A group of 30 activists in the Dutch port of IJmuiden occupied the GSP Saturn,
a rig contracted by Russia’s state owned energy company Gazprom on its way to
the remote Pechora sea. They were removed after five hours and
six activists remain under arrest.
Another group of 15 is currently occupying the Transocean Spitsbergen, under
contract to Norway’s state owned company Statoil as it prepares to drill the
world’s northernmost well in the Barents Sea. Both Gazprom and
Statoil’s projects are taking place deep inside the Arctic circle.
Commenting on the two protests, Greenpeace International Arctic campaigner Ben
Ayliffe said:
“The Arctic matters to us all, and protecting it demands a truly global
response. We cannot let a reckless club of international oil companies hunt for
the last drops as the ice melts away. The websites of Shell, Gazprom or Statoil
might look different but their willingness to ignore the reality of oil
spills and the human cost of climate change is exactly the same.
“Shell has already shown just how difficult it is to work in the US Arctic,
where extreme cold and remote conditions led to a series of embarrassing
failures . Over five million people are now telling these companies that Arctic
drilling isn’t worth the risk, either to the environment or their own
reputation.”
Greenpeace is calling for a ban on oil drilling and unsustainable industrial
fishing in the whole of the Arctic, as well as a protected sanctuary around the
North Pole. In September last year, the arrest and imprisonment of the ‘Arctic
30’ - a group of peaceful activists and freelance journalists - led to an
international outcry and a renewed focus on Arctic oil development.
Since the campaign began the French oil company Total has ruled out drilling
for oil in the offshore Arctic, its CEO recognising that ‘a spill would do too
much damage to the image of the company’. Russian oil giant Lukoil has
also suggested it 'wouldn't give a kopeck' to offshore development in the
Arctic. The government of Finland last year adopted the concept of an Arctic
sanctuary as official policy.
A worldwide petition at www.SaveTheArctic.org
has attracted the support of over five million people, including 11 Nobel peace
prize winners, Sir Paul McCartney and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
ENDS
Notes:
The activists taking part in the Norwegian action are from Norway, Finland,
Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Fiji, UK, and the Philippines.
The activists who took part in the Dutch action last night were from Belgium,
Germany, Austria, Italy and the Netherlands.
For
updates please contact Ellen Booth +44(0)7807 352020 /ellen.booth@greenpeace.org.
For photos please visit the link below or contact the Greenpeace Nordic photo
desk on +46
723050416
http://photo.greenpeace.org/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&ALID=27MZIF3CYY_Y&CT=Album
Activists block two major drilling rigs in 24 hours as ‘Save the Arctic’ campaign escalates
27 May, 2014
London,
May 27th 2014 -- Greenpeace activists from 12 countries blocked two separate
oil rigs destined to drill in the Arctic ocean in the early hours of Tuesday
morning. The environmental group said that the threat to the
rapidly melting Arctic from a group of international oil companies
requires ‘a truly global response’.