Royal

Ben van Beurden, 55, who was appointed downstream director and a member of the executive committee for Royal Dutch Shell plc in January, was named to succeed Peter Voser as CEO on Jan. 1 (see NGI, May 6). Van Beurden has been responsible for refining and marketing businesses, as well as overseeing the trading companies. He also is responsible for the petrochemicals manufacturing and marketing business, which has been eyeing expansions in the United States because of increased natural gas activity, as well as the gas-to-liquids business. He joined Shell in 1983 and has worked in Houston, the Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia and most recently, the UK. He is credited with helping to turn the petrochemicals operations to profitability after several quarters of big losses. The Dutch national earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

A subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc has signed a second, six-month extension that gives it more time to decide whether to purchase property in western Pennsylvania that could ultimately be used for a “world scale” ethane cracker in the heart of the Marcellus Shale region.

Safety remains the top concern for any energy company’s success, the former chief of Royal Dutch Shell plc told a Houston audience last month.

Safety remains the top concern for any energy company’s success, the former chief of Royal Dutch Shell plc told a Houston audience last week.

Operators developing plans to work in Alaska’s offshore, notably Royal Dutch Shell plc, have faced stiff and costly opposition for years, but Gulf of Mexico (GOM) operators should be aware that a growing threat of more lawsuits could derail some projects as well, industry executives said Tuesday at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.

Peter Voser, who has led the transformation of Royal Dutch Shell plc from an also-ran in the energy industry into Europe’s leading producer and the world’s largest integrated natural gas operator, announced his surprise retirement last Thursday.

Peter Voser, who has led the transformation of Royal Dutch Shell plc from an also-ran in the energy industry into Europe’s leading producer and the world’s largest integrated natural gas operator, announced his surprise retirement on Thursday.

Contrary to a media report, there is no time frame for when a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc will make a decision over whether to build a proposed “world scale” ethane cracker in western Pennsylvania, state and company officials told NGI’s Shale Daily.

Major players in manufacturing, transportation and energy are creating more buzz for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the transportation sector.