PRESS RELEASE
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NEW GREENPEACE SHIP LAUNCHED TO OPPOSE DUMPING OF NEXT 'BRENT SPAR'
AMSTERDAM, 6th JUNE 1996
Greenpeace unveiled its newest environmental action ship, ARCTIC SUNRISE, today from the docks at the Oosterlijke Handelskade in Amsterdam. The ship will depart Friday for a tour of British and Norwegian oil platforms that are planned to be decommissioned in the near future. Greenpeace intends to ensure that the British and Norwegian governments do not allow the dumping of these platforms.
The Arctic Sunrise was originally built in Norway in 1975 for use as a seal hunting ship. Such ships were the targets of Greenpeace actions in the 1980s.
"Today's launch is indicative of the fact that good things can come of formerly bad ideas," said Greenpeace International Executive Director Thilo Bode at a press conference today. "Just as a former seal killer has been transformed into an instrument for environmental protection, so have we demonstrated that offshore platforms can be recycled to provide jobs and useful resources, rather than be dumped at sea."
Last year, in one of the organisation's most publicised campaigns, Greenpeace stopped Shell in its attempts to dump the Brent Spar installation into the sea. Following the public outcry over oil companies using the seas as their private industrial waste dustbins, the majority of governments from North Sea states responded responsibly by passing a decision at the Oslo Convention meeting in June last year for a moratorium on the ocean dumping of offshore installations with a view to a future ban. Only the British and Norwegian governments expressed reservations to this decision.
Next week, at this year's meeting of the Oslo Commission in Oslo, governments are expected to take the next step in translating the moratorium into a permanent ban, expected in 1997. Greenpeace will be attending the meeting to ensure the full implementation of last year's decision.
"Despite the great victory last year, the fight is not over yet. Greenpeace will not drop this case until the United Kingdom and Norway join the majority of nations now agreeing to put an end to dumping.", said Greenpeace Campaigner Simon Reddy.
"Our tour takes place one year after Shell decided not to dump the Brent Spar on the 20th June 1995," said Reddy, "Since then, five other decisions have been made to bring platforms ashore instead of dumping them. We are sailing to ensure that this trend becomes law."
There are over 400 rigs in the North Seas. Approximately 75 installations will come to the end of their working lives in the next ten years.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Martijn Lodewijkx, Greenpeace NL: 31-20-6261877
Adam Woolf, Greenpeace UK: 44-171-3594837
Michael Hopf, Greenpeace Germany: 49-40-311860
Jon Walter, Greenpeace Communications: 44-171-8330600
Notes to Editors:
Since Shell decided to not dump the Brent Spar on 20 June 1995, Shell also announced the decision to bring the Leman BK platform ashore. Other installations in British waters to come ashore are the Viking Complex and Frigg Flare. The Norwegian government decided to bring Elf's North East Frigg and Esso's Odin installation ashore (despite Esso's original plan to dump).
Earlier this year, Greenpeace sent letters to all of the major oil companies operating in the Norwegian and British sectors of the North Sea asking them if they would comply with the Oslo Commission Decision. Greenpeace also asked to visit any platforms that were intended to be dumped. Although Greenpeace has received responses from 14 of the companies, not one of these companies stated that it intended to comply with the Oslo Commission Decision and not one invited Greenpeace to visit their platforms.
Photographs of the platforms that will be visited during the Greenpeace tour in June are available form Greenpeace Netherlands. Greenpeace intends to visit North West Hutton (Amoco); Heather (Unocal), Maureen (Phillips) and the Ekofisk Complex (Phillips). The operators' current preferred option for decommissioning North West Hutton and Heather platforms involves dumping.