London--8 September 1995--Shell UK are now studying 200 different options for onshore disposal or re-use of the Brent Spar. Greenpeace welcomes this following a constructive meeting with the Chairman of Shell UK on Wednesday.
Peter Melchett of Greenpeace said:-
"Greenpeace reaffirms its absolute opposition to deep sea disposal of the Brent Spar. Greenpeace welcomes the fact that Shell UK is now studying 200 options for onshore disposal or re- use of the Brent Spar. Greenpeace has always believed this is the right solution for the Brent Spar."
The dumping of the Brent Spar would have created an unacceptable precedent for dumping other contaminated structures in the sea.
Greenpeace has always believed in the fundamental principle that we should no longer needlessly dump wastes into the environment and that we must act responsibly to reduce waste, recycle non- hazardous waste and treat or contain harmful materials.
In June 1995 the relevant international legal body (the Oslo and Paris Commission - OSPAR - decided by 11 votes to 2 to ban the dumping of oil installations in the North East Atlantic (including the North Sea) (1).
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Notes
1. The UK Government has objected to the decision which is not therefore legally binding in the UK. However, the UK Government has opposed previous decisions of relevant intergovernmental bodies on the dumping of waste in the North Sea and North East Atlantic (radioactive waste, industrial waste and sewage sludge), but in practice the UK Government and UK-based multinationals like ICI have eventually abided by the decisions.
2. The "Best Practicable Environmental Option" (BPEO) - referred to in the Shell UK press release about the same meeting - is a UK Government policy which Greenpeace believes in fundamentally flawed and is not the same as the best environmental practice. However, Greenpeace recognises that if Shell UK seeks relicensing for the disposal of the Brent Spar within the UK, it will have to work within the legal framework of UK Government policy at the time, which may still be "BPEO".
3. Thilo Bode of Greenpeace International has accepted Shell's invitation to a further meeting in October.