and more sophisticated assets. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Nigerian Oil Exploration at 10-Year Low Before Petroleum Law

By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Dulue Mbachu – Feb 17, 2011 11:00 PM GMT+0000

Oil exploration in Nigeria has slumped to the lowest in a decade after producers including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SA backed away from investment until the country’s petroleum law is passed.

Just one exploration well was drilled in Nigeria in the past two years, the lowest since 1999, according to official figures released by the Petroleum Ministry. The number of wells peaked at 34 in 2002.

“Funds have not been available” for exploration, said Belema Osibodu, a spokeswoman for the Department of Petroleum Resources, in a telephone interview yesterday. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Mauritius Suspends Shell Shares on Reports of Vitol-Helios Deal

By Kamlesh Bhuckory – Feb 18, 2011 5:31 AM GMT+0000

The Stock Exchange of Mauritius said it has suspended trading of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Mauritian unit’s shares, according to a statement published on the bourse’s website.

The suspension follows an article published in Le Mauricien newspaper Feb. 17 stating that Shell Mauritius Ltd. had reached a buy-out agreement with Vitol-Helios Investment, the Port-Louis based bourse explained.

Shell has been requested to publish a press release “to inform shareholders and the public in general of the status of any agreement currently being discussed by Shell and the outcome thereof, if any”, the Stock Exchange of Mauritius said. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
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