FROM: GREENPEACE CREW OCCUPYING THE SHELL BRENT SPAR OIL PLATFORM DATE: 7 MAY, 1995 -- DAY 8

ANOTHER DAY IN THE NORTH SEA PROTESTING SHELL'S PLAN TO DUMP THE BRENT SPAR OIL PLATFORM

Just a short one today to say that the Greenpeace crew on board the dilapidated and abandoned Shell oil platform Brent Spar are healthy, content and relatively comfortable. The weather is quite cold but clear. To let you know a little bit about what our temporary home looks like, here's a brief description...

54KB GIF or 16KB JPG. ©Greenpeace/Sims.

Water up to our ankles in some places like the bottom of the stairs of what was once the "accommodation" area where we stay most of the time when we are not on watch. We work around it but since there is no heat, avoiding getting wet at all costs is essential. We dress in many layers, including a layer of waterproof gear 24 hours a day. There are also no bathrooms and no other creature comforts. Most of the journalists that have visited are amazed at the conditions.

54KB GIF or 16KB JPG. ©Greenpeace/Sims.

At night, when the weather is bad, the wind whips through this old platform loudly and the rig itself creaks. It's quite spooky.

We've only been out here eight days and there are likely to be many more to come. We must stay on the Brent Spar until either Shell or the governments that oversee North Sea regulations do the sensible thing and recognize that this platform, with its radioactive and toxic waste, has no business being dumped on the bottom of the ocean floor where the marine environment, including the fish that North Sea fisherman depend on to make their living, will be negatively impacted.

54KB GIF or 16KB JPG. ©Greenpeace/Sims.

Shell have made millions of dollars from oil production in this region, they have a clear responsibility to pay for the clean up of the mess they have made. Until companies own up to the full cost of the products they produce from cradle to grave, companies like Shell will continue to make money while the public pays for the aftermath -- in more ways than one.

More as it happens.

From: The Greenpeace crew on board Brent Spar