Shell inline to pay hefty compensation claims after UK court ruling

Shell will finally be held accountable for the devastating oil pollution in the Niger Delta, after a landmark United Kingdom court ruling, Amnesty International said Friday.

“Today’s ruling is a shot across the bows of Shell’ said Andrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global issues.

“The court’s message is clear – if you don’t take adequate measures to protect your pipelines from tempering, you could be liable for the damages caused.”

In a judgment delivered by Justice Akenhead, the London Technological and Construction Court found that short of providing policing or military defense of its pipelines, Shell was responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect them.

This would include measures such as installing leak detection systems, surveillance equipment and anti-tamper equipment.

This landmark ruling has now opened the door for Nigerian claimants to demand compensation if oil leaks were a result of sabotage or theft – if the sabotage or theft was due to “neglect on the part of the holder or his agents, servants or workmen to protect, maintain or repair any work structure of thing,”

But within minutes of the judgment being delivered, Shell fired off a press released claiming ‘senior English judge rules in favour of Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary.’

“Shell’s representation of the facts in this case continues to beggar belief,” said Audrey Gaughran.

“Their response is typical of a company desperate to avoid being held to account for years of failure.”

Shell has consistently refused to disclose the age or condition of its pipeline. For years Shell has blamed the massive oil pollution associated with its operations on theft of oil and other illegal activities.

But the company has taken almost no effective action to prevent the theft of oil and secure its pipelines.

My Take:

Shell is a devil. They take and take and take yet they give little back to the people from where their businesses have caused havoc to people’s lifestyle and living conditions. What they have done in Nigerian Niger Delta region they cannot do anywhere else in the world.

Shell have worked with corrupt government officials to rape the people of the Niger Delta region of their Natural Resources and given very little back to them. Instead the monies gotten from the sales of these people’s oil are used to develop our parts of Nigeria.

Years of operations in the Niger Delta have left their lands devastated with Oil spillage everywhere, fishing which used to be the main occupation of the people is under serious threat, as they now have to move further into the sea to have what can be considered as a reasonable catch. It takes money to buy big boats to do that.

While the people suffer, Shell and corrupt Nigerian officials run to the banks with dollars in their pocket. I hope this ruling will not go the way of other ones. Shell musty be forced to pay for their years of neglect of the environment and abuse to the people of the Niger Delta. Instead of paying corrupt government officials, pay the people.

When oil was spilled from one of the underground pipes of British Petroleum now Beyond Petroleum, the American government compiled BP to pay a huge compensation to their people and clean up the spillage, and since the corrupt Nigerian Government cannot from a moral point of view compile Shell to pay, the international community must now do that.

By the way, Nigerian is still flaring gas about 10 years after a bill was put forward for that to stop. That's corruption personified.