GREENPEACE STOPS 3 SEISMIC TESTING VESSELS IN CLIMATE PROTEST
London, 04 August 1997
Action to prevent seismic testing vessels operating in the Atlantic Frontier has entered its second day as Greenpeace continues to successfully target three seismic testing vessels.
The environmental group's ship, the MV Greenpeace is using a variety of tactics to hamper seismic testing from being carried out by vessels operated by Norwegian firm, PGS. Greenpeace remains opposed to oil exploration because of the threat fossil fuels pose to the climate and because of the risk of environmental damage in the world's oceans.
Protest actions started at 08.30 hours (BST) Sunday August 3 when Greenpeace put 4 swimmers in the water in front of three working seismic testing vessels, called the Geo Explorer, the Malene Ostervold and the Walter Herwig. Greenpeace was successful in forcing the ships to switch course, effectively disrupting their test runs for almost two hours.
At 11.00 hrs Greenpeace activists took to inflatables to dismantle the vessels' tail buoy navigational equipment, in a further attempt to disrupt seismic operations. Ten global positioning systems were successfully disconnected.
Since then swimmers have been used several times to block the seismic testing vessels in actions at 16.00 hrs on August 3 and at 01.00 hrs, 07.30 hrs and 10.30 hrs August 4. They have been monitored at all times by another PGS vessel, Veavag, which has been consistently tailing the MV Greenpeace since it left port in Stornoway on Saturday morning, August 2.
Speaking from on board MV Greenpeace, campaigner, Liz Pratt said: " Oil has had its day. We have more than enough oil reserves already in the world. If we burn what we have it will cause irreversible climate change, so why search for more?"
"Governments and the oil industry should pump money instead into developing affordable solar power and wind energy. Then we might believe they really cared about the climate and future generations."
Greenpeace's sea actions take place as further climate negotiations are under way in Bonn, Germany. There will only be one other formal meeting for nations to discuss limiting C02 emissions before the key world meeting in Kyoto, Japan in December.
The occupation of Rockall by Greenpeace campaigners was ended on July 27 after 48 days, but the MV Greenpeace will continue to patrol the Atlantic Frontier to protest against worldwide oil exploration.
In the UK Greenpeace is also pursuing a legal challenge in the High Court because it claims the Government failed to consider its environmental responsibilities when it issued licences for oil and gas exploration. Greenpeace says the UK has acted unlawfully because it did not comply with the necessary EC directives. Twenty one oil companies will join the UK Government in trying to block the Greenpeace legal challenge in a court hearing being scheduled for September.
Notes To Correspondents: 1. For the latest sea actions video coverage contact Cindy Baxter on 0171 865 8168. For stills of direct actions at sea contact 31 653 942 771 or 31 20 524 9580. To arrange interviews; media briefing notes on legal challenge/Atlantic Frontier/climate change, contact the UK Press Office on 0171 865 8255/6/7/8.
2. Footage is also available of the Rockall occupation and departure, which involved activists from all over the world, including the UK, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.
3. Some of the 21 oil companies opposing Greenpeace's legal challenge in the UK are: Agip (UK) Ltd; Amerada Hess Ltd; Arco British Ltd; BG Exploration & Production Ltd; Conoco (UK) Ltd; Elf Exploration UK plc; Enterprise Oil plc; Fina Petroleum Development Ltd; Marathon Oil Uk Ltd; Mobil North Sea Ltd; Murphy Petroleum Ltd; Phillips Petroleum Company United Kingdom Ltd; Shell UK Ltd; Statoil (UK) Ltd; Texaco Ltd.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Greenpeace Press Office on +44 (0)171 865 8255/6/7/8 or Greenpeace International on 31 20 523 6222/3