THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES: 16 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES

Shell’s Privilege Problem: A Technical Warning, an Audit Nobody Wanted — and the Fear of What the Record Might Show

Disclosed emails show a Shell technical executive objecting to continued operation of a pipeline outside integrity standards — and being told future disagreements of that seriousness should be put “under legal privilege”

Some corporate documents are damaging because they reveal what went wrong.

Others are more troubling because they reveal what executives feared might one day be discoverable about what went wrong.

Two sets of internal Shell emails now public through the HEDA Resource Centre deserve particularly close attention.

The first concerns a 2008 decision to continue operating the old Nembe Creek Trunk Line, despite a senior technical executive’s objections.

The second concerns a proposed 2013 audit of Shell’s management of crude-oil theft between 2009 and 2012. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 15 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-028

The Sakhalin Papers XVIII: “Pipeliners All!” — The Patton Email and the Fall of David Greer

An Authentic Memo, a Front-Page Leak and a Resignation Three Weeks Later

Archive reference: SLF-2007-028
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: David Greer email to Sakhalin Energy pipeline personnel, 18 April 2007, subsequently confirmed as genuine by Shell
Supporting record: Sakhalin Energy Annual Review 2005; Royal Dutch Shell Form 6-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission; contemporaneous Financial Times, Reuters and Moscow Times reporting
Evidence standard: The authenticity of the Greer email, its contents, the contemporary reporting and Greer’s subsequent departure are treated as established where independently corroborated. Allegations supplied by whistleblowers, interpretations concerning plagiarism and any claimed causal connection between the leak and Greer’s resignation are separately identified. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES: 15 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES

Shell’s Pipeline Maintenance Problem: 1,600+ Clamps, Unknown Locations and a 15-Year Rule Not Followed

Internal Shell audits expose a pipeline-management system struggling with maintenance backlogs, corrosion protection, repair records and its own replacement rules

When Shell publicly defended the integrity of its Nigerian oil infrastructure, it portrayed an operation managed according to international standards.

Inside the company, the picture was considerably less reassuring.

Newly public internal records examined in the 2026 Nigeria: Lifting the Lid report describe a pipeline-management system carrying a substantial maintenance backlog, questionable records, weaknesses in risk management, concerns about contractor competence and uncertainty over the location of older pipeline-repair clamps. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 14 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-027

The Sakhalin Papers XVII: The Kremlin Attack Dog and the Donovan Connection

From Leaked Emails to Legal Threats

Archive reference: SLF-2007-027
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: John Donovan correspondence with Oleg Mitvol, 19 November 2006; correspondence with solicitor Mark Stephens, 21 December 2006; Shell Exploration & Production General Counsel Keith Ruddock’s response of 5 January 2007; Shell internal “Donovan – Sunday Times” email of 2 February 2007
Supporting record: Argus FSU Energy interview with Oleg Mitvol; contemporaneous Guardian, Business New Europe and Prospect reporting; official Kremlin and Gazprom records; subsequent English High Court proceedings concerning UK governmental scrutiny of Sakhalin II
Evidence standard: Direct documents, reported statements, allegations, legal threats, judicial findings and commentary are identified separately. No causal claim is treated as established merely because it appeared contemporaneously in the press. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

South Africa’s Top Court Blocks Shell’s Wild Coast Exploration Plans

By John Donovan

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has blocked Shell-led offshore exploration on the Wild Coast, overturning a 2024 appeal ruling that had offered the company and its partner, Impact Africa, a route to renew their disputed exploration right.

Final Court Ruling Ends the Renewal Route

Reuters reported on 14 August 2026 that the Constitutional Court, South Africa’s highest court, ruled that Shell-led exploration off the country’s Indian Ocean Wild Coast cannot proceed. Justice Jody Kollapen, delivering the majority decision, said the order of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) was set aside. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES: 14 AUGUST 2026

The next distinct thread is pipeline integrity and maintenance governance: a 2011 Shell audit recorded a major maintenance backlog and uncertainty over legacy repair clamps, while a 2012 technical support visit said SPDC’s 15-year flowline replacement practice was not being followed and described the operation as non-compliant with its own guideline. HEDA’s archive identifies the underlying records as Document 8, MPR-10 HB 1248-1262, and Document 13, MPR-10 HB 805-827.

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES

Shell’s Pipeline Maintenance Problem: 1,600+ Clamps, Unknown Locations and a 15-Year Rule Not Followed

Internal Shell audits expose a pipeline-management system struggling with maintenance backlogs, corrosion protection, repair records and its own replacement rules

When Shell publicly defended the integrity of its Nigerian oil infrastructure, it portrayed an operation managed according to international standards. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 13 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-026

The Sakhalin Papers XVI: The Permit, the Prosecutors and Gazprom

Archive reference: SLF-2007-026
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: Shell Sustainability Report 2006; official Kremlin transcript of the 21 December 2006 Sakhalin Energy shareholders’ meeting; Gazprom corporate records
Supporting record: contemporaneous Reuters and oil-industry reporting; EBRD records; Russian court proceedings as reported contemporaneously; subsequent UK tribunal and High Court proceedings concerning governmental scrutiny of Sakhalin II
Evidence standard: corporate admissions, government statements, judicial findings, regulatory allegations and commentary are kept separate. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES: Shell’s “Basket” Pipeline

Today’s instalment takes a separate documentary thread from the first investigation: what happened after Shell replaced the old Nembe Creek Trunk Line, but allegedly left roughly 80 kilometres of the retired line containing crude because decommissioning funding was unavailable. The central evidence is the 27 June 2014 internal email identified in the report as D2_00092484 (HB/1103) and cited in Matthew Renshaw’s Tenth Witness Statement, paragraph 96

THE SHELL NIGERIA FILES

Shell’s “Basket” Pipeline: 80km of Stagnant Crude, Six Operational Spills — and “Budget Constraints”

Internal records raise disturbing questions about why a retired Niger Delta pipeline remained full of crude years after replacement

There is a particular phrase buried in the newly disclosed Shell material that deserves to follow the company for a very long time. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

Shell Knew More Pollution Could Follow — Yet the Oil Kept Flowing

Internal documents raise stark questions about Shell’s decision to keep producing through tampered Niger Delta pipelines

For years, Shell’s public explanation for much of the catastrophic oil pollution in the Niger Delta has emphasised sabotage, crude-oil theft and illegal refining.

The newly disclosed internal record does not make those problems disappear. Oil theft was real, extensive and dangerous.

What the documents do is expose a far more uncomfortable question:

What did Shell itself do after it knew its pipelines had been illegally tapped, knew pollution was occurring, and knew continued production could cause still more environmental damage? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE MAN BEHIND THE WEBSITES: NICK GILL AND A QUARTER-CENTURY IN SHELL’S DIGITAL SHADOW

Nick Gill

By John Donovan

For more than a quarter of a century, my father Alfred Donovan and I became publicly associated with an extraordinary internet campaign against one of the world’s largest energy companies.

Our names appeared in newspapers. Shell executives knew who we were. Lawyers knew who we were. Whistleblowers knew where to find us.

But behind much of the machinery that allowed the campaign to function was another man whose name rarely appeared in the headlines.

Nick Gill.

This is the story of the computer “whiz kid” who answered a small newspaper advertisement and ended up helping to build and maintain an internet operation that Shell itself would later describe internally in remarkably complimentary terms. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 12 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-025

The Sakhalin Papers XV: A Thousand Rivers — Salmon, Pipeline Crossings and the Contractor Problem

Archive reference: SLF-2007-025
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: The Shell Sustainability Report 2005; Sakhalin Energy river-crossing documentation and monitoring records; UK Export Credits Guarantee Department evidence to Parliament
Supporting record: Russian regulatory actions, Reuters and other contemporaneous reporting, EBRD records and subsequent court proceedings concerning UK government scrutiny of Sakhalin II
Evidence standard: Shell and Sakhalin Energy admissions are distinguished from regulator allegations, NGO claims, journalistic reporting, subsequent governmental assessments and judicial findings. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

COMING TOMORROW: Inside the Shell Nigeria Files

A new daily investigation into the documents behind the battle over Shell, oil pollution and accountability in the Niger Delta

Tomorrow we begin something substantial.

Over the coming days and weeks, we will be examining a remarkable collection of documents concerning Shell’s operations in Nigeria, oil pollution in the Niger Delta, pipeline integrity, oil theft, environmental damage and what senior personnel inside the company knew about the problems confronting its operations.

And we intend to examine them one story at a time.

Not with slogans.

Not by pretending allegations are proven facts.

And not by accepting corporate explanations without examining the documentary record behind them. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 11 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-024

The Sakhalin Papers XIV: The Whales, the Scientists and the Financing Test

Archive reference: SLF-2007-024
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: IUCN Independent Scientific Review Panel records; Sakhalin Energy responses; Shell Sustainability Report 2005; European Bank for Reconstruction and Development records
Supporting record: UK Parliamentary material, High Court proceedings and contemporaneous press reporting
Evidence standard: Scientific findings, company statements, lender decisions, court records and campaign commentary are distinguished throughout. A lender’s decision that project documentation was suitable for consultation is not treated as a decision to finance the project. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 10 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-025

The Sakhalin Papers XV: The $20 Billion Shock — When Shell’s Flagship Project Blew Its Budget

Archive reference: SLF-2007-025
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal records: Shell Stock Exchange Release of 15 May 2003; Shell Sakhalin II Project Schedule and Cost Update of 14 July 2005; Royal Dutch Shell Annual Report and Form 20-F for 2005; Shell SEC filings of 21 December 2006
Supporting record: Contemporaneous financial and energy-industry reporting; Russian government statements; later English High Court proceedings concerning proposed UK export-credit support
Evidence standard: Shell’s own filings are treated as the primary record for Shell’s estimates and corporate position. Russian government claims, press interpretations and allegations concerning political motivation are identified as such. No court is represented as having adjudicated responsibility for the Sakhalin II cost overrun. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES: 9 AUGUST 2026

THE SHELL LEAKS FILES

SLF-2007-024

The Sakhalin Papers XIV: The Whales, the Scientists and the Financing Test

Archive reference: SLF-2007-024
Collection: The Sakhalin Papers
Principal record: IUCN Independent Scientific Review Panel report, Shell Sustainability Report 2005, International Whaling Commission Resolution 2005-3 and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development records
Supporting record: Contemporaneous press reporting, Parliamentary material and the later High Court record concerning ECGD scrutiny of Sakhalin-2
Evidence standard: Scientific findings, corporate statements, lender records and judicial material are distinguished from campaign claims and editorial interpretation. No court is represented as having adjudicated the underlying whale science. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.

Kent Quinlan v Shell: Court Fast-Tracks Evidence After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis

Disclosure Ruling Is Followed by a Timetable to Preserve Evidence

Archive reference: AUS-WB-2026-002
Jurisdiction: Supreme Court of Queensland
Case: Quinlan v Shell Energy Operations Pty Ltd [2026] QSC 115
Decision date: 10 June 2026
Evidence standard: Reported court proceedings and published case information. This article does not treat allegations in pleadings or media reports as established facts.

Site-wide disclaimer applies. Mr Quinlan’s substantive allegations remain contested and have not been proved in court. Shell denies wrongdoing.

The Update Since the March Hearing

In March, former ERM Power executive Kent Quinlan asked the Supreme Court of Queensland to require Shell Power to provide further internal documents. He alleges that he raised concerns about insider trading and “sham” transactions at ERM Power, and that he later suffered detrimental treatment. Shell disputes the claims. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years.