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Greenpeace Activists board and block Exxon oil tanker

Savona, Genoa, Italy 17 July 2001: Four Greenpeace activists this morning boarded a tanker chartered by US oil company ExxonMobil (known as Esso in parts of Europe) in the port of Vado Ligure to stop the discharge of oil from the 80,000 tonne tanker Clare Spirit. The ship was carrying oil from the North Sea Forties field. The activists are aiming to prevent the discharge pipe from being connected to stop operations.

The action comes at the beginning of the renewed climate talks in Bonn and 3 days before the G-8 government leaders are due to meet in Genoa which will discuss both the climate treaty and the recently released G-8 renewable energy task force report.

“As the world meets in Bonn to discuss the Kyoto climate treaty, George Bush, with the backing of the US oil industry is threatening to wreck international plans to protect the climate,” said Paul Horsman, Greenpeace International Climate campaigner. “Further, the US is opposing the G-8 initiative which could bring renewable energy to up to 1 billion of the world’s poorest.”

Esso is one of the major oil companies that has consistently opposed plans to protect the climate and questioned the scientific consensus on global warming and is not investing in any renewable energy sources.

“In refusing to ratify the Kyoto treaty, George Bush is doing what his
oil industry backers have wanted,” said Fabrizio Fabri, Greenpeace Italy Climate campaigner. “However the world cannot wait for Bush. The governments meeting here in Genoa and in Bonn should agree to ratify Kyoto with or without the US.”

Even if the US is not serious about protecting the climate, other world’s leaders should demonstrate that they will go ahead.

As part of its worldwide campaign to save the climate, Greenpeace has been carrying out protests in Canada, Argentina and the US.

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