"Annul Shell's dealings with Allseas – a company which apparently celebrates Nazi crimes by glorifying a perpetrator."

"It is interesting to note on the Shell portals' list of associated countries, the conspicuous absence of Israel."

Paris, 5 February 2015

In a letter to Royal Dutch Shell CEO, Ben van Beurdon, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels, noted that "Shell has contracted from the Swiss-based offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction company, Allseas Group, their crane-ship Pieter Schelte, to service Brent oil platforms on the British continental shelf."

Samuels expressed indignation that "this vessel, described as "the largest ship in the world", is named for the father of Allseas' owner, who was a convicted Nazi war criminal."

The letter explained that "Peter Schelte was jailed after the war for commandeering some 4,000 Dutch citizens for forced labour on the Eastern Front. As a Dutch Waffen SS officer, he reportedly stated, 'the German race is a model. The Jewish race by comparison is parasitic. Therefore the Jewish question must be resolved in every Aryan country'."

Samuels pointed out that "the International Transport Workers Federation has demanded that Allseas rename the ship", adding that, "our Centre feels that the offence to the memory of Dutch victims of Nazi crimes and British casualties in liberating Europe from Hitler's tyranny demands more of Royal Dutch Shell."

The Centre urged that, "in the spirit of the 70th anniversary of these events, we urge Shell to annul its dealings with Allseas - a company which, apparently, celebrates Nazi crimes by glorifying one of the perpetrators", continuing, "we are sure that Shell will wish to publicly disassociate itself from this travesty."

"On a related matter, it is interesting to note, on the Shell portals' list of countries with which it is associated, the conspicuous absence of the State of Israel," concluded Samuels.