14 Greenpeace activists intercept Anna Akhmatova ship (photo release)
An international team of activists of Greenpeace continuing the Save the Arctic campaign has intercepted the Russian ship, which was to carry oil workers to the Prirazlomnaya drilling platform in the Pechora Sea.
Overall, 14 activists from 10 countries, including the Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, attached themselves to the anchor chain of the Anna Akhmatova and chained their boat to it, preventing the ship from lifting anchor and sailing to the platform, Greenpeace said in a statement.
"Two days ago we scaled this oil platform to draw the world's attention to this environmental crime, before it becomes an environmental disaster zone. Today we're taking peaceful action in the heart of Arctic destruction to stop this platform from wrecking these pristine waters. Nearly two million people have already joined our campaign to protect this unique region and we will do all we can to keep it off-limits to reckless oil companies looking to profit from its exploitation," Kumi Naidoo was quoted as saying.
“The Prirazlomnaya is the first permanent oil platform in the offshore Arctic and marks the creeping industrialization of this fragile area. The construction phase on the platform is nearly complete, and Gazprom is anxious to begin drilling and become the first oil company to commercially produce oil from the offshore Arctic,” Greenpeace press release said.
“Despite extreme operating conditions, Gazprom has only released a summary of its oil spill response plan to the public. Yet even this document shows that the company would be completely unprepared to deal with an accident in the Far North, and would rely on substandard clean-up methods — such as shovels and buckets — that simply do not work in icy conditions,” the environmentalists organization said.