SEISMIC VESSELS QUIT TESTING AREA: GREENPEACE SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS FRONTIER
8 July 1997
After four days of sustained action, the MV Greenpeace has succeeded in driving seismic testing vessels out of the Atlantic Frontier.
Last night the testing vessel Geo Explorer began pulling in her testing gear and this morning sailed in the direction of land.
The Geo Explorer and Malen Ostervold, which quit the area yesterday, were endeavouring to carry out seismic testing in tranches 44 and 47 of the Frontier, some 120 miles from Rockall.
On day one of the Greenpeace action (Friday 4th) activists used inflatables to climb on to the buoys at the rear of the testing ships in an attempt to stop them operating.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the MV Greenpeace repeatedly put itself in the testing path of the vessels forcing them to change their course and, by so doing, to invalidate their test runs.
Speaking from on board the MV Greenpeace, Campaigner Rick Le Coyte said, "This is a good day for the climate".
The successful conclusion of this action follows an earlier blockade of another testing vessel, the Atlantic Explorer, in Ullapool. On Thursday 3rd July, Greenpeace activists attached themselves to the vessel for 17 hours, preventing it from leaving port. The action was ended when police arrested 5 activists. The week before (June 23rd) The Pacific Horizon was also halted in its testing activity in tranche 36.
Rick Le Coyte said, "Quite apart from the immorality of exploring for more oil, when we cannot afford to burn even a quarter of the fossil fuel we already have, Greenpeace believes that exploration in this area is illegal and we will be taking the matter to the High Court shortly."
Responding to industry claims that the Greenpeace actions put crew at risk, Le Coyte said, "At no time did we put the crew of the testing vessels at risk and our own activists and crew are highly trained. The real risk to all of us is from the greed of companies so hell bent on new oil that they will ignore the terrible consequences for the climate."
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Greenpeace Press Office on ++ 44 (0)171-865 8255/6/7/8