The Big 3: oil co’s and legal cases this month
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Feb 16, 2012
Three of the world’s biggest private oil companies face landmark legal actions this February. Here is a brief run down of the main cases, what they are about and why they matter. 1. US v BP At the centre of the legal fallout from BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster in April 2010 is a complex civil...
Video: Chevron rig blazes off the coast of Nigeria
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Feb 6, 2012
This disturbing video from Al Jazeera shows what’s left of Chevron’s KS Endeavour gas rig, which exploded on 16 January 2012. Over 20 days later the site is still ablaze and the intense flames and plumes of smoke can be seen from the nearby fishing village. Local community activists released this footage:
What I’m reading about this week
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Jan 31, 2012
Metro: ‘Sustainable’ funds investing millions in oil companies and banks. This article mentions Platform’s work on Shell Nigeria and uses it to question the ethics of investment in oil companies. Heat or Eat? Fuel Poverty Action occupy British Gas headquarters.
In pictures: Chevron rig still burning in Nigeria
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Jan 26, 2012
On 16 January, between 4.30am and 5am, Chevron’s KS Endeavour drilling rig exploded six miles off the coast of Nigeria after the company lost control of the gas well. Two workers were reported killed. Ten days on, the fire continues to burn. Photos courtesy of Morris Alagoa at ERA/FoE Nigeria.
Oil, art & human rights links
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Jan 25, 2012
EU oil companies including Shell and Total will be banned from importing and purchasing Iranian oil by new sanctions, reported Reuters. As Iran threatens to retaliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a major artery of global oil shipments, the UK foreign minister William Hague downplayed the likelihood of war.
Shell’s Bonga oil spill hits Nigerian communities
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Jan 4, 2012
Shell’s major oil spill at the offshore Bonga facility in Nigeria is threatening the livelihoods of at least 13 different coastal communities, reports Reuters. As thick crude oil continues washing up on Nigeria’s shoreline, Shell is denying responsibility and claims that “non-Bonga oil” from a third party spill is to blame. A local resident from...
UK government backs risky offshore drilling
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Dec 31, 2011
Despite serious environmental concerns, the heightened risk of major accidents and inadequate regulatory oversight, the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change has awarded 46 new licences for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, including in the ecologically sensitive West of Shetlands area. Speaking to BBC News, Adam Ma’anit of Platform condemned the move: “There...
An abdication of responsibility
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Sep 15, 2011
When a government responds to one of the worst oil spills in its waters for a decade by appointing the former Chairman of Shell to advise on cutting regulation of the offshore oil and gas industry, something has clearly gone wrong. If the government wants to ramp up extraction from deeper waters but is unwilling to...
UK’s ageing oil rigs are close to collapse, video footage shows
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Sep 13, 2011
This is the frightening reality of oil extraction in the UK North Sea. Video footage and documents leaked to the the Scottish Sunday Express shows that Shell’s oil rigs are ready to collapse. RUSTING RIGS SPARK FEARS OF OIL TRAGEDY By Paula Murray SHOCKING footage has emerged showing the dire state of Britain’s rust- ing oil...
Channel 4 News: Shell North Sea Oil Spill
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Aug 14, 2011
Last night’s Channel 4 News was mostly taken up with a relatively heated debate on the London riots. During the air time left over, science correspondent Tom Clarke gave an overview of Shell’s 100 tonne oil spill in the North Sea. PLATFORM provided some analysis, putting Shell’s oil spill in the context of the daily...
Breaking: Shell Gannet Alpha oil Spill hits North Sea
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Aug 13, 2011
From BBC News last night: Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has said it is working to stop a leak at one of its North Sea oil platforms. The leak was found near the Gannet Alpha platform, 180 km (113 miles) from Aberdeen, Scotland. The company would not say how much oil may have been spilt...
