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January, 2017:

Reflecting on the anti-Leigh Day verdict in Shell Nigerian oil spill case

By John Donovan

I have read the judgement published online and many of the related news stories concerning the oil spill litigation brought by the law firm Leigh Day against Shell on behalf of Nigerian clients.

No one could fairly accuse the Judge Mr Justice Fraser of being biased in favour of Leigh Day. Instead, he seems to have gone out of his way to criticise them on a variety of grounds. He even complained about the volume of evidence supplied by Leigh Day.

One criticism after another, constantly coming down on the side of Shell. 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 Breaking News 31 Jan 2017

Links below are to some of the current news stories posted on our sister website royaldutchshellgroup.com covering, among other developments, an article published today by The Wall Street Journal under the headline: Corruption Currents: Nigeria to Charge Shell, Eni in Oil-Graft Scandal.

There is also news that Shell has sold a stake in a Thailand gas field and is selling more North Sea assets, all part of the fire sale necessary for funding the takeover of the BG Group. Also, some previews of Shell’s imminent fourth quarter results. 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 AUTHORITIES SEIZE BILLION DOLLAR OIL BLOCK FROM SHELL AND ENI


STATEMENT BY GLOBAL WITNESS

Nigeria’s anti-corruption law enforcement agency, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured a court order in the Federal High Court of Abuja mandating the return of oil block OPL 245 to the Government, following an investigation into corruption allegations over how the deal was done. The historic news shows exactly why a landmark transparency rule now under threat from Republican lawmakers in the US is so important.

In 2011, Shell and Eni paid $1.1 billion to Malabu Oil and Gas, a front company secretly owned by a former Nigerian oil minister  This crooked deal deprived Nigeria’s people of a sum worth 80% of its 2015 healthcare budget. Shell and Eni have always denied that they knew the money would go to Malabu, but documents seen by Global Witness show that the companies constructed the deal knowing that the money would flow ultimately to Etete’s company. The block in has been estimated to hold as much as 9.23 billion barrels in probable reserves, investors face substantial losses from a backroom deal they knew nothing about. 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 Nigerian Litigation: Win in UK. Loss in USA

As has been widely reported, Shell has managed to block the litigation brought in the London High Court by Nigerian litigants claiming for severe environmental damage caused by Shell in Nigeria. An appeal against the decision is likely. I have evidence that may assist.

Two days earlier, on 24 January, Shell lawyers lost a related case in America. A US Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ordered Shell law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, to make available to the Nigerian litigant Ether Kiobel by 27 February, for use in the Dutch courts in a human rights action, more than 100,000 Shell discovery documents stored in the USA. I am involved in that case. 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 Nigerian Verdict in London High Court Today

Royal Dutch Shell News Summary 26 Jan 2017

Several articles anticipate a verdict today in London’s High Court on the issue of whether victims of Shell’s environmental pollution in Nigeria can bring legal action against Shell in the UK rather than in the corrupted Nigerian courts.

The Finacial Times has published an article supposedly about Shell’s firesale of assets, which is actually a vanity piece about Shell exec John Abbott.

Reuters reports on the continuing dispute between the “Cash All Gone” consortium and the Kazakhstan government over tax. Another project involving Shell that is billions of dollars over budget and delayed by several years. 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.

A deserved shitstorm of Shell Nigerian litigation

A boatload of heavily armed Shell employees? Photograph: Veronique de Viguerie/Getty Images

Shell is facing what Americans might describe as a shitstorm of lawsuits arising from its Nigerian activities since the 1950’s. Litigation is current or pending in Nigeria, the USA, Italy, the UK and the Netherlands.

According to Wikipedia, shitstorm is a vulgar dysphemism for a chaotic and unpleasant situation. It does seem appropriate in a reputational nightmare of Shell’s own making. Related human rights allegations against Shell and the evil Nigerian regimes it has supported include torture, murder, toxic pollution, spying and corruption on a grand scale. 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.

A poisoned chalice for Shell’s Ceri Powell

His Majesty the despotic Sultan of Brunei meeting Malcolm Brinded some years ago, perhaps to discuss corruption? Brinded is currently named in the Nigeria OPL 245 scandal. 

The sideways move of Ceri Powell from being Shell’s exploration chief to the dubious distinction of being appointed as a manager director of corruption-tainted Brunei Shell Petroleum has been blamed on company cut backs in drilling new wells.

The corruption in question, involving at least 8 members of Brunei Shell staff, explain the pleadings made by a previous Brunei Shell Petroleum director, Ken Marnoch. The fall out is current and ongoing. 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.

New Boss of Shell Exploration

Links below to a selection of current news stories posted on our sister website royaldutchshellgroup.com covering, among other developments, news that Shell’s head of exploration Ceri Powell will step down in February and be replaced by Shell upstream strategy VP Marc Gerrits.

There is also coverage of yet further litigation relating to Shell’s activities in Nigeria. This time a claim against Shell for $406.7 million being brought by the Nigerian Federal Government.

The news is no better from Canada. According to the Canadian Press, Shell is suffering setbacks with exploration wells off Nova Scotia. 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.

Discrepancy in Shell’s Corrib Gas Project financial filings?

By John Donovan

I have received information from Maura Harrington, spokesperson for the Shell to Sea campaign in Ireland concerning questions arising from the filed Shell financial accounts (2015) relating to the controversial construction of the Corrib natural gas pipeline in Ireland.

Maura would like the information to be brought to the attention of Shell shareholders so that if others examine the information she has already downloaded from the Irish Companies Registration Office (CRO) and share her concern, questions can be raised at the forthcoming Royal Dutch Shell Plc AGM. 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 Plc.com in Chapter 11

Over 50 books contain references to our Shell focussed websites, or our founders Alfred and John Donovan.

One example is a book published in 2010 entitled “United States Trademark Law.”

Chapter 11 of the book is devoted to the website royaldutchshellplc.com

The following are extracts. The entire chapter can be read here.

What is stated is not entirely accurate. We sued Shell four times for stealing ideas and Shell settled ALL of the claims, each time involving a confidentiality agreement that Shell later contravened. We also successfuly sued Shell twice for libel. 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.

Hakluyt & Company Spying Missions For Shell


By John Donovan

Commercial intelligence agencies are currently attracting an unwanted spotlight as a result of the dodgy dossier on President-Elect Donald Trump compiled by a former MI6 officer, Christopher Steele. In March 2009, Steele jointly founded a private investigations company, Orbis Business Intelligence.

The Financial Times has just published a related article focussed on a rival London-based private spy firm, Hakluyt & Company, also founded by former MI6 officers. Must be more money in commercial work. Hakluyt is closely associated with Shell. 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 Motiva Blues

Over the next few days, we will be posting some outspoken insider comments made several years ago in relation to Motiva, kicking off with the exchange below between “Jim Hartsock” and “Motivasux.”

The comments reveal the low esteem, to put it mildly, in which Shell Oil executives were held at that time.

Comments are welcome from current employees about worker morale these days bearing in mind the dramatic consequences of the Shell/Saudi Aramco divorce. Comments can be posted on our Shell Blog under an alias, thus preserving confidentiality. Or send them to me for publication on the same confidential basis: john@shellnews.net 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 Hydrogen News

Links below to some of the current news stories posted on our sister website royaldutchshellgroup.com covering, among other developments, Shell’s participation along with Total and other members, in a hydrogen council planning to invest (within 5 years) 10 billion euros ($10.7 billion) in hydrogen-related products.

There is also news of Nigerian government litigation against Shell, with a court date announced for a $406.7 million claim against the oil giant.

Toyota, Shell Among Giants Betting $10.7 Billion on Hydrogen 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.

Think Twice Before Disclosing An Idea To Shell

By John Donovan

I see that Shell is still energetically trawling for other people’s ideas, this time in India and Singapore.

Shell has used a number of elaborate schemes under different names – GameChanger, Ideas360 etc – in an attempt to entice innovators into disclosing their ideas.

The latest vehicles are Shell #makethefuture Accelerator India 2017 and Make the Future Singapore.

All very well, providing Shell does not steal the ideas caught in their country wide nets.

That might seem a preposterous and libellous suggestion, but from my perspective, it is a genuine concern. 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.

Dramatic Breakup of Shell/Saudi Aramco jv Motiva

Photo taken in happier times several years before the divorce

Comment posted on Wall Street Journal article: Shell Seeks to Streamline in 2017

The US operations will face drastic cuts. with the breakup of Motiva, many people will be reassigned, told to post for other positions, or face layoff.

The process has already begun, and will intensify as the April 1 target date for the breakup gets closer.

Middle management will be realigned, as some northeast terminals will be sold off to raise cash, and managers will be scrambling for other available positions which may involve relocation, taking early retirement or the unemployment line. 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 a player in Iranian oil machinations

By John Donovan

According to an Iranian news agency report, Iran is seeking to exploit the rivalry between oil giants Shell, Total, Japan’s Inpex Corporation and the Malaysian state-owned Petronas, all vying to develop Iran’s largest oil field, Azadegan oilfield.

Iran is apparently intent on driving the rivals into the formation of a consortium with the “mandatory” inclusion of an Iranian firm.

A move that would certainly provide the most convenient opportunity for Iranian intelligence to embed agents to monitor the activities of the consortium. 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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