Activists from Greenpeace have boarded a rig due to begin drilling Norway’s northernmost exploration well.
The activists claimed Statoil’s plans to drill Apollo, in the Barents Sea, violates a law banning drilling in ice near an ice boundary. They have since lodged an official complaint, stalling the operations completely.
Transocean’s Spitsbergen rig was en-route to the Hoop area of the exploration zone when 15 activists climbed aboard.
An additional 30 activists in the Dutch port of Ijmuiden boarded a rig contracted by Russia’s Gazprom to drill in the Pechora Sea. However, they were removed after five hours.
Statoil today branded their actions “irresponsible” and “illegal”.
Norway’s Environment Agency previously granted Statoil full permission to drill its Apollo, Mercury and Atlantis wells. According to Norway’s Polar Institute, the well’s boundary sits 25 kilometres from Statoil’s licensed area.
A Statoil spokesman said while the state-owned company respects the right to a legal protest Greenpeace’s strategy to board the rig is loaded with risks.
He said: “Environment to start drilling operations tied to the Apollo prospect in the Hoop area. The company is not allowed to drill into oil-bearing layers until the complaint from Greenpeace has been dealt with by the ministry.
“Statoil respects the right for legal protests and believes it is important with a democratic debate on the oil and industry. Statoil has had a dialogue with Greenpeace over the last few months. We have informed about our exploration plans in the Barents Sea and the emergency response setup for the operations on several occasions, and Greenpeace has been given the opportunity to explain their views and ask questions.
“For Statoil the safety of people and the environment is the first priority, and we do not want activity that can increase the risk level. Greenpeace has been explained the risk associated with actions against a rig in open waters. When they still use this form of protest we believe they act irresponsibly and illegally.
“For us it is important to state that the Hoop area has been through an impact assessment and has been opened for petroleum activity by Norwegian authorities. Hoop is an area with known geology, low pressure and temperature, and where Statoil has robust plans for the operations. An oil spill is very unlikely, but at the same time we have put in place a number of barriers to be able to handle a situation should it occur.”
The rig, which is owned by Transocean but on contract to Statoil, is now 300 kilometres offshore.
Talks are ongoing between activists and the crew on-board.
Norway sees the Barents Sea as a critical solution to countering a faltering production rate. The area holds more than 40% of the country’s undiscovered resources, according to the data gathered by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.
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