Oil Free Otago say NO to Seismic Ocean Blasting – POLARCUS GO AWAY

Oil Free Otago are this morning at the Fryatt St wharf to give Anadarko and New Zealand Oil and Gas’s hired gun, the seismic vessel Polarcus Naila, an UNWELCOME.

“We here to stand up for the marine mammals” said OFO spokesperson Annabeth Cohen. “Almost half of the marine mammal species in the whole world are here off our southern coast. They are at risk. We say to Polarcus GO AWAY, YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE”

Anadarko has contracted the Polarcus Naila to carry out seismic ocean blasting over the next four weeks in the Canterbury Basin, near their exploratory drill site. New Zealand Oil and Gas have contracted the same vessel to do even more seismic blasting in the Great South Basin.

Oil Free Otago are calling for the precautionary approach, for the sake of our ocean wildlife. “We are only just beginning to understand the damage this ocean blasting is doing. It is not up to us to prove damage – it is up to the industry to prove they are not doing harm. They have not done so” said Ms Cohen.

“Anadarko and NZOG are looking for more oil and gas that we can’t burn if the planet is to stay below two degrees of global warming – and they are harming our precious marine mammals in the process. We don’t want this destructive industry here. We will oppose it every step of the way. Instead we want a clean green future for our city.”

ENDS

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