19 November 2013

Oil Protest Boat Refuses to Leave Controversial Drilling Site as Oil Driller Closes to Few Hundred Metres

A small boat is refusing to move from the site where Texan oil giant Anadarko intends to drill, despite the presence of the huge drilling ship, called the Noble Bob Douglas, around 600 metres away.

One of the support vessels for the drilling ship, the Hart Tide, is much closer to the flotilla boat, the Vega, which is currently above the drilling spot, which is one and half kilometres under the ocean surface.

Greenpeace executive director Bunny McDiarmid is onboard the Vega and is hoping to give a children’s flag to the drilling ship, which she contacted by radio minutes ago.

She said: “The sailing vessel Vega will not be moving. We will stay where we are in defence of our ocean, in defence of future generations, in defence of climate

“We have onboard a flag made by children that says ‘I love my beach’. These children don’t want oil slopping onto their beaches or belched into their seas.

“We’re here to deliver this children’s flag to Anadarko’s massive, untested drilling ship. Anadarko have consistently ignored New Zealand. They, and the government, have hidden vital information from the people of New Zealand. So let’s see if they’ll ignore our children.”

The Oil Free Seas Flotilla is made up of six boats. They were cheered off by hundreds of New Zealanders from various ports earlier this week.

This Saturday, New Zealanders can show their support for the flotilla by making a banner and getting down to their favourite west coast beach. There’s lots more details here: banners.getfree.org.nz.

The Oil Free Seas Flotilla is a loose association of individuals and boat owners who oppose deep-sea drilling and the new legislation that takes away New Zealander’s long-standing right to peacefully protest at sea. One of the boats taking part, the Vega, also sailed against French nuclear tests in the Pacific.

Earlier this year, the Government announced a controversial new law to ban aspects of protesting at sea, known as the ‘Anadarko Amendment’.

Here’s a link to the Oil Free Seas Flotilla website with daily video blogs: http://oilfreeseasflotilla.org.nz/

ENDS

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