Shell Fails to Remove GP From Brent Spar

[The.Greenbase@gb.greenpeace.org]

>>  SHELL FAILS IN EARLY MORNING ATTEMPT TO REMOVE GREENPEACE


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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>>  SHELL FAILS IN EARLY MORNING ATTEMPT TO REMOVE GREENPEACE
    FROM BRENT SPAR OIL PLATFORM IN THE NORTH SEA

LONDON, 22 May, 1995 (GP) Under cover of night and a force 7
gale, Shell today failed in an attempt to end the 23-day
Greenpeace occupation of the Brent Spar oil installation in the
North Sea due to poor weather.

At 2:45 a.m. the giant Stadive, a multi-use vessel, bigger than a
football field, approached from a north/northwest position and
pulled alongside the Brent Spar.  Floodlights were used to
illuminate the Brent Spar and Greenpeace protesters watched as
apparent efforts to extend a crane from the Stadive were made
without success.  As of approximately 4:45 a.m., Shell announced
that it had halted its efforts to remove Greenpeace due to
inclement weather.

"The sea itself has granted us a stay of execution today," said
Greenpeace's Chris Rose.  "We're determined to stay on the Brent
Spar platform until Shell and the UK government abandon their
plans to dump this highly toxic platform."

Those who have voiced criticism of Shell and the UK government's
plan to dump the Brent Spar include the EU Environment
Commissioner, European Parliament (EP), Denmark, Belgium, Iceland
and even the UK's own Labour Party.  EP objections went to North
Sea member states last week, asking them to take all possible
steps at their upcoming meeting in Denmark (June 8-9) to prevent
the dumping of Brent Spar and other offshore platforms. Norway
decided last week that its first out-of-service rig will not be
dumped but taken ashore and recycled.

"With just three weeks to go before the North Sea Conference, the
UK government is determined to allow the highly-toxic Brent Spar
platform to be dumped at sea despite condemnation from other
North Sea states," Rose said. "The UK must enter the 21st century
and join other North Sea states to  permanently eliminate the
dumping and discharge of these toxic wastes," Rose said.
                             -end-
Contact: Mary Morrison, Greenpeace Shetland: (44) 01595 694 099,
Blair Palese, Greenpeace Communications: (44) 0171-833-0600
EDITOR'S NOTE:  INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS - broken promises:  The
dumping of the Brent Spar would be against the spirit of several
international conventions the UK is party to, including: -    The
Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf 1958: "any
installations...must be entirely  removed;"
-    London Convention 1972: "take all practical steps to
 prevent the pollution of the sea by the dumping of wastes;"  -
OSPAR Convention 1992: "to prevent and eliminate pollution
resulting from abandonment of offshore installations".