Greenpeace ended a 12-day protest involving a Transocean drilling rig, which BP had contracted. The campaign came to an end after protesters had boarded the rig in the Cromarty Firth on June 9. The rig was heading to the Vorlich oil field east of Aberdeen.
As BBC reports, the rig had as its destination BP’s Vorlich field, off Aberdeen, when protesters boarded it, thus delaying its departure from the Cromarty Firth for five days. In addition, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was following the rig into the North Sea, forcing it to turn back.
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Commenting on the incident, BP said that the actions of the climate change campaigners are ‘reckless’. On the other hand, Greenpeace noted that the protest was an indication of what people could achieve, and urged BP to end drilling for new wells.
What is more, John Sauven, executive director at Greenpeace UK, said that there are millions calling companies like BP to clean up their act and address the climate emergency. Responding, BP stated that ‘Greenpeace’s irresponsible actions have put people and property unnecessarily at risk, and diverted valuable time and resources away from public services.’
Moreover, providing a comment on the protest, Gareth Wynn, stakeholder and communications director at industry body Oil and Gas UK, believes that there are no winners from this protest, ‘which both put safety at risk and failed to produce any solutions.’
