Greenpeace Prevents Offshore Workers from Boarding Prirazlomnaya (Russia)

Greenpeace Prevents Offshore Workers from Boarding Prirazlomnaya (Russia)

Greenpeace activists have intercepted a vessel carrying workers to the Gazprom-operated Prirazlomnaya platform in Pechora Sea, offshore Russia, Greenpeace has reported.

The activists’ boat is now attached to the anchor chain of the Anna Akhmatova vessel, preventing the ship from lifting anchor and sailing to the platform.

Greenpeace statement says that the vessel “is not moving anywhere and so the platform workers can’t get on-board, effectively stopping its preparations to drill for oil in the Arctic.”

Gazprom Neft Shelf LLC, the operator of the platform, and a subsidiary of Gazprom, did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Prior to this, six Greenpeace activists had on Friday scaled the Prirazlomnaya platform to “take peaceful action against Gazprom’s work in the Arctic”. The activists spent 15 hours hanging from the platform.

Commenting on that occasion, in an e-mail sent to Offshore Energy Today, Gazprom said that the operations on the platform ran according to plan.

[mappress]
Offshore Energy Today, August 27, 2012; Image: Greenpeace