Shell Halt Work In Erris Due To Accidents
mayo |
environment |
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Saturday April 30, 2005 17:06
by Terry - Shell to Sea
info at shelltosea dot com
On Thursday the 28th, after several accidents, Shell called a temporary halt to their construction of a massive gas refinery in Mayo. This suspension is ongoing.
Ninety Bord na Mona workers contracted to them have been laid off with twenty four hours notice.
The photos are from Wednesday the 20th of April. There was, it is rumoured, one similar truck accident before then, and there was certainly one on Monday the 25th. These Iggy Madden lorries are bringing removed bog from the Ballinaboy site, where the refinery is to go, to the peat storage place in Srahmore.
The one in the photo went straight off the road and into the bog. There is anecdotal evidence of other accidents on site. Moreover actually removing the peat from the trucks appears to be a fairly involved sort of operation as it sticks to them.
As was said during the planning hearings - 'you can't build a refinery on a bog - that's free advice.'
Related Links:
News from the Court Cases
Solidarity Gathering
Public Meeting in Galway
Meanwhile in a court in Scotland on Wednesday the 27th Shell was fined a record amount - Ł900,000 - for a series of safety failings on its Brent Bravo platform that led to the deaths of two oil workers.
This is almost treble the amount of the previous biggest fine the oil and gas industry has been hit with for safety breaches, but represents one minutes’ profit for the global Shell company.
In the words of Greig Hill, Shell’s production director, “we feel completely 100 per cent responsible for the deaths of these men”. The men, aged Keith Moncrieff, aged 45 and Sean McCue, 22, were suffocated in a gas escape on the 11th of September 2003.
The day after the accident Tom Botts, a Shell managing director said: "We've got a full audit and review from the Health and Safety Executive not only for the Brent Field but for all our fields in the North Sea,”
“The Health and Safety Executive has come back with a very robust stamp of approval of our operations."
Lord Oxburgh, Shell’s chairman, claimed in July 2004 he was "really very worried for the planet", due to climate change. Specifically fearing that sequestration, a technical fix for global warming involving the underground storage of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, “might be impossible”. In which case he says there isn’t any other approach and “little hope for the world”. This the boss of a major oil company, referring to the ecological damage caused in large part by the oil industry and oil dependant transportation. Hmm I can think of a few approaches that might work, might just cut into the profit margin of an oil company though!
Will the Mayo refinery be run on the basis ‘ok this is really dangerous and we might be able to fix it or we might not, but sure ah what the hell go for it anyways, just lie back and think of the dollars’?
The current safety record isn’t awe inspiring, with only weeks into one small part of the construction, already work has been stopped due to accidents.
Photos are copyrighted to Nigel Beers-Smith, thanks to him for them.
Related Links:
Shell 'admits' shortcomings
Poor safety of North Sea rigs exposed
Copyrighted to Nigel Beers-Smith
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Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 11. Shell stops haulage of Erris peat
The controversial Corrib Gas terminal project has been dealt another blow after Shell was forced to suspend all peat haulage operations last week following a series of bizarre accidents. In the first week of operations, three trucks that had been carrying peat from the Bellanaboy Bridge terminal site to the Bord na MĂłna deposition site at Srahmore, ran off the narrow road into a soft verge, toppling on their sides and consequently tipping their loads. Fortunately, nobody was injured as a result of these accidents but due to the severity of the situation and the potential for serious injuries or a fatality, Shell have temporarily suspended all peat deliveries to the Srahmore site.
Since the commencement of haulage operations, a number of Bord na Móna staff that were due to be made redundant, had been given temporary contracts at Bord na Móna’s Srahmore site. However, with operations now suspended and a full investigation being carried out, these Bord na Móna workers have been temporarily laid off the project workforce in accordance with agreed procedures.
The investigation into these three incidents is ongoing by Shell and Mayo County Council. On Friday evening, a spokesperson for Shell told the Western People that while the company was unsure as to exactly when the peat haulage operations would recommence, it confirmed that it would definitely not be in a position to resume haulage operations today (Tuesday).
When contacted by the Western People, a spokesperson for Mayo County Council refused to make any comment on the situation, stating that the Council may release a statement at some stage in the future.
Maura Harrington, one of the chief objectors to the gas terminal said she was not at all surprised with the situation.
“The latest proposal by Shell was even more demented than the previous one. My main concern now though, is that they would be tempted to revert to the November 2000 plan, which was to scatter bog among the trees on site and try to make a terrace out of it,” said Mrs Harrington.“Considering they claim to be under such time restraints and are no doubt losing money every day, what are they doing with all the peat on site now?” she questioned. According to Ms Harrington, unless the company and Mayo County Council come to an agreement whereby the entire road would be dug up and properly replaced, these road accidents will continue to happen.
© Western People
...about the weekend of solidarity with those who are resisting the Shell development. Little need to engage in debate with those who suggest that the development will be beneficial; it is clear that the ecological damage will be tremendous and of little comparison to economic gains. What is worth noting is that the State plans to temporarily suspend the rights of the landowners in order to build the high-pressure gas pipeline (and over landslide prone ground too).
Apologies, got a little drawn into debate...anyway, the aforementioned weekend will take place on 4-6 June and will hopefully attract a good showing of eco-heads and all us types who oppose the power of State and Capital.
...much love
Pete, you say that the west is going to need this project when the Celtic Tiger fades away. Just how is this going to help the west? Shell didn't help Ogoni Land in Nigeria - its operations ruined Ogoni Land and the local people didn't receive any financial or other benefit. The people of Mayo will not enjoy a net benefit from this operation.
I dont disagree with you, I have no difficulty with people coming into an area and living there but they should respect the local people and not act in such a selfish and condecending way. If these people were around when the wheel was being invented they would have objected. By the way not every blow in acts in this way and some make a good and positive contribution to an area, North mayo and the west coast need corrib. The celtic tiger isnt going to be around forever and it will be vital the west has this project when it starts to fade away.
So, "Pete" and "Nora," according to yee'r pernicious line of casuistry 'n sophism, one has to be "local/a local" to opine legitimately on local and, indeed, global issues?. Does this mean, for instance, that no one can morally/legitimately condemn the obscenity of the Holocaust except "locals" of Auschwitz, Dachau, etc.
I put it to ye, one does'nt have to be a hen to tell when an egg is bad, but, judging from the malodorous whiff of salmonella 'n listeria emanating from yee'r offensive comments, I'm now, bejaysus, beginning to wonder whether this is true?.
Pete,
It's virtually certain you either a) are representing Shell in some way, b) haven't a clue what's happening there or c) are one of those morons who write nonsense just to provoke, or all three. So perhaps one should ignore you, but for the benefit of others, it should be pointed out that:
- Shell are the blow-ins in this situation;
- there will be very few "opportunities of employment" for local people, as Shell invariably brings workers in from overseas, especially on its oil rigs;
- overall there will be almost no benefits to Mayo, Ireland or the Irish: the gas will go to Britain and beyond and most of the money raised will go to the directors and shareholders of Shell, Statoil and the other companies involved.
id rather a few blow ins
than a couple of flak generators
above comments are remarkable for their resemblance to govt whispering campaigns against an taisce and pro rampant unsustainable development
I've noticed a lot of problems with people who are not local to a region sticking their noses where they don't belong and engaging in all kinds of questionable behaviour in order to sabotage industry and deny jobs in areas they have nothing to do with, often because of unrelated personal agendas.
As to what is local and what's not? I'd say that if someone has lived in a place for a total of 14-15 years or worked somewhere for 10 years, they are local. If someone has lived somewhere for virtually their entire life, they are local.
Someone once said "you can't build an airport on bog" I now believe theres an airport in the same region build on bog - blow in's would love to keep it the way it was when they moved in. They object to local peoples planning applications, they try to deny them the opportunities of employment in industry and development in their areas - many of these do gooders live off social welfare and don't want jobs - why not go back to where ye came from and bring your camera with you, a truck going of the road in north mayo is'nt really news and it wont stop this development