Press releases-40 HOURS INTO OIL PLATFORM PROTEST - GREENPEACE STILL REFUSING TO MOVE London, 11 August 1997

40 HOURS INTO OIL PLATFORM PROTEST - GREENPEACE STILL REFUSING TO MOVE 11 August 1997 A protest at sea to halt development of BP's Foinaven oil field has entered its third day as Greenpeace activists remain locked onto the support legs of a drilling platform. The platform, Stena Dee, was on route to the Foinaven Field from Norway when Greenpeace activists climbed on to it at 1630 hours on Saturday. Halting it some 30 miles from the field and around 70 miles from the Scottish coast, the Greenpeace vessels Rainbow C (which had been campaigning in the North Sea) and the MV Greenpeace (which had been stopping seismic vessels in the Atlantic Frontier) carried out the occupation action. Seven climbers, including British activists, attached themselves to the anchor chain and support legs of the Stena Dee, a mobile drilling platform which was going to Foinaven to install one of the final pieces of equipment necessary to enable the field to commence production. After more than 24 hours of stalemate, the Stena Dee informed Greenpeace that it would sail to Foinaven as originally planned. To prevent it doing so Greenpeace placed swimmers some three miles ahead in the platform's path. This exercise was repeated three times, each time forcing the platform to divert from its course. On one occasion the platform's front tug came within a few hundred meters of the swimmers in a Force seven storm. On the final occasion, the Stena announced that it would not continue trying to sail to Foinaven that night and has remained in place over night. Greenpeace has been opposing oil exploration in the Atlantic Frontier as part of its climate protection campaign to get governments to accept a ceiling on the use of fossil fuels and to stop new oil exploration. It has called on the Stena Dee to return to Norway and on BP to give up on its ill fated Foinaven site. Executive Director of Greenpeace Chris Rose said, "Already a year behind schedule and plagued with technical problems Foinaven is a disaster. Rather than continue to pour millions into it, BP should put the field into mothballs and invest the money in its solar power arm instead." Promising to remain on the Stena Dee and to continue to prevent the platform from carrying out its work, Campaigner Liz Pratt on board the MV Greenpeace said, "BP is full of fine words about climate change but no action. We must act where BP and the Government have failed. Protecting the climate is not an optional extra, it is an absolute necessity. We're here for the duration." The Stena Dee was due to carry out work on 'drilling centre two' in the Foinaven field. It was to hook up oil carrying pipes to the manifold which had previously been pulled up and repaired following problems with the technology. BP has long been concerned that Greenpeace would target the Foinaven field and in March this year indicated that it would use criminal proceedings against Greenpeace and seek financial recompense of some Ł1.5 million a day for any halt in its production. BP is one of 22 oil companies which joined forces to oppose Greenpeace in the High Court when the environmental organisation tried to get leave for a full judicial review of the Government's licensing of the Atlantic frontier. The judge overruled the Government and oil companies objections and the leave hearing will take place in September. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Greenpeace Press Office on +44 (0)171-865 8255/6/7/8