EnergyVoice

Shell abandons push for oil spill case to be heard in Nigeria

Shell’s legal team declined to return to England’s High Court with arguments that the five-year-old case would be better heard in Nigeria, according to the parties in the case, conceding that the Nigerian subsidiary will now be joined to claims made in England against the parent company.

The UK Supreme Court said in a landmark ruling in February that Shell’s parent company could be sued in English courts for the actions of its Nigerian subsidiary. The court, however, left the door open for Shell to argue that it was more appropriate to leave any action against the local unit to Nigerian courts. By including the subsidiary in the UK proceedings, more documents about Shell’s work in Nigeria are likely to be made public. read more

ENERGY VOICE

‘Petrolhead’ who beat Shell shows how law can fight climate change

16/06/2021, 7:39 am

Royal Dutch Shell Plc hired a team of pricey lawyers for its defense against environmental activists in a Dutch court, and lost. A decade-old, $22 book might have upped their chances of winning.

“Revolution Justified: Why Only the Law Can Save Us Now,” is no bestseller, ranking in the mid-600,000s in Amazon’s Kindle store. But the book, by environmental lawyer Roger Cox, laid out arguments that were integral to his landmark victory over the Anglo-Dutch oil giant on May 26. read more

EnergyVoice.com

Shell faces Dutch court ruling on global emissions

By Ed Reed: 24 May 2021

A court in The Hague will rule on May 26 on a climate case against Shell, led by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie).

The environmentalist case demands that Shell cut CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030. Success for the NGO would see the corporation ordered to “reduce its emissions in line with global climate goals”.

The outcome, it said, should “impact climate policy and corporate accountability globally”. It does not seek compensation, rather a change to Shell’s business plan. read more

Judge calls for more JP Morgan disclosure in OPL 245 case

JP Morgan must provide more documents to Nigeria, as the two sides duke it out over payments in connection to the OPL 245 scandal.

Justice Calver handed down a judgement this morning, following a hearing that took place on May 5.

Nigeria welcomed the ruling. A representative said JP Morgan had been required “to disclose documents from 5 further senior executives and compliance officers at the bank who were involved in signing off on US$875 million of fraudulent payments in connection with the OPL 245 scandal and in US compliance investigations carried out shortly before the bank decided to pay out anyway”.

The bank should give a “clear and unambiguous account of exactly how the decisions to make these huge payments were made when it was on notice that to pay out risked its customer, Nigeria, being defrauded,” the representative continued.

“Justice will be sought for the people of Nigeria, who will be pleased the trial will begin early next year.”

Calver’s ruling set out a number of searches JP Morgan must carry out. Among those named to comply with the order are Pamela Johnson, Lester Pataki and John Gibbons, high-ranking executives at the bank. read more

Drumcliffe’s involvement in the OPL 245 case

A new side to the OPL 245 case has emerged in the state of Delaware, which has the most lenient corporate laws in the United States.

The Nigerian government enlists help from US offshore fund

According to open and undisputed sources , the federal government of Nigeria commissioned the Lagos-based law firm Johnson & Johnson, whose principal partner is Babatunde Olabide Johnson, to represent it in the lawsuit filed against Eni and Shell in Italy and other countries. Johnson & Johnson is reported to have drawn up an agreement for the covering of legal costs with the American firm Poplar Falls, founded in 2016 in Delaware by Maryland-based offshore fund Drumcliffe Partners, which specialises in financing lawsuits for debt recovery. read more

Bank assets targeted over Shell’s $479m Nigerian debt

15 JAN 2021

Nigerian authorities moved to seize assets belonging to one of the nation’s largest banks to recoup damages owed by Royal Dutch Shell Plc to a local community over a decades-long dispute.

Nigerian authorities moved to seize assets belonging to one of the nations largest banks to recoup damages owed by Royal Dutch Shell Plc to a local community over a decades-long dispute.

Federal court officials and police visited First Bank of Nigeria Ltd’s main branch in the southern oil hub of Port Harcourt on Jan. 12 to enforce an order … read more

Shell gets UK tax refund, but pays over $1billion in nearby Norway

Shell paid billions of dollars in tax in 2019 to governments around the world. But in four countries, the energy giant got money back.

17 Nov 2020

The London-listed major paid $7.8 billion in corporate income tax and a further $5.9 billion in royalties globally last year, it said in a report. The Sultanate of Oman made up the lion’s share, receiving $2.89 billion from Shell. But treasuries in the UK, France, South Africa and Indonesia returned money. read more

Nigeria protests target Shell in UK, Netherlands

Activists have mounted demonstrations at Shell’s headquarters in London and The Hague, in protest over the killings of the Ogoni 9 in Nigeria, 25 years ago.

Eight activists from Extinction Rebellion Rotterdam climbed a Shell storage tank in Pernis. A spokesman for the group, Marjolein: “Although Shell is obliged to clean up the oil, they appear to be failing to deliver on their promises as always. That is why today we protest at one of Europe’s largest oil refineries: to show that Shell cannot get away with this and to encourage the people in the Ogoni area. ” read more

Shell questioned over Brent Bravo ‘attic oil’ removal

By Allister Thomas: 15/10/2020

Work is being carried out to remove “attic oil” from the Brent Bravo installation – which has been the subject of widespread environmental concerns – after Shell estimated none was there.

Shell said in documents published in 2017 and 2018 it believed Bravo had “zero” volumes of the free-flowing oil in its legs, however Enpro Subsea has now been carrying out work to remove it. read more

Shell plans up to 9,000 job cuts worldwide

By Allister Thomas

Shell has announced plans for between 7,000 – 9,000 job cuts from its global workforce by the end of 2022.

The energy giant, which has been grappling with the effects of the oil price downturn and Covid-19, follows rival BP who earlier this year announced plans for 10,000 job cuts.

Shell, which employs 6,000 people in the UK, including 1,000 directly in its Upstream oil and gas business in the country, said the “reduced organisational complexity” will save between $2billion – $2.5billion by 2022 on an annual basis. read more

Shell Brent legs: Decom decision ‘postponed’ for giant structures

A decision on whether Shell will be allowed to keep the giant legs of the Brent field in the North Sea forever has been “postponed”.

Allister Thomas: 4 Sept 2020

The Ospar Commission, the intergovernmental body to protect Europe’s marine environment, confirmed the UK Government has still not made a decision on the controversial plans, 11 months on since the last formal meeting on them.

The legs of the Shell Brent Bravo, Charlie and Delta, made of steel and concrete, each weigh around 300,000 tonnes and are taller than the Eiffel Tower. read more

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden has said the energy giant will “resize as appropriate” as it moves to become a “simpler and leaner” organisation.

by Allister Thomas: 30/07/2020, 12:20 pm

Speaking on a conference call, Mr van Beurden said designs to restructure and streamline the firm are now being drawn up, meaning it “will end up, probably, with fewer people”.

Shell, which posted second quarter losses of $18.1billion, currently employs around 83,000 people worldwide, with “really difficult decisions” already being made such as voluntary severance programmes and freezing bonuses to reduce costs. read more

 by Allister Thomas: 30/07/2020, 7:55 am Updated: 30/07/2020, 8:26 am

Shell has posted losses of $18.1billion (£14bn) for the second quarter of 2020 as oil, LNG and gas prices remain depressed.

The energy major took an impairment charge of $16.8billion (£12.9bn) – $22.3bn pre-tax (£17.2bn) -as it wrote down the valuation of assets due to the downturn and Covid-19.

Shell’s second quarter results compare to a profit of $3.1bn (£2.39bn) in the same period last year,  while revenues have dropped to $32.5bn, compared to $60bn in Q1 2020 and $90.5bn Q2 2019. read more

Report shows fossil fuels still make up 90% of Shell and Total’s capital expenditure

 by Hamish Penman: 24/07/2020, 6:00 am

Shell and Total are being urged to put their money where their mouth is after a new report showed the pair are still investing much more in hydrocarbons than renewable energy.

Findings from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) revealed around 90% of the oil and gas majors capital expenditure continues to be on fossil fuels.

It estimates that both firms need to shift at least half of their total spend, around $10bn per annum, from oil and gas exploration to acceleration of renewable strategies. read more

Shell airlifts workers after coronavirus outbreak on Gulf rig

Workers aboard a Shell Oil offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico have tested positive for the coronavirus and flown back to land for treatment, a KHOU report says.

by L M Sixel and Sergio Chapa, Houston Chronicle: 28/05/2020

Shell Oil, the U.S. subsidiary of energy giant Royal Dutch Shell, has evacuated nine workers from a company platform in the Gulf of Mexico for testing and treatment of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. read more

‘Big win’ as Shell urged by more shareholder activists to meet climate targets

by David McPhee: 19/05/2020, 3:15 pm

A shareholder activist group has claimed a ‘big win’ after an increase in the number of investor votes urging Shell to meet its climate targets.

Follow This, which has led a campaign to encourage oil firms such BP, Shell, Chevron and Equinor to align their targets with the Paris Climate Agreement, saw 14.4% of investors vote for its resolution at Shell’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) – an increase from 5.5% in 2019. read more