North Sea--4 May 1995--The Greenpeace activists occupying the Brent Spar abandoned oil installation in the North Sea said today they had been warned by Shell of safety problems on the platform.
Campaigner on the platform, Tim Birch, said this morning that a communication had been received late yesterday from Shell, which spelt out safety problems in and around the abandoned installation. Shell was concerned that there be no injury nor loss of life.
"Greenpeace has done its research on the safety of our occupation and all precautions have been taken. But we consider that the risks we are taking are nothing compared with the threat posed to the marine environment with the dumping of the Brent Spar at Sea," said Birch.
"Shell seems to have no concern at the effect that 100 tonnes of tonnes of toxic sludge and 30 tonnes of radioactive waste will have on the North East Atlantic," said Birch.
The Shell communication with the Greenpeace activists aboard the Brent Spar came late yesterday in a broadcast to the rig, and a fax to Greenpeace in London. Shell warned that no entry to enclosed areas should be undertaken; external walkways were unsafe; there was no fire equipment on the rig; air monitoring should be continuously carried out; no 'tampering' with closed doors should be undertaken, nor navigation equipment be interfered with.
Birch said that not only did Greenpeace have its own firefighting equipment, air monitoring equipment and very experienced people, but it also had Shell's own operations manual for the Brent Spar, which spelt out the detail of the installation and the dangerous areas. Shell's assertion that Greenpeace was "unfamiliar" with the installation was therefore unfounded.
But Birch said that Shell was operating under its usual double standards, using one set of rules where it could get away with them and another where it couldn't.
"In the United States' waters, where Shell operates in the Gulf of Mexico, all abandoned platforms must be removed within one year of decommissioning. This thing has been sitting here in the North Sea, unused, for four years."
He also noted that in the Gulf of Mexico, Shell must remove all installations like the Brent Spar onto land. The option of dumping is only ever used in extreme circumstances and when all other options have been ruled out. Shell has researched the disposal of the Brent Spar on land and it is perfectly feasible, both technically and in terms of cost-effectiveness.
ends
For information: Cindy Baxter 44 171 833 0600
or call Tim Birch on the Brent Spa: 00 871 682 322 022.