BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg and safety chief Sir Bill Castell survived a big shareholder rebellion at a stormy investor meeting marked by protests over the Gulf of Mexico disaster and work in the Canadian oil sands. Meanwhile, BP kept alive plans to move into the arctic region by securing a postponement to a key share swap deal with Russia s Rosneft, which has been blocked by the partners in its current joint venture TNK-BP. Some 7% of votes cast were against the reappointment of Mr Svanberg, who critics said avoided the spotlight when the oil spill occurred. Sir Bill, the senior non-executive in charge of BP s safety committee, was backed by just 75% of shareholders. The typical vote against a FTSE 100 director is just 1.7%, according to data from shareholder advisory group PIRC. Five people from the fishing communities of the Gulf coast affected by the spill, including Texan shrimp farmer Diane Wilson who was daubed in an oil-like substance, demonstrated outside after being prevented from entering the meeting. They were joined by climate change activists, trade unionists in a dispute at a BP biofuel site in Hull, and people from Canada s indigenous nations concerned about oil sands development. BP shareholders and some bemused joggers attending a London Marathon event in the same building faced stormy scenes at the doors to the Excel Centre in London s Docklands as police and security guards fought to stop campaigners entering. a protesting jazz band added an avant-garde note to proceedings. Mr Svanberg told shareholders: In the past 12 months BP has been through a crisis almost unprecedented in corporate history. We are a different company from a year ago. We are emerging from the challenges of 2010 as a wiser and stronger company. BP s directors said repeatedly that several parti