Arctic

How we slipped past Danish commandos

Posted by jamess — 31 August 2010 at 12:29pm - Comments

Picture of Sim from the US, setting up an occupation platform. Leila, on board the Esperanza, writes:

Blimey, this is exciting! Up at 4am, the crew scuttling around the Espy, all the portholes shut tight so that the Navy had no idea we were even awake. Nine brave activists eased into their dry suits and safety gear in the Lounge, a place usually reserved for chillaxing.

Article tagged as: arctic, cairn energy, esperanza, go beyond oil

Our action to go beyond oil

Posted by lisavickers — 31 August 2010 at 9:55am - Comments

From this morning's ongoing action against Cairn's reckless drilling

Just a moment ago we launched our inflatables at the crack of dawn in the misty Arctic waters of Baffin Bay and headed straight for Cairn Energy's deepwater drilling rig, the Stena Don. A group of highly experienced climbers are now scaling the rig in order to stop the drilling and defend the Arctic. I'm writing this with a deep sense of pride in my fellow activists who are out there in near freezing conditions - taking action on behalf of all of us.

They had to outrun the Danish navy and dodge special forces to get onto the rig but they've done it! And I'm writing this for you -- to make sure you are the first to know about what we're doing today and to say thanks for sticking with us since we left London three weeks ago.

Article tagged as: arctic, climate change, energy, esperanza, go beyond oil, greenland, oil

Letter to Sir Bill Gammell from Leila on the Esperanza

Posted by jamess — 31 August 2010 at 9:38am - Comments

From Leila, campaigner on board the Esperanza...

Dear Mr Bill Gammell,

I am writing to you from the bridge of the Esperanza. My friends are currently hanging in tents under the Stena Don oil rig that you are using to search for the last drops of oil here at the end of the Earth. We want to stop you from drilling here. I thought it appropriate to write to you, to back up our action with another letter, asking you again to please rethink your current plans.

Yesterday, I sat under an iceberg that had just been released by your tug-ships. They had been towing it out of the path of your oil rigs up here in the Arctic. Next to our inflatable boat, a seal popped his head up to get a look at us. As we floated there huge chunks of ice sheared from the side of the iceberg. It frightened me. It echoed the fate of our planet as it melted and crashed into the ocean.

Article tagged as: arctic, cairn, esperanza, go beyond oil, oil

We've stopped Cairn's Arctic drilling

Posted by jamess — 31 August 2010 at 9:35am - Comments

This morning, before dawn, our activists evaded a massive security operation and scaled Cairn Energy's controversial rig off Greenland. We've stopped their drilling.

After dodging Danish Navy commandos in our inflatable speedboats, our activists climbed up the inside of the rig and are now hanging from tents suspended from ropes.

We'll get more news to you as soon as we have it, but for live updates go to www.gobeyondoil.org

Thanks for your support,

Lisa Vickers - on board the Esperanza

Article tagged as: arctic, cairn, climate change, esperanza, go beyond oil, greenland, oil, oil drilling

How an Arctic oil rush will help suffocate the planet

Posted by lisavickers — 28 August 2010 at 8:43pm - Comments

Leila, climate campaigner on the Esperanza, writes from the Arctic...

Article tagged as: arctic, climate change, energy, esperanza, go beyond oil, greenland

Blog from the fog

Posted by lisavickers — 27 August 2010 at 11:28pm - Comments

Last night around 1pm, my whole cabin was suddenly flooded with light and it was not the Aurora Borealis this time. It was the coastguard of Greenland, onboard 'Sisak 2'. They have been following us like a shadow, along with 'Sisak 4' and the Danish warship, since our arrival at Cairn Energy's drill sites. This time they had approached closely from port side with their bright spotlight directly pointing at us.

It is still summer in Greenland and when our ice captain came onboard in Nuuk (probably the smallest capital of the world) there were even some local hardcores swimming in the bay but today the temperature dropped down to 5 degrees and the humidity is very high. You don't need a PhD in geology to figure out that drilling operations in Arctic conditions are extremely dangerous. One look out of the Esperanza porthole is enough. We are surrounded by a thick fog most of the time and most of the icebergs passing by can only be spotted on the radar.

Article tagged as: arctic, climate change, esperanza, go beyond oil

Drilling for oil and hosing down icebergs

Posted by jamie — 26 August 2010 at 4:41pm - Comments

As images and video come in to the office from the Esperanza, the one thing that has amazed everyone is the lengths to which Cairn Energy will go (indeed, must go) to prevent icebergs colliding with its drilling operations. Iceberg Alley is so named for a reason, and there's some footage here of one method for dealing with them: hosing them away.

There's also a chance to see the Stena Don rig close up as well as the Stena Forth drilling ship, and get a sense of what it's like to be out in the Arctic seas near Greenland.

Article tagged as: arctic, cairn energy, climate change, esperanza, go beyond oil, greenland, oil, videos

BP are out, but the race is still on.

Posted by jamess — 26 August 2010 at 10:23am - Comments

So it's official: BP are out of the arctic oil race. Word is that our confrontation with Cairn Energy is scaring off the oil giant. In the words of a senior source, "with the Greenpeace ship already harassing Cairn off Greenland - a company which has an exemplary safety record - everyone realised it would be political madness to give the green light to BP".

Article tagged as: arctic, BP, cairn, climate change, deepwater horizon, go beyond oil, gulf spill, oil, oil drilling

A video of life on the Esperanza

Posted by lisavickers — 26 August 2010 at 9:25am - Comments

We finally managed to upload the video of the crew that our videographer Stephen Nugent made. The internet connection via satellite is pretty terrible up here as we are right on the edge of the northern range for the satellite that normally gives us internet 24/7. I'm so glad you are now able to see it. The video itself took about four days to make, several bars of chocolate in bribes to get people talking, Stephen on camera and me on sound - fumbling around all over the ship - getting in everyone's way and struggling with the pitching and rolling at sea.

Article tagged as: arctic, cairn, cairn energy, go beyond oil, oil spill

How many Arctic cowboys does it take to lasso an iceberg?

Posted by jamess — 25 August 2010 at 12:24pm - Comments

Will Rose, independent photographer who regularly works with Greenpeace. He writes from the Esperanza...

We’re in and out of internet range now so I’m not sure when this will go up on the website. As if to mark the occasion thick swirls of fog have cut us off from the recent blue crisp Arctic horizon.

The crew are subdued but in good spirits albeit a little tired after the rough Atlantic crossing, long working days and the sudden lack of awe inspiring scenery of Greenland’s coastline. Sailing in towards the mountains around Nuuk after being starved of land felt like sailing into a new world, a different planet which for those who hadn’t seen it could only silently gaze in amazement bereft of the ability to speak.

Article tagged as: arctic, cairn, climate change, climate impacts, go beyond oil, greenland, icebergs, oil, oil drilling

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