FROM: GREENPEACE CREW OCCUPYING THE SHELL BRENT SPAR OIL PLATFORM DATE: 19 MAY, 1995 -- DAY 20
It is 0850 local time and we have just been up on the helideck for a group photograph - just in case it is our last chance and we get evicted. However we hope that we will not and all the national offices and Greenpeace staff are working towards that end.
The court case in Edinburgh, in which we will seek to overthrow Shell's court order to evict us from the Brent Spar, takes place in a couple of hours at 1000. A few hours after that we will be starting court proceedings in London against the UK Government's licence to dump this toxic-laden platform into the North Sea.
Yesterday we saw some more killer whales and caught some whiting fish for our dinner. This morning we were joined by three journalists and campaigners from Germany and the Netherlands. The weather was good when they were transferred by the Greenpeace support vessel Moby Dick and the hired fishing vessel, the Starina. At the moment, rain and snow squalls are closing in. The helideck is covered in a banner reading "Save the seas", flags, including the Shetland one, a multi-coloured high flying kite and strings of helium filled balloons.
14.41 local time, we have heard the news of the outcome of Shell's court application to evict us from the platform - they were seeking to eject all the Greenpeace activists on board the Brent spar but have only succeeded in evicting the skipper, John Castle. Following this negative court decision in Edinburgh, Scotland, we expect the operation to evict us to commence shortly. As a first step we expect Shell and the Sheriffs (law officers) to attempt to board us and arrest John Castle.
We expect them to board in the next eighteen hours using a very large diving / rig support vessel, the Stadive which is eight times the size of the Brent Spar platform and is currently 20 miles north in the Dunlin oil field. The Staydive will probably come alongside the Brent spar and put people down in cranes on board the platform.
We will oppose their action peacefully. Spirits are good - people working very hard - not getting any sleep - time for that later.....!
The long fight goes on, and political pressure is building up to stop Shell from dumping this toxic-laden platform into the North Sea. Be with us in spirit - more later.