Protesters block rail line to Newcastle coal port
Environmental protesters in Australia brought the world's biggest coal terminal to a standstill yesterday by blocking railway lines and chaining themselves to rail cars.
Police said they arrested about 37 people who chained themselves to a train and rail tracks at the port in Newcastle, 100 kilometres north of Sydney, to protest over the impact of burning coal on climate change.
'This caused three trains scheduled for Sunday to stop before getting to the terminal, meaning about 20,000 tonnes of coal could not be unloaded,' a spokesman for the port, Matthew Watson, told Reuters.
Damien Lawson, an organiser for Friends of the Earth Australia, said up to 50 protesters chained themselves to rail tracks and a train, or sat on top of the train during the demonstration.
'We are achieving what we set out to do,' Mr Lawson told Reuters. 'We said we would temporarily shut down the rail line into the world's biggest coal port and we did. We've sent a message around the world about the need for urgent action on climate change.'
Loading of coal already in the terminal on to waiting freighters was not affected, according to Mr Watson.
Big coal companies including BHP Billiton Ltd, Xstrata plc, Rio Tinto Ltd/plc, Gloucester Coal Ltd and Centennial Coal Company Ltd rely on the port to ship millions of tonnes of coal each year.
Activists from a coalition of green groups started a 'camp for climate action' last Wednesday to halt coal trains travelling from Australia's Hunter Valley mining region to the terminal.
Police said they arrested about 37 people who chained themselves to a train and rail tracks at the port in Newcastle, 100 kilometres north of Sydney, to protest over the impact of burning coal on climate change.
'This caused three trains scheduled for Sunday to stop before getting to the terminal, meaning about 20,000 tonnes of coal could not be unloaded,' a spokesman for the port, Matthew Watson, told Reuters.
Damien Lawson, an organiser for Friends of the Earth Australia, said up to 50 protesters chained themselves to rail tracks and a train, or sat on top of the train during the demonstration.
'We are achieving what we set out to do,' Mr Lawson told Reuters. 'We said we would temporarily shut down the rail line into the world's biggest coal port and we did. We've sent a message around the world about the need for urgent action on climate change.'
Loading of coal already in the terminal on to waiting freighters was not affected, according to Mr Watson.
Big coal companies including BHP Billiton Ltd, Xstrata plc, Rio Tinto Ltd/plc, Gloucester Coal Ltd and Centennial Coal Company Ltd rely on the port to ship millions of tonnes of coal each year.
Activists from a coalition of green groups started a 'camp for climate action' last Wednesday to halt coal trains travelling from Australia's Hunter Valley mining region to the terminal.