BP has suffered its biggest shareholder protest for at least a decade in a snub that overshadowed an emotional send-off for Lord Browne in his final AGM in charge of BP. More than 17% of those BP investors who voted opposed a “golden goodbye” estimated by some to be worth up to ÂŁ72m to the … Read More
Safety
Call for UK Firms to Quit the Niger Delta
A leading union leader from Britain’s offshore industry has called on all British oil companies to pull out of the volatile Niger Delta region until safety can be guaranteed. The call by Graham Tran, a regional officer of Amicus, one of the North Sea’s major unions, came as the search went on for a missing … Read More
BP Workers “Exhausted” Says Union Leader
Safety issues continue to plague BP. Workers for BP allege that a labour shortage at Prudhoe Bay, the United States’ largest oil field has made conditions ripe for fatigue-related accidents similar to one that killed 15 employees at the company’s Texas plant in 2005. BP has failed to fill about a dozen vacancies for highly … Read More
BP: “Organisational” Deficiencies Led to Fire
The long-awaited report by the US Chemical Safety Board concluded that “organizational and safety deficiencies at all levels of the BP Corporation” caused the fire at the company’s Texas refinery in 2005. The 335-page report calls on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to increase inspection and enforcement at U.S. oil refineries and … Read More
BP’s “Terrifying” Safety Culture
The top honchos at BP will be sweating as they await today’s publication of the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board’s report into the Texas fire. By all accounts it will not make for comfortable reading. The ante has been upped by the head of the Board who was she was “absolutely terrified” that … Read More
BP Knew of Texas Risk
Tomorrow investigators for the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) will publish their long awaited report in the cause of fatal explosion at BP’s Texas refinery in March 2005. However it has now emerged that BP board directors were aware of the link between spending cuts and poor maintenance at its Texas City … Read More
Browne’s Retirement Riches
The annual bonus for BP’s outgoing CEO John Browne was cut in half last year as oil spills and safety lapses in the United States overshadowed record profits for the oil giant.Browne’s annual performance bonus for 2006 was cut to around $1.74 million. His basic salary rose to $2.95 million though. In total his total … Read More
Shell Safety Record Questioned in North Sea
Oil giant Shell has been repeatedly warned by the UK authorities about the poor state of its North Sea platforms. The company’s dismal record undermines Shell’s public commitment to improve its performance after a fatal explosion on the Brent field in the North Sea in 2003 and raises further concerns about Britain’s ageing oil and … Read More
BP Employee Deleted Files From Computer Over Fire
A BP employee has admitted destroying documents after plaintiffs’ lawyers subpoenaed her laptop on an anonymous tip that she had information useful in the lawsuits against the UK oil company arising from its fatal refinery explosion, reports the Financial Times. Court records show that on November 3 2006, plaintiffs’ lawyers subpoenaed Susan Moore, BP regulatory … Read More
Exxon Tries to Stop Browne’s Court Appearance
ExxonMobil has thrown its weight behind rival BP in an attempt to block a precedent-setting court order requiring Lord Browne, the UK oil group’s beleaguered chief executive, to testify tomorrow in a civil lawsuit. Exxon, along with and a string of Texas business groups, are petitioning the Texas Supreme Court to overrule a decision by … Read More