oil spills | The Price of Oil

Posts in oil spills

70,000 Ask Shell to Clean Up in Nigeria
Andy Rowell
May22
Seventeen years ago I was one of many protestors at Shell’s AGM in London at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Centre that lies in the shadow of Big Ben, near London’s Parliament. There were two issues facing the oil giant that day: in Nigeria the Ogoni playwright, Ken Saro-Wiwa, lay in a disgusting and degrading humid…
Continue reading ’70,000 Ask Shell to Clean Up in Nigeria’.
Shell in Nigeria: Its Worse than Bad
Andy Rowell
May09
And so it goes on. It might be a different day but the ongoing vortex of violence, pollution, protest and conflict continues in the Niger Delta. The oil giant, Shell is at the middle of this vortex, as it has been for decades, with the company unwilling to take adequate steps to stop the violence…
Continue reading ‘Shell in Nigeria: Its Worse than Bad’.
US Pipeline Regulations “Inadequate”
Andy Rowell
May01
One thing is certain: pipelines have become a political hot potato. Over the next few months the debate about Keystone XL will surely dog the Presidential debate like a bad penny. But as the furore over Keystone has grown it is easy to forget about the state of other pipelines in the US and how…
Continue reading ‘US Pipeline Regulations “Inadequate”’.
Sick Fish, Eyeless Shrimps and Dead Dolphins
Andy Rowell
Apr23
As the second Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill was marked across the Gulf region at the end of last week, we know that we are still a long way from knowing the full impact of the spill on the marine ecosystem. One thing is for sure though. The right-wing commentators who crowed that the…
Continue reading ‘Sick Fish, Eyeless Shrimps and Dead Dolphins’.
The $13 Billion Bill for Elgin Gas Spill
Andy Rowell
Apr11
Oil companies operating in the North Sea could face an estimated $13 billion (Euros 10 billion) bill in light of the Elgin gas spill which could also seriously affect their credit ratings, according to rating agency Fitch. Total’s Elgin platform in the North Sea has been leaking gas since last month with some estimates that…
Continue reading ‘The $13 Billion Bill for Elgin Gas Spill’.
“No Idea How to Fix” North Sea Gas Leak
Andy Rowell
Mar27
If you read any literature from the oil and gas industry it always argues that it is one of the best regulated industries in terms of safety and preparedness. This is an industry that understands the dangerous risks of drilling, prepares for it and mitigates to make sure accidents do not happen. If an accident…
Continue reading ‘“No Idea How to Fix” North Sea Gas Leak’.
RIP Exxon Valdez
Andy Rowell
Mar26
For some Saturday’s Anniversary would have been a painful reminder of the reckless behaviour of Big Oil. It was on the 24 March 1989, that the Exxon Valdez ploughed into rocks in Prince William Sound in Alaska spilling at least 11 million gallons of oil. Although, the Exxon Valdez’s Anniversary no longer makes the news elsewhere,…
Continue reading ‘RIP Exxon Valdez’.
BP’s Oil “Entered Food Chain”
Andy Rowell
Mar21
At the height of the Deepwater disaster, then CEO of BP, Tony Hayward said it was only a drop in the ocean, so not to worry. BP’s scientists and cronies were quick to argue that the vast majority of the oil had been broken down and dispersed and that there was nothing to worry about….
Continue reading ‘BP’s Oil “Entered Food Chain”’.
“Desperate” Shell Goes to Court Over Arctic Drilling
Andy Rowell
Mar06
Last week I blogged on the landmark legal case against Shell by Nigerians that was being heard in the Supreme Court. That’s not the only court-room Shell was in last week. In an extraordinary preemptive legal strike the oil giant filed suit against more than a dozen environmental organisations that Shell believes might challenge its…
Continue reading ‘“Desperate” Shell Goes to Court Over Arctic Drilling’.
BP Settlement “doesn’t benefit my clients”
Andy Rowell
Mar05
The saying in the city is that the markets do not lie. And after Friday’s late night deal to reach a settlement with plaintiffs for a reported $7.8 billion, shares this morning in BP are topping the FTSE 100. The company’s share have risen over 2 per cent this morning with some analysts saying the…
Continue reading ‘BP Settlement “doesn’t benefit my clients”’.