Greenpeace activists halted a petrochemical tanker in South Korea demanding a strong global plastics treaty.
The activists climbed aboard the vessel, Buena Alba, as it was stationed near South Korea’s Hanwha TotalEnergies complex, on 30 November. Buena Alba was scheduled to load propylene made from fossil fuels, a key ingredient in plastic production, from the Hyundai Daesan Refinery, which is located in South Korea’s Daesan Petrochemical Complex.
The international activists, equipped with protective safety gear, launched from the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior on RHIBs (rigid-hulled inflatable boats), boarded the tanker Buena Alba and set up on the tanker’s mast. Other activists painted the words “Plastic kills” onto the side of the tanker with washable paint.
The vessel was halted for over nine hours as activists, according to reports, planned to continue sitting in protest until a treaty restricting plastic pollution is signed at the UN talks in Busan, where representatives from almost 200 countries have gathered.
