Shell Chairman Andrew Mackenzie was unable to start the energy giant's annual general shareholder meeting an hour after its scheduled start amid climate activists singing and shouting before being carried out one by one by security staff.

At one point, dozens of security staff formed a human chain on the stage to shield executives and directors from protestors running towards them and attempting to climb the stage.

The scenes were reminiscent of Shell's shareholder meeting last year which was delayed by around three hours with similar, staggered protests.

"Go to hell, Shell, and don't you come back no more," a choir of about a dozen protesters sang with Sawan and Chairman Andrew Mackenzie looking on.

"I will not stand by while Shell destroys this beautiful planet," one protestor shouted.

Shell is also facing an increasingly vocal minority of institutional shareholders saying it must move faster to tackle climate change while it seeks to balance pressure from other investors to capture profits from oil and gas.

"We've heard this point many times now," Mackenzie told the protesters after close to half an hour of disruptions at the beginning of the meeting.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have this debate rather than saying the same thing over and over again."