Greenpeace protests who had tried to prevent a Shell oil ship from reaching Alaska could face fines of up to $5,000. According to reports, the Coast Guard has warned the protestors have 30 days to either pay the fines or contest the civil citations before a hearing officer. The environmental group has been ramping up its protest against the move in the past couple of months as Shell looks to resume its operations in the Arctic.
Environmental campaigners have begun a month of protests over oil giant Shell’s efforts to drill in the Arctic with a Titanic-themed orchestral performance. Greenpeace is holding protests outside Shell’s London headquarters against the company’s attempts to undertake oil drilling in the Arctic, which the campaigners warn could lead to environmental disaster and worsen climate change. The protests began with a performance of Requiem for Arctic Ice, an orchestral piece inspired by the famous story of the musicians continuing to play as the Titanic sank after it hit an iceberg, by the Crystal Palace Quartet and supporting musicians.
U.S. Coast Guard and police boats cleared a way through protesters in kayaks at a Seattle-area port on Tuesday so a drilling ship could head for the Arctic on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell. The Noble Discover is the second drilling ship Shell has sent to the area in recent days. The activists, who have staged frequent demonstrations during the past two months against Royal Dutch Shell's oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea off mainland Alaska, had taken to the waters just beyond the Port of Everett north of Seattle where the oil rig launched for sea.
Four environmental protesters breached security at New Zealand’s parliament by scaling the roof and perching on a ledge above the main entrance.
The US has issued a permit which allows Shell to resume its oil exploration off Alaska’s Arctic coast. The permit, which approves Shell’s ability to disturb marine mammals, was granted in the wake of a Greenpeace protest targeting the company’s Polar Pioneer drilling rig. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration signed off on a permit which allows noise from air guns, icebreaking, drilling and anchor handling. The move is in line with the Department of Interior’s earlier decision which approved Shell’s general plan for its oil exploration in the area.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace says 13 of its activists have blocked Shell's Polar Pioneer drilling rig as it tries to leave Seattle for Arctic waters.
Six climbers who boarded an oil rig in the Pacific have now left after worsening weather conditions caused them to halt their activities. Last week the group had scaled the Transocean-owned rig, which they claim is being sent to the Arctic by Shell. The oil giant, which announced plans to by BG Group earlier this month, had been seeking an injunction from a US federal court in Alaska to remove the six from the Polar Pioneer.
Danish toy giant Lego has decided not to renew its commercial relationship with oil giant Shell following a targeted campaign by Greenpeace about its Arctic drilling plans.