SEATTLE, WA -- May 26, 2008 -- On Sunday May 25, Shell was made aware that Regular Unleaded gasoline contaminated with water had been delivered to four Shell stations in the Seattle area.  Quality control measures at two stations prevented sales to consumers.  Unfortunately, at the two other Shell sites, contaminated gasoline was sold to a small number of consumers.  We are aware of approximately 10 consumers that purchased contaminated gasoline from Shell stations and we are working with these individuals to reimburse them for repairs.  When the problem was identified, the impacted stations as well as our Seattle terminal were shut down until the source of the issue could be identified.  The preliminary investigation shows that human error at Shell's Seattle terminal allowed gasoline mixed with water to be loaded onto delivery trucks.  This was an isolated incident involving a single tank at the terminal and was not related to our refinery operations in Anacortes, or any of the other tanks at the Seattle terminal.  The Seattle terminal has now re-opened for fuel deliveries and the impacted stations are in the process of having the contaminated fuel replaced with gasoline that meets our strict quality requirements. 

Any consumers who believe they have been impacted by this problem are encouraged to contact the station where they purchased fuel.

Media Contacts:

Shaun Wiggins

(713) 412-0967 or Shaun.Wiggins@Shell.com 

or

Brian Sibley

(360) 333-1845 or BSibley@Baron-Co.com

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