Shell plc: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:28, 12 August 2003

Revision as of 23:12, 23 August 2003

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[[de:Shell (Konzern)]]

'''Shell Oil''', properly named '''Royal Dutch/Shell''', was founded in [[1890]] by [[Jean Kessler]], along with [[Henri Deterding]] and [[Hugo Loudon]], when a Royal charter was granted by the Queen of the Netherlands to a small oil exploration company known as "Royal Dutch." To compete against the giant American oil company, [[Standard Oil]], in [[1907]] Royal Dutch merged with The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company, p.l.c. of the UK. [[ADR]]s are traded on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] under RD (Royal Dutch) and SC (Shell).

One of the original [[Seven Sisters (oil companies)|Seven Sisters]], Royal Dutch/Shell is the world’sworld’s largest petrochemicals company and the world's second largest oil company. Shell has five core businesses: Exploration and Production, Oil Products, Downstream Gas and Power, Chemicals and Renewables, and operates in more than 140 countries across the world.

These companies are headed by the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company of the [[Netherlands]] and The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company, p.l.c. of the [[United Kingdom]]. These two companies hold all other subsidiary companies. The Shell interest in subsidiaries is always divided 60/40 in favor of Royal Dutch. In many cases, subsidiary companies are held in partnership with other, be these governments or others.

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An original investor, the largest single shareholder of Royal Dutch/Shell is the holding company for the Dutch Royal Family, set up by Queen [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]].

Shell has been criticized by environmental and human rights groups for a number of their practices. Their involvement in [[Nigeria]] came to the forefront after the execution of dissident [[Ken Saro-Wiwa]] and eight others. Shell was also attacked for plans to dump an old [[Oil Platform]] in the [[North Sea]] and eventually agreed to disassemble it onshore.