COVID-19: Shell’s global response

Summary | Updated, Mar 26, 2020 21:30

As the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, Shell is putting the safety and health of our people and our customers first, along with the safe operations of all our businesses. We continue to monitor the situation daily – country-by-country – and to follow the advice of the relevant national health authorities. And, given the very dynamic situation, we are in regular contact with our suppliers and key customers.

At each operating site and office around the world we have business continuity plans in place to sustain our operations and supply chains, so that we can continue to provide vital energy products to countries, communities, businesses, motorists and homeowners.

We are increasing production of isopropyl alcohol, a key chemical ingredient of hand-sanitising liquids. Our manufacturing plants at Pernis in the Netherlands and Sarnia in Canada, for example, are diverting production resources to make isopropyl alcohol. In the Netherlands, we are making 2.5 million litres available free of charge for the healthcare sector.

Shell is doing many things to keep our staff and customers safe and healthy across our global network of service stations. These include carrying out enhanced cleaning operations, increasing stocks of sanitation products and other essential goods, and health monitoring for all our staff.

We are focused, of course, in each country on supporting our employees. Office-based staff in many countries, following the advice of local authorities, are now either encouraged or required to work from home. For those working at operating sites, both onshore and offshore, we are putting in place additional measures to keep staff healthy.

We also want to help people working on the front line outside our company. Starting now, in more than 15,000 participating retail sites across 30 countries, we will be providing free food to healthcare professionals such as nurses and doctors, as well as truck drivers and the delivery people who are vital to maintaining supplies. We will also offer free access to showers to truck drivers at participating motorway sites. In the UK, as a first step, we have handed out more than 10,000 free sandwiches so far.¹

In our global response, Shell is learning many lessons from the rapid and effective response implemented by our colleagues in China.

Our network of service stations across the country has successfully maintained safe and smooth operations and supported community efforts against the virus.

There have been no infections among forecourt staff in China and although some service stations were briefly closed by the authorities, none had to be closed by Shell. Our Changbei joint project has maintained a reliable gas supply to Beijing throughout. And our major Nanhai joint venture chemicals production complex in Guangdong Province has been operating at full capacity so that we can provide polypropylene and polyethylene, which have been needed to produce masks, packaging for disinfectants and other medical supplies.

We will continue to focus on keeping people around the world safe and healthy. And we will provide regular updates on our actions to staff and customers as the situation develops.

¹Local terms and conditions apply.