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Russia Leads Arctic Oil Race

Three years after Russian divers thrust a rust-proof flag into the seabed below the North Pole, the country’s Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, will attend the Arctic Forum in Moscow today. Putin wants to stake Russia’s claim in the increasingly frantic...

Court rules companies can’t be sued under Alien Tort

This is bad news, which could have serious ramifications for holding companies legally accountable in the US for their operations abroad. And it has virtually received no press attention at all. Last Friday the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals...

“Dead Well” is a Just a Bump in the Road

So finally the well is dead. After 153 days, 5 million barrels spilt and a $10 billion bill so far, BP’s well is officially sealed. Although no crude has leaked from the well since BP capped it on July 15,...

If only BP had stayed true to Beyond Petroleum….

“If BP had stayed true to its ‘Beyond Petroleum positioning, it is likely that a disaster of this magnitude would not have occurred.” So says the global brand consultancy, Interbrand, in its annual branding report that shows that BP has...

Nigeria: Independent Figures Dispute UN’s Findings

If a tobacco company gave the World Health Organisation a $10 million grant to examine the health effects of smoking, health campaigners would be outraged.  They would also treat the results with great suspicion. And the fact that Shell gave...

The Boom Times Are Back

From one disaster to another.. Early on during Deepwater, I blogged on how the Canadians were looking to exploit the spill to push their dirty oil. The fact has not been lost on the industry bible, the Petroleum Economist, (PE)...

100 Days That Changed the Industry .. Or Did it?

So we are 100 days into this disaster and what has changed? Well we have a new CEO of BP. The straight talking American Bob Dudley argues that the Gulf of Mexico spill has been "wake-up call not only for...

Back In the Other Gulf, Shell Appeals Landmark Ruling

BP may be paying out money faster than its going out of fashion for the Gulf of Mexico spill, but its arch-rival Shell is still not ready to part with its cash. Yesterday, the oil giant’s Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC, announced...

BP: A Good Value for “Bargain Hunters”?

David Cameron’s government is now said to be preparing for the worst: that BP will collapse and be broken up. One way that could be avoided is if key investors buy large chunks of the stricken oil giant. But one...