Greenpeace occupies oil rig in bid to protect wildlife and the climate

Greenpeace occupies the Jack Bates oil rig in bid to protect wildlife and the climate

Two Greenpeace climbers today (26/3/00) occupied an oil exploration rig in Cromarty Firth, Scotland, as part of a campaign to protect marine life in the north east Atlantic and stop dangerous climate change. The rig was due to leave its winter anchorage today to begin drilling operations in the deep waters west of the Hebrides (the so called 'Atlantic Frontier') which is Europe's most important habitat for whales and coral reefs. The drilling area was the subject of a successful legal challenge by Greenpeace in the English High Court in November 1999.

Rob Gueterbock, Greenpeace Climate & Energy campaigner, said:
"This drilling is a double whammy for the environment it hits wildlife when the oil is extracted and it punishes us all when the oil is burnt and climate change gets worse. If John Prescott allows this drilling to go ahead he will be guilty of the most appalling vandalism."

The occupied rig is the Jack Bates currently chartered by Enterprise Oil Plc on behalf of Enterprise, Exxon and Mobil. The Greenpeace volunteers (who are currently suspended from the rig structure on climbing ropes) intend to maintain the occupation until such time as the Government suspends the drilling on the Atlantic Frontier.

The Atlantic Frontier has been described as a "whale motorway" for migrating species, and has also been revealed as an important breeding and feeding ground for many whales and dolphins. Some 21 species of whale and dolphin are found there including endangered blue and fin whales and vulnerable sperm and humpback whales.

Aside from the possibility of a major oil spill, Enterprise Oil has admitted that it will dump over a thousand tonnes of toxic drill cuttings and chemicals into the sea. The area being developed is just 75 miles from the islands of St Kilda and 60 miles from the 'Darwin Mounds' coral reefs [2].

Rob Gueterbock continued:
"John Prescott has said he's very concerned about coral reefs in the Indian Ocean yet he allows the destruction of the same kind of habitat when it's in Scotland. Prescott must intervene and stop this drilling if he wants to be taken seriously as a protector of wildlife and the climate. His department should be licensing offshore wind power not allowing this damaging oil drilling to go ahead."

The drilling scheduled for the Atlantic Frontier is unnecessary since none of the potential oil discoveries should ever be used as fuel. The government has estimated that industrial countries like the UK may have to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% if we are to prevent catastrophic rates of climate change and that "achieving this will almost certainly require a major shift away from fossil fuels."

Greenpeace has formally written to Enterprise Oil explaining the legal situation and asking the company not to continue with it's exploration of the Atlantic Frontier.

Notes to Editors:
[1] In November 1999 the Government was defeated by Greenpeace in a landmark legal ruling to protect coral reefs and whales and dolphins. The English High Court ruling means that all future offshore oil licensing is now illegal until the government properly applies the EU Habitats Directive. However, the Government is allowing drilling to go ahead even though the habitats legislation required by the High Court ruling has not been implemented.

In his judgement, Mr Justice Kay told the court that Greenpeace's case that whales and dolphins can be harmed by oil industry activity was "substantially uncontradicted" by Government and oil industry evidence, and that oil exploration was "at least likely" to have an "adverse effect" on deep water coral reefs.

Greenpeace's case centred on the UK Government's decision to only apply the EU Habitat's Directive up to 12 miles from the coast rather than the 200 mile limit where it licenses oil drilling. The judge said that the government had "clearly" not applied the Habitats Directive offshore.

[2] The government has agreed that the Darwin Mounds coral reefs should be protected as a Special Area of Conservation but has so far failed to do so. St Kilda is Britain's only natural World Heritage Site and one of the most important breeding sites in the world for seabirds. Its population of over one million birds includes the world's largest gannetry and the largest puffin colony in the east Atlantic.

Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace Press Office on 020 7865 8255