Shell to Sea protest at Bellanaboy and Belmullet

by Rudiger Sat Feb 02, 2008 09:30

Shell profits rise - Ireland gets 0%

Shell has announced record profits of €18 billion for the year, that’s €49.3 million per day! Shell has stated that it is too expensive to refine at sea. However, Shell’s profits clearly show this is untrue and unbelievably, the Irish law was changed so that all their building costs can be written off against tax!

Increased cost to refine at sea = €360 million
That’s about one week of Shell’s profits!

It is clear that these vast profits come at the expense of the countries, communities and environments that Shell operate. Look at the disasters of Russia and Nigeria...will you allow Shell to do this here?

In Texas, where Shell operates a large oil refinery, medical surveys have found that 70% of the town’s inhabitants have associated medical complaints.

Shell always put profits first
Shell in fact has the worse workforce death record of all the major oil companies.

Company 2003 Deaths 2004 Deaths 2005 Deaths 2006 Deaths
Exxon Mobil 23 6 8 10
Shell 45 37 36 37
BP 20 11 27 7
Workforce deaths for the 3 biggest oil & gas companies

If Shell care so little for the lives of their own workers, do you trust them to prioritise the safety of our community?

So far in Erris we know that every single water monitoring report carried out by Mayo County Council is above the limits for aluminium since Shell removed peat from Bellanaboy. The water from the Bellanaboy refinery site goes directly into Carrowmore Lake. Shell acknowledged responsibility for this problem and installed the Axonics water treatment plant. However, it was unable to cope with the demand during Shell’s peat haulage and so the aluminium levels have increased and the problem has worsened.

The Scottish EPA (who has licensed numerous refineries in Scotland) has stated that a refinery which falls within the catchment area of a drinking water supply would not get permission to operate in Scotland.

Consent cannot be bought
Shell has recently announced their new wish “to be a good neighbour”. Sending 5 men to jail for trying to protect their community was not a great start! And things haven’t improved since then. Shell have not taken on board our concerns and continue to ignore the people who are threatened with this experimental project on their doorstep. Shell is still intent on forcing through a raw gas pipeline through unstable land in close proximity of houses and a school.

“No other country in the world has given the oil company’s such favourable terms” Mike Cunningham, former Statoil director

We deserve a better deal: Don’t take Shell’s crumbs!
Given the obscenely generous terms at which Shell got the Corrib Gas, it’s no surprise that Shell are happy to give out a few college scholarships and grants here and there. Instead our natural resources should be going to benefit our education and health systems and country as a whole.
In the early 70’s, Norway chose to use their natural resources to benefit their people and today the country ranks as having the best quality of life in the world.
Because all of Shell’s construction costs can be written off against tax, the money Shell are trying to offer to our community belongs to us in the first place! The percentage given back is nothing compared to the €50 billion worth of Irish gas they own!

For more information or to request a copy of the Channel 4 ‘Policing the pollution’ film, please contact 0851141170.

Protecting against one type of robbery

Happy with their days work

by mayo local Sat Feb 02, 2008 11:30

Well Done Everyone.must have been freezing.
Hope to be with you next time!!

by Chrissie Sat Feb 02, 2008 13:46

Whatever the weather & Garda opposition, the Erris people show that local consent for destruction can't be bought; our admiration for them only grows. Also thanks to Rudiger for an excellent detailed report. Solidarity, folks, & see you soon.

by jack e Sat Feb 02, 2008 16:57

Congratulations to all concerned on a fine display of courage and tenacity.
You are an inspiration to us all.

by Maura Harrington - S2S; Davitt League Mon Feb 04, 2008 18:16

It is perhaps an indication of unease that, following the S2S presence in Belmullet on Friday last, no 'genuine local' or other pseudonyms have ventured to comment on that action.

It has been a feature of $hell spin that the 'silent majority' supports the imposition of the proposed Corrib Project on the receiving community - one must ask how tenable is such a claim.

It was also interesting to note that the so-called 'guardians of the peace' did not behave in their usual modus in the town - which begs the question why the difference in behaviour between Ballinaboy and Belmullet ...

It appears that one of the few actions performed on the day by said 'guardians' was to hop out of their cars to escort a local vocal councillor into the bank - protecting him from ???

by risa renee - Concert Pianist - La Jolla, CA USA Wed Feb 18, 2009 00:38 risa_renee at yahoo dot com

I WAS RECENTLY VISITING IN BELMULLET AND HAVE KEPT UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS REGARDING THIS DISMAYING ONGOING SHELL PROBLEM.

YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT AND I HOPE TO POSSIBLY PARTICIPATE UPON MY NEXT VISIT.

God Bless All of You.