A two-day rig stand-off between Statoil and Greenpeace activists has ended.
Statoil confirmed activists who boarded a drilling rig headed to drill Norway’s northernmost exploration well have been removed.
Fifteen activists climbed aboard the Spitsbergen drilling rig as it was en-route to the Hoop area of the Barents Sea.
The move came after Greenpeace lodged an official complaint stating Statoil’s drilling plans for its Apollo well violates a law banning drilling in ice near an ice boundary.
A spokesman for the Norwegian explorer said: “The activists on board the Transocean Spitsbergen are now in the hands of Norwegian police.
“The rig was on its way for planned exploration drilling in the Hoop-area in the Barents Sea when Greenpeace activists boarded the rig in the early hours of Tuesday.
“Statoil is very pleased that the illegal action on the rig now has ended without anyone being injured.
“The rig will now prepare for transit to the drilling site for the Apollo well in the Hoop area. Statoil has a permit to start the drilling operations, but awaits a final decision on a Greenpeace appeal to the Norwegian Ministry of climate and environment before drilling into oil-bearing layers.”
It’s thought rich resources in the Barents Sea can play a vital role in countering declining production. 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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