Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc agreed annual deals to buy Libyan crude, underscoring how the North African country’s recovering production and improving security are enticing some of the world’s largest oil companies. Shell’s deal with Libya’s National Oil Corp. was the first of its kind since 2013 and Europe’s biggest oil company will load its first cargo under the contract within days, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to talk to the media. BP, which didn’t have a term deal in 2017, also reached an agreement for this year, the people said. FULL ARTICLE read more

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the world’s largest oil trader, is said to have loaded its first crude from Libya in five years over the weekend, adding to evidence of the OPEC nation’s comeback. The cargo on Saturday is for 600,000 barrels of crude from the Zueitina port, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the information is private. A Shell spokesperson declined to comment on the shipment, but said the company’s Shell International Trading & Shipping “has a history marketing Libyan crudes. We welcome new business opportunities with Libya’s National Oil Corp.” FULL ARTICLE read more

Gaurav Agnihotri: 19 Sept 2016

Oil prices fell last week after the IEA and OPEC reported in their respective oil market reports that the supply-demand rebalancing of oil will take longer than market expectations. The WTI (WTI) and Brent were down by almost 2% and were trading at $43.3 and $45.77 at the time of writing this article. Even the U.S rig count increased for the 12th week in a row. Oil prices are going down as markets have realized that global oil supplies are only going to increase in the coming time. “It really looks similar to the period of the early 1990s, when we were at $20 oil. Is $45 to $50 the new $20? I am not ready to say we are in this new equilibrium environment, but it sure does feel like we’re moving in that direction,” said the head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Jeff Curie. It must be noted that investment firms such as Goldman Sachs have started lowering their 2017 forecast for oil prices. Let us look at those factors that are putting downward pressure on oil. read more

OPINION ARTICLE BY DANIEL YERGIN PUBLISHED IN PRINT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES ON SATURDAY 25 JAN 2015

WASHINGTON — A HISTORIC change of roles is at the heart of the clamor and turmoil over the collapse of oil prices, which have plummeted by 50 percent since September. For decades, Saudi Arabia, backed by the Persian Gulf emirates, was described as the “swing producer.” With its immense production capacity, it could raise or lower its output to help the global market adjust to shortages or surpluses.

But on Nov. 27, at the OPEC meeting in Vienna, Saudi Arabia effectively resigned from that role and OPEC handed over all responsibility for oil prices to the market, which the Saudi oil minister, Ali Al-Naimi, predicted would “stabilize itself eventually.” OPEC’s decision was hardly unanimous. Venezuela and Iran, their economies in deep trouble, lobbied hard for production cutbacks, to no avail. Afterward, Iran accused Saudi Arabia of waging an “oil war” and being part of a “plot” against it. read more

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. read more

By John Donovan

For nearly a hundred years the Royal Dutch Shell Group has appeased and collaborated with evil regimes including Nazi Germany, Nigeria, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iran, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Apartheid South Africa and with Putin of Russia, despite his annexation of Sakhalin2 and Crimea. Anything to earn a buck irrespective of ethics, human rights abuses and massive corruption. Astonishingly, Shell claims to operate with a set of business principles. Shell’s latest CEO, Ben van Beurden, is shown bowing to Putin on 18 April 2014,  soon after Russia had used force to annexe Crimea. No shame. No morals. Its just business. It is what Ben van Beurden describes as Shell’s “economic interests.”  Following in the foot steps of the founder of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, the ardent Nazi, Sir Henri Deterding.  read more

For over a 100 years, Shell has been driven by unscrupulous greed as its sole motivator. Shell funded Hitler and the Nazis party and has subsequently done business with a string of evil regimes, including General Sani Abacha, Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein and the Mad Mullahs of Iran. Putin is but the latest  power mad egomaniac to be treated like royalty by Shell. Bowed to and fawned over on Good Friday by the overpaid bootlicker, Ben van Beurden. 

Sunday, 20 April 2014

By John Donovan

The New York Times newspaper published an article today under the headline: In Cold War Echo, Obama Strategy Writes Off Putin

Extract:

Just as the United States resolved in the aftermath of World War II to counter the Soviet Union and its global ambitions, Mr. Obama is focused on isolating President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia by cutting off its economic and political ties to the outside world, limiting its expansionist ambitions in its own neighborhood and effectively making it a pariah state. read more

There are 47 pages in all, many marked as confidential. The leaked files include a history of Shell’s long involvement with Libya, confidential technical information, confidential strategies and plans, including projections stretching many years ahead.

By John Donovan

We have combined a number of leaked files relating to Shell’s operations in Libya and have published them online.

There are 47 pages in all, many marked as confidential.

The leaked files include a history of Shell’s long involvement with Libya, confidential technical information, confidential strategies and plans, including projections stretching many years ahead.

The information is likely to be of interest to academics and even more so to Shell’s rivals, who may find some of it invaluable.
read more

VIENNA | Wed Nov 7, 2012 4:27pm GMT

Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) said on Wednesday that it remained interested in oil and gas exploration opportunities in Libya after abandoning drilling in two blocks earlier this year.

Shell told Reuters in May that it planned to exit from the LNGDA and area 89 after disappointing results, prompting concerns that the OPEC country would struggle to reach future production targets.

“That was just a project exit. We did not exit Libya,” said Nureddin Wefati, head of media relations for Shell’s upstream activities in the Middle East and North Africa, at the North Africa Oil and Gas Summit. read more

From our October 2005 Shell News Archive

The Seoul Times: NOC of Libya, Shell Agree on Major Gas Deal

“Shell’s Executive Director for Exploration and Production, Mr Malcolm Brinded, said: We are delighted to be back in Libya and honoured to work together with NOC…”: “I am excited about concluding this major agreement.”

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

By Jamal Al Majaida
Middle East & Africa

The National Oil Corporation of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (NOC) and Shell Exploration and Production Libya GmbH have reached a long-term agreement for a major gas exploration and development deal.

The agreement covers the rejuvenation and upgrade of the existing LNG Plant at Marsa Al-Brega on the Libyan coast, together with exploration and development of five areas located in the heart of Libya’s major oil and gas producing Sirte Basin. read more

Libya is now producing 1.5m barrels of high-quality oil a day. But with exploration by BP and Shell so far disappointing, British involvement in the country remains slow

Terry Macalister: The Observer, Sunday 26 August 2012

A decade ago Libya was at the centre of dramatic stories alleging cloak-and-dagger diplomacy between then-BP boss Lord Browne, Colonel Gaddafi and MI6 agents. And barely 12 months ago British warplanes were in action over Tripoli – this time fighting to topple the North African dictator former prime minister Tony Blair had previously decided to embrace.

But if these two events were seen by critics as the UK manoeuvring for an “oil boom” that would benefit both countries and an energy-hungry Blighty economy, it must be deemed a bit of a failure. read more

07/08/2012 | 11:13am US/Eastern

By Summer Said

DUBAI–Libya’s state oil company Sunday criticized Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB) for its decision to abandon exploration blocks in Libya, and said that Shell “has generally not achieved any encouraging results” in the North African country.

In a statement posted on its website, Libya’s National Oil Corp., or NOC, said it hadn’t received prior notice from Shell of its intention to give up its exploration permits, which covered several areas in the Sirte basin. read more

Shell drafted letter Tony Blair sent to Gaddafi while Prime Minister

By John Donovan

We have received further confidential information from disgruntled Shell Libya security staff; namely VIP Recruitment Records for Shell Libya.

These records shows a system was set up by Shell so that relatives of senior members of the Gaddafi regime, including  government ministers, Libyan Ambassadors, the head of the Libyan Investment Fund and officials from the Libya National Oil Corporation, were all given preferential treatment for Shell job applications.  read more

EMAIL FROM JOHN DONOVAN TO ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC COMPANY SECRETARY & GENERAL COUNSEL CORPORATE, MR MICHIEL BRANDJES

SENT SUNDAY 17 JUNE 2012

From: John Donovan <john@shellnews.net>
Subject: Disgruntled Shell Libya Security Staff
Date: 17 June 2012 16:01:20 GMT+01:00
To: michiel.brandjes@shell.com
Cc: peter.p.voser@shell.com

Dear Mr Brandjes

As you will no doubt be aware, over the last few days we have published whistleblower articles containing leaked Shell emails emanating from Shell Libya.

We published the most recent Shell internal email on the same day it was widely circulated inside Shell i.e. yesterday 16 June 2012.

The information is being supplied by a group of disgruntled Shell Libya security staff who have made serious allegations of misdeeds. read more

By John Donovan

We have already published an article containing a leaked email purportedly sent on 14 June 2012 by disgruntled Shell Exploration & Production Libya staff to senior Shell managers. Shell claims that it is withdrawing from Libya because of a deteriorating security situation. It self-evidently prefers to do business with dictators (a policy stretching back to Hitler).

The disgruntled employees – 17 in total, are all members of Shell’s security staff in Libya.

We now have a Statement of Complaint signed by all 17, detailing serious allegations against Salah Alshaafi, the chief of the Shell Security team. read more

(Photo from the article Royal Dutch Shell, Tony Blair and Muammar Gaddafi)

Email purportedly sent on 14 June 2012 by Shell Libya staff to senior Shell managers.

The email is in reaction to Shell’s recent decision to terminate its exploration contracts in Libya.

Shell apparently preferred to deal with Mad Dog Gaddafi.

THE EMAIL

From: Mohamed Mahmoud <mohamed.mahmoud560@yahoo.com>
To: “Carel.vergroesen@shell.com” <Carel.vergroesen@shell.com>; “Sana.sharafeddin@shell.com” <Sana.sharafeddin@shell.com>; “Jack.russel@shell.com” <Jack.russel@shell.com>; “Ahmed.aoun@shell.com” <Ahmed.aoun@shell.com>; “Andrew.a.young@shell.com” <Andrew.a.young@shell.com>; “Mattijs.visser@shell.com” <Mattijs.visser@shell.com>; “Jan.deknatel@shell.com” <Jan.deknatel@shell.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 5:55 PM
Subject: Demands of Shell Libyan Staff read more