Financial Times: Letters: Serious environmental concerns surround Shell's Sakhalin project: Friday 13 January 2006

By Robert Napier
Published: January 13 2006

From Mr Robert Napier.

Sir, I am writing in relation to your article on Sakhalin ("Remote resource: Shell's Sakhalin task shows an industry its daunting future", January 9), which stated that fish appear to have been undisturbed by Shell's construction activities in Aniva Bay.

I would like to draw your attention to one company, Calypso, which announced a 70 per cent drop in catches - over 1,000 tonnes - in Aniva Bay since the construction started.

Shell has already caused irreversible damage and does not have a scientific basis to proceed. After convening a panel of whale experts, the company ignored their advice.

Shell did not in fact develop adequate quiet techniques for constructing the new offshore oil platform. The company's own monitoring indicated it exceeded its own noise limit of 120 decibels, disturbing the gray whales.

As you correctly highlight, Shell forges ahead with the project even though it still does not have a plan for what to do in the event of an oil spill under ice. If an oil spill impacts on the food of the endangered gray whales, it will drive them to extinction. Deep concerns surround Shell's other Arctic ambitions in the Barents and Beaufort Seas as a result of its performance on the Sakhalin II project.

Robert Napier,

Chief Executive, WWF-UK,

Godalming,

Surrey GU7 1XR

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