Category: Wilderness Defence

For the second time in three days a Shell dredger has been boarded and occupied by a Shell to Sea protester. As a result all the ships working in the bay have ceased work and returned to harbour. Reports confirm that work has been abandoned due to the action of the protesters!

A group of 11 kayakers set out at 5:30am on Friday, meeting instant resistance on the water from Shell security boats and safety boats. After avoiding the Shell private security boats that were attempting to capsize the kayaks, one protester managed to board the dredger ‘Rezende Bol’ owned by Van Oord, who is subcontracted by Shell to do the dredging. This vessel along with another and multiple support and security boats were digging a trench in the seabed in preparation for the gas pipe-laying ship Solitaire. Work in the bay has been continuous 24 hours a day since Monday evening only stopping due to the previous dredger occupation by Shell to Sea protesters which lasted 10 hours. During the attempts to board the dredger several protesters were able to climb onto the side of the vessel. Excessive force was used to prevent them from boarding; one protester had his thumb bent backwards by a security guard and later was taken to the hospital where tests revealed damaged ligaments. Another protester who got on board the ship was violently pushed from the deck by two security guards injuring his back, and fell over six feet from the deck into the water. Shell security were kicking and stamping fingers of protesters on the near side of the vessel, all the while one protester managed to board the ship on the other side and climb up onto the same crane his friends had previously occupied just three days earlier.

The kayak support team prepared for similar shifts as Tuesday, anticipating a long-term occupation. Four kayakers remained on the water to keep an eye on the protester while the rest went in to regain energy. The reaction of the security and safety boats was very hostile, attempting to capsize kayaks and separate people from each other. The driver of the Galltee (Shell’s private security boat) repeated his threat to sink kayaks, driving extremely aggressively with no regard for the safety of the kayakers.

After the dredgers were towed away, the Garda arrived and boarded the ship in addition to the Shell security already on the ship. They threatened the protester on the crane arm with forced physical removal. Fearing for his own safety the protester jumped from the dredger arm onto the deck and dived into the water. The two supporting kayakers who were still in the water were arrested despite their efforts to comply with the Gardai’s instructions. In the water the crane protester managed to avoid capture by the Gardai and Shell security and get to the shore where he scaled a cliff to evade capture. His whereabouts are now unknown but he is safe and well!

Shell claimed that they stopped working in the bay due to a ‘swell’ but sources at Ballyglass pier confirmed that Van Oord, the subcontractor running the dredgers were unwilling to work with ongoing protest activity and the excessive use of force by the IRMS (Integrated Risk Management Services) .

Today’s actions are proof that resistance rocks!

Come to Mayo!

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Van Oord are involved as a main contractor on the Limerick Tunnel project, which they’re happy to tell you about on their website, but there’s no mention at all of their involvement with the Corrib Gas Project. Maybe their greenwash is important to them somehow, and maybe they don’t fancy negative publicity. Why don’t we give them some then, eh?

Van Oord’s website homepage:
http://www.vanoord.com/gb-en/index.php

Head office postal address for general mail:
Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors BV
PO Box 8574
3009 AN Rotterdam
The Netherlands

Visiting address:
Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors BV
Watermanweg 64
3067 GG Rotterdam
The Netherlands
T 31 10 447844
F 31 10 4478100
E info@vanoord.com

This is a contact for their ‘newsroom’, i.e. Media and PR:
A.G.M. (Bert) Groothuizen
Manager Marketing & Public Relations
T 31 10 4478234
F 31 10 4478100
E info@vanoord.com

On their ‘agenda’ page there is mention of this following event. Maybe they are keynote speakers at this conference, or that they will have a large trade exhibition presence there. Details from the conference website are sketchy, so more research is needed. There are other events for later in the year at which they’ll either attend or participate in, but I think the event at the end of this month may be a place where Van Oord can be shamed publicly about its involvement in Shell’s destruction of Broadhaven Bay.

The Flood and Coastal Risk Management Conference 2009 – 30 June 2009 – 02 July 2009
The International Centre, Telford, UK
(Telford is in Shropshire, west-central England, I think. Nearish to Birmingham anyway. The risks in coastal management must be enormous these days, if this conference has to be held in a place as far from the sea as you can get on the island of Britain!)
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/102626.aspx

Allseas are the company that own the Solitaire. The Solitaire is expected to arrive within the next month. It would be good if people could also put pressure on them before they get here:

http://www.allseas.com/uk

Allseas UK Limited
Address: Knyvett House The Causeway
City: Staines, Middlesex
Postcode: TW18 3BA
Telephone: +44 1784 898038
Fax: +44 1784 898030

On Tuesday, after the afternoon confrontation in Broadhaven Bay which resulted in one man’s arrest and a couple hours of halted work for the dredgers, the Shell to Sea fleet of kayaks headed out on the water a second time around 6pm and two protesters managed to board one of the dredgers, climbing on to the neck of the crane, occupying it and halting work for 10 hours.

Shell has been continuously dredging in the area since Monday evening, interfering with protected fishing areas for local fishermen, defiling what was once a pristine marine habitat full of dolphins, whales and other marine life, and disturbing sleep for local residents. They have buoyed off an ‘exclusion zone’ in the public waters, with boats patrolling the area to make sure no one crosses into it. There is a diverse assortment of vessels occupying the once pristine bay; the majority of these are either carrying out or assisting in the current dredging and surveillance operations. An Garda Siochana (police boat) have also been patrolling the work zone along with two black RIBs; The Laura Emily accompanied by its twin the Galltee, both brimming with men dressed in black military fatigues and video cameras for filming protesters. Other smaller motorboats accompanied the Shell crew, including ‘safety boats’ and a large white motor launch. There were tugboats for moving the dredgers, barges for holding the sand being removed from the seabed and, of course, the massive dredgers themselves.

A group of twelve Shell to Sea protesters in eight inflatable kayaks, two hard kayaks, and two rubber dingys set out on the water at 6pm for the second time in one day on Tuesday 2nd June. Three of the kayaks managed to evade the security boats and get close enough to board one of the dredgers. One protester began to climb the ladder from her boat while another kayaker blocked a security boat from grabbing her. The other protester used the tires on the side of the dredger to board the deck. Once on the boat, both protesters were climbing onto the crane within seconds. They slid down into the neck of the crane making it impossible for the crew to remove them.

Loud cheers were heard from ashore where people were gathered at the Rossport Solidarity Camp, and the mood on the water was extremely positive. ‘Shell to hell’ chants were abounding, and there were even some playful exchanges between Shell to Sea kayakers and a couple of motorboats. There were varying attitudes on different boats, but not all of the gardai or safety boats were unfriendly. Both inflatable kayaks which had been left in the water where the two protesters had boarded the dredger were quickly recovered. One was towed out of the ‘exclusion zone’ by a Shell to Sea protester, and one was brought on board the gardai boat and placed back in the water outside of the exclusion zone. The rest of the Shell to Sea kayakers remained on the water to ensure the protesters were not going to be dangerously removed, then began taking shifts to stay close to them and provide support.

In a surprisingly honest conversation between the kayak protesters and a worker on one of the boats, the worker stated that he ‘admired the persistence’ of the local community and supporters who are resisting the pipeline. He also said he thought the pipeline plan was ‘relatively safe’ and asserted that sometimes risks have to be taken. Unfortunately with a kill zone of up to 200 meters and the uncertainty of never having built such a high pressure pipeline through a residential area, the risk is high. This is why resistance to the pipeline is so strong; as one of the two protesters who occupied the dredger later stated, “Today we took this action in solidarity with the local community and to try to protect this beautiful area from being ravaged by Shell.”

The rotating shifts of support continued on through the night, with small groups of kayakers keeping an eye on their friends long after the gardai had left around 12am. Once it was dark and the gardai had left, the mood at sea changed. The Shell security and the safety boat for the dredger were the only ones left. The Shell security RIBs became increasingly aggressive towards the kayakers. They made multiple attempts to capsize them, and used intimidation techniques such as turning their lights off until they were up close then suddenly shining floodlights, disorienting and frightening them. One of the kayak crew reported feeling seriously concerned that the situation would escalate. A security guard even stated his intention was to sink the boats, a plausible threat given the recent vicious attack by IRMS on Willie Corduff. It was reported that the ‘safety boat’ also seemed concerned for the safety of the kayakers, and may have been their only protection in the situation.

By 4am, the two protesters on the dredger were feeling very cold and tired, and felt as if they had achieved a significant victory. They voluntarily climbed down from the crane, and were illegally detained by IRMS security and brought to Ballyglass pier where they were arrested and charged with loitering in a public place.

Despite the severe difficulties encountered throughout the night the mood across the camp from the kayaking teams and all the support crews was jubilant. Having breached Shell’s security and made such a significant stop to dredging work people at the solidarity camp remain in a defiant mood: watch this space for more resistance to the devastation at sea and on the land.