This page lists any entry on the site marked with one of the selected categories in the left hand column, most recent first. Selecting other categories will further hone this list.
Tectonic shifts – the energy crisis and the leap beyond – The Economic War, part 4
Blog post -
Apr 4, 2022
Shell declares it may go back into Cambo and the oilfield’s exploration license is extended by two years. The British government pushes for renewed drilling in the UK North Sea. There is public outcry at the Chancellor’s failure to defend households from the attack on living standards driven by price inflation. The Russian government announces...
Time to kick Oil out of Football? – The Economic War, part 3
Blog post -
Mar 23, 2022
Roman Abramovich under sanctions! Chelsea up for sale! Scandal engulfs Everton FC as a key donor Alisher Usmanov is added to the UK government’s list of ‘named Oligarchs’. The Economic War has opened a new front on the pitch. Football is pulled into the Russian invasion of Ukraine just as Western corporations and the oil...
Hail to the dockworkers! A Tale of Three Tankers – The Economic War, part 2
Blog post -
Mar 10, 2022
You can track them still on MarineTraffic.com … the MV Seacod, the MV Boris Vilkitsky and the MV Pearl. Three ghost ships of the energy system, the spirits of the Economic War. All three of these vessels broke out of the fog that normally swathes the constant trade in oil and gas. All three neared...
Ukraine & the grip of gas – caught in the machine of Crude Britannia
Blog post -
Feb 1, 2022
The newsfeeds hiss and rumble with stories of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are all of us left waiting. Is this truly going to happen, a military conflict between Russia and NATO? Or is this a fevered concoction that aids the Kremlin, the US Administration, and the UK’s flailing Prime Minister? Will the...
Russian Roulette. The impact of sanctions against Russia on international oil companies
Publication -
Dec 1, 2014
This briefing by Platform, Greenpeace UK and ShareAction outlines the main European and US sanctions that impact IOCs operating in Russia. It details the impact of these sanctions on planned joint ventures involving Exxon, Statoil, Eni and Shell. It also examines the unique consequences for BP as a holder of a 19.75% stake in Rosneft...
Gazprom polar bear ‘gift’ seeks to gloss over the reality of Arctic drilling
Blog post -
Aug 21, 2013
NB This blog post was part of an internet hoax instigated by Greenpeace and The Yes Men. You can read more about it here. Check out this ‘video news release’ from the giant Russian energy company Gazprom, celebrating its new partnership with Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic. The bear in the film...
Greenpeace sounds alarm on oil groups after sinking of platform, featuring our report ‘Russian Roulette’
Media coverage -
May 20, 2013
Guy Chazan. Piece made homepage of FT website
Russian Roulette: International Oil Company Risk in the Russian Arctic
Publication -
Apr 21, 2013
International Oil Companies (IOCs) face pressure from investors to achieve a positive reserves replacement ratio. With governments around the world increasingly asserting control over natural resources in their territory, as well as conventional oil reserves dwindling, the Arctic is one of the frontier areas targeted by IOCs. In Russia, IOCs have entered a number of...
Shell and Gazprom sign more documents on Arctic tie-up
Blog post -
Apr 9, 2013
Gazprom and Shell signed a new agreement today, under the eyes of Vladimir Putin on his trade mission to Europe. The agreement has been in discussion for a few years; at one point a BP-and-Rosneft style share swap was discussed, but the two companies appear to have settled for a Joint Venture. Together they’ll extract...
Divide and fall? Total criticise Arctic oil drilling
Blog post -
Sep 26, 2012
As Andy Rowell wrote this morning, “this is big news”. Total are the first major oil company to publicly state that companies should not be drilling for oil in the Arctic. A divide amongst the oil majors will only increase pressure on companies, like Shell, who despite having to abandon this years drilling plans, still...
Out in the Cold: Investor Risk in Shell’s Arctic Exploration
Publication -
May 21, 2012
Royal Dutch Shell’s plans for Arctic exploration are exposing investors to a ‘spectrum of risks’, this new report by Platform, Fairpensions, and Greenpeace warns. Download the report (pdf) and investor briefing or read online below. The report highlights Shell’s failure to address key concerns for investors and environmentalists: • Spill response plans are inadequate –...
Sakhalin II Impacts
Article -
Feb 7, 2007
Shell's Sakhalin II gas & oil project in far eastern Russia has disrupted the social and economic fabric of local communities, including indigenous communities and local fishermen. Rare and endangered species are being threatened with extinction, including the Western Pacific Gray Whale and Stellar's Sea Eagle. Shell's pipeline stretches from the northern tip of Sakhalin...
