DISRUPTION IN ATLANTIC FRONTEIR REACHES FOURTH WEEK AS GREENPEACE ACCUSED OF PIRACY
London, 13 July 1997
Greenpeace was accused of piracy today, as sea actions to prevent exploration for oil in the Atlantic Frontier approached its fourth week and the MV Greenpeace again prevented a seismic testing vessel from operating.
The action, in tranche 36 of the Frontier some 190 miles from Rockall, raised the stakes early this afternoon when four activists climbed onto the tail buoys at the rear of the testing vessel Pacific Horizon and removed important equipment.
This followed more than 24 hours of disruption during which Greenpeace swimmers entered the water ahead of the testing vessel forcing it to alter its course and, by so doing, to invalidate its test run.
The sustained action in the Frontier is part of Greenpeace's campaign to stop oil exploration on the grounds of climate change. Speaking to the Pacific Horizon about the need to contain fossil fuel expansion to preserve the climate, Captain of the MV Greenpeace Jon Castle said, "We are doing this because so little has been done by people in power and by our Government." The action provoked an accusation of piracy from the Pacific Horizon. Jon Castle said, "it is piracy and madness to continue searching for new oil that the climate can never afford to have burnt."
At 1330 hours this afternoon, the Greenpeace activists used inflatables to reach the tail buoys and, despite attempts to prevent them by the Pacific Horizon's guard ship, disconnected and removed the mast. This carries the satellite positioning transmitter, radar reflector and navigation light, it was replaced by a Greenpeace flag.
The testing ship was endeavouring to carry out a seismic survey on behalf of Texaco, Murphy, Korea Petroleum and Union Texas. These seismic surveys are the first step in the exploration for new oil and the testing vessels use arrays of powerful sound guns reaching some three miles in length.
Yesterday Greenpeace swimmers were deployed three times to force the Pacific Horizon to alter course. Over night the MV Greenpeace tailed the Pacific Horizon to prevent it resetting its array and starting another test run and this morning the swimmers were used a further two times before the action was stepped up with the confiscation of equipment. Greenpeace does not intend to permanently deprive the owners of this equipment but has removed it in order to stop the testing from going ahead.
Deputy Executive Director of Greenpeace Chris Rose said, "We have confiscated this equipment and will be consulting the Government of Waveland as to whom this equipment should be returned to and when, we will be informing the owners within the next 24 hours."
Just over a month ago (on July 10th) Greenpeace seized the tiny outcrop of Rockall in the heart of the Atlantic Frontier. The organisation declared the rock the independent Global State of Waveland in order to preserve the area. It called upon governments fighting over ownership of the Rockall seas, to declare the seas a global commons - an area to be preserved for the good of all, rather than exploited to the detriment of both the climate and the ocean itself.
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