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Shell Oil Company Giving Barbadian Farmers Raw Deal

Barbados Shell Pipeline Jet Fuel Leak – “Almost Pure Kerosene” Fills Domestic Water Well As It Happens Report From Adrian Loveridge Today, (Thursday 3rd January 2008), I visited Oistins at the Southern Farmers request and witnessed a bucket being lowered into a well close to the road and where an Urban Development project is taken…

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Shell Oil Company

Barbados Shell Pipeline Jet Fuel Leak – “Almost Pure Kerosene” Fills Domestic Water Well

As It Happens Report From Adrian Loveridge

Today, (Thursday 3rd January 2008), I visited Oistins at the Southern Farmers request and witnessed a bucket being lowered into a well close to the road and where an Urban Development project is taken place. The well was about 500 feet from the beach and when the bucket was lifted it contained what appeared to be almost pure kerosene.

Also there was Mr Lashley, Mr Boyce, Mr Jones and Senator Lowe of the DLP, The PEP candidate, several members of the media including the Advocate, Nation and CBC. I did not see any Government representative. I understand that Shell has admitted liability for the leaking pipes but the the settlement offered is simply not adequate. I call on Shell to settle and the Government which has allowed this matter to drag on for the entire duration their office.

Read the full story at Barbados Free Press

The long suffering Souther Farmers group have taken to increasing their lobby for a solution to the longstanding dispute with Shell Oil. Maybe it is not a bad idea with the General Election imminent. In case you have forgotten there is a pipe line owned by Shell which has leaked oil onto the lands of the Southern Farmers and which has negatively affected their ability to produce crops. We all can appreciate that land to a farmer can be likened to what a hammer is to a carpenter. We invite BU readers to read the extensive coverage on BFP – see pictures below of the barren lands owned by the Southern Farmers submitted to the blogs and the note from one of the concerned Southern Farmer:
Hello,
Here are the pics I promised. The shed is one that Shell put a pump to draw oil off the well which is situated just behind. Everyday, a tanker would collect it. This well is situated approximately 60 yards from the major spill in 1994. This well which was connected to the rural irrigation system was disconnected as it was too contaminated with oil. The crops you see are pigeon peas which I was forced to plant as I discontinued the use of the water, and used natural rainfall.
Look closely and observe the brute force of shell. They just drove their way over the ground which I am leasing, Those drums were all filled , and after a fire broke out one evening, they just dumped the oil all out over the land. I spoke to the guys in Oistins, and was not met with the slightest apology . Notice all the trees which were singed. They all died eventually, and I did a replant.
This is how our country allow corporate giants to treat our country.
Thanks for your concern.
Bryan King.

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11 responses to “Shell Oil Company Giving Barbadian Farmers Raw Deal”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    The question has come-up whether Shell should be allowed to bid to explore for oil off the shores of Barbados given what is happening to Southern Farms.

  2. ~B~F~P~E~ Avatar
    ~B~F~P~E~

    Why have the DATES been chopped off from those photos?

    Those photos of empty drums on the ground don’t say anything, so what’s the point of that? Where are the photos of the well? Where are the photos of the farmers? Where are the photos of the people who he claims were there? Where are the photos of Adrian Loveridge?

    We saw Adrian Loveridge on TV who appeared nervous about being photographed publicly, since he wore a big hat and huge dark shades to hide his face.

    The farmers may have a genuine complaint, but the bigger question is, is this another SCAM by Adrian Loveridge to exploit others for the sake of his own political agenda?

    Kerosene can be bought from any gas station in Barbados. And who is to say that the same bucket which came up out of the well didn’t go down filled with “kerosene” (or whatever) in the first place.

    As for the woman who called in to Brass Tacks today to scream about the prime minister, she needs to improve her acting skills, she sounded like a fake and she did not convince anybody of her sincerity as David Ellis quite rightly pointed out to her.

    Beware of Loveridge scams and election gimmicks.

    ~B~F~P~E~

  3. Adrian Loveridge Avatar
    Adrian Loveridge

    This is yet another example of Government doing too little too late.
    Southern Farmers have a strong case but the situation has now being allowed to go way beyond a manageable situation.
    What came out of that well was close to pure kerosene, in a built-up residential areas less than 500 yards from the sea.
    Residents were attempting to grow fruit and vegetables in the same ground and animals were feeding off the grass.

    I find it truly amazing that despite being located on a site where the Urban Development Commission have recently undertaken work, the well has not been inspected by Health and Safety officials.
    Where are the workers representatives (Trade Unions) in all this?

    I did phone and leave a message for Sir Kyffin Simpson but he did not return my call.
    I also called and spoke to Mr. Reginald Farley and he promised to speak to Shell and their lawyer.

    As the spokesperson for Southern Farmers said, ordinary concerned citizens who feel strongly about this issue have a choice WHERE they purchase their petrol, diesel, kerosene, oil and bottled gas.

    Sir Kyffin, please ensure the right thing is done.
    Many of us respect you and your achievements.
    And all I can say to the farmers. 10 days to go to concentrate minds on a solution.
    Get the farmers together, add up the collective votes of them and their families for Christ Church East and ensure both political parties are made fully aware that YOUR votes could make a difference as to who is elected.

  4. ~B~F~P~E~ Avatar
    ~B~F~P~E~

    BU,

    We note that the photos have now been altered since last night when we first raised questions about them. What aroused our suspicions was the fact that we could see part of the red number “2” on the left edge of the photos. Now they show the full time stamps of “23 9:13 AM”, “23 9:14 AM” and “23 9:15 AM”.

    But we at BFPE still have LOTS of questions?

    On what DATE were these photos taken and BY WHOM?

    WHY were they only partially displayed in your original post?

    Where are the photos of the well?

    Where are the photos of the farmers?

    Where are the photos of the other people who Adrian Loveridge claims were there?

    Where are the photos of Adrian Loveridge?

    And finally….

    Who does Adrian Loveridge really think he can fool?

    ~B~F~P~E~

  5. Georgie Porgie Avatar
    Georgie Porgie

    Is this the Bryan King aka Neil Hawke that spent his working life in the Radiology of QEH that has been treated this way?

    If after working hard at QEH this man cant have fun and relaxation on his land, what is the point of our education and our service to country?

    So if small farmers are thus treated, why are Bajans to do any gardening?

  6. Georgie Porgie Avatar
    Georgie Porgie

    I find it truly amazing that despite being located on a site where the Urban Development Commission have recently undertaken work, the well has not been inspected by Health and Safety officials.
    ===========================

    Something is wrong here …..the well has not been inspected by Health officials. This is unbelievable! This is not the efficient Public Health Service that I witnessed as a medical student, or that I worked with in the polyclinics.

    Something is definitely wrong

    What is going on?

  7. David Avatar
    David

    There is a laxity within Barbados when it comes to environmental matters. We hope for Liz Thompson’s sake that if she finds oil, because it is just a promise of oil at the moment, they remember that oil spills can be harmful to a tropical island like Barbados. So far we have a record of not being sensitive to the environment at all.

  8. Nationalist Avatar
    Nationalist

    I would like to invite some comments on the following:

    (1) Term limits on Prime Minister of two terms with a proviso that the outgoing PM be deemed ineligible for cabinet post in the term immediately following his/her demitting office. (a) Such a state of affairs would impose a need for the political parties to seriously consider succession planning.

    (2) The post of Governor of the central bank be put on par with Chief Justice, and remove the perception the holder of the post is a ‘creature of the minister of finance’. This would ensure some semblance of balance when the state of the economy is discussed.

    (3) What to your readers think about an elected senate with a term life of 3-4 years.

    Have few more comments but will reserve additonal comments until some feedback is given.

    Nationalist.

  9. Arrindel Avatar
    Arrindel

    Dear BU,
    I was just reading your comments on Jan 5th, 2008. You were making some comment about the pictures submitted by Bryan King and you asked where are the wells. If you look at the pictures again you will notice the concrete structure. The wells are actually enclosed by that structure. Your next concern was where are the people that Mr. Loveridge said was present at Oistins. The press or CBC did not publish their pictures. I guess that was not done for because of the political implications. I have some of those pictures on my computer but I am not sure how to get them on this blog and I am not sure if it is correct to send the ministers pictures to this forum

    Please feel free to email to us at barbadosunderground@gmail.com. That minister has gone through the eddoes any how.

    David

  10. Arrindel Avatar
    Arrindel

    I am very disappointed and has lost some respect for you when you suggest that we could have bought that kerosene from a gas station and placed it in the well. Stop and figure how many gallons of kerosene we would have had to buy to form a stagnant pool in the bottom of the well. Are you saying that CBC, the Nation newspaper and the Advocate newspaper would be party to a scam where we let a bucket into a well that was pre-filled with kerosene? Give me a break man, I am disappointed that you can think so low. This was not an Adrian Loveridge affair, this was our way of showing the public the extent of the contamination in the Gibbons Boggs and Oistins area

  11. Technician Avatar
    Technician

    Just read this on CNN……

    http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/06/08/nigeria.shell/index.html

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