A “Save the Arctic” protest sign. Image credit: Will Ross/Greenpeace
MOSCOW, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Greenpeace accused Russia on Monday of trying to block its protest against offshore drilling in the mineral-rich but ecologically fragile Arctic after Russian coastguards boarded its vessel.
The environmental lobby group said Russian officials boarded its icebreaker Arctic Sunrise after activists with banners reading “Save the Arctic” piloted motor boats toward an oil exploration vessel working for Russia’s top oil producer, the state-controlled Rosneft, and global major ExxonMobil.
Greenpeace steered its vessel into the Northern Sea Route in defiance of Russia’s refusal to grant it the necessary permits, accusing the authorities of trying “to block us at every turn”.
Russia has made tapping the Arctic’s oil and gas a priority to develop a $2.1 trillion economy that is reliant on exports of energy resources. Ecologists fear drilling in the virgin region risks destroying the Arctic’s unique wildlife and causing damaging changes to the global climate.
The Northern Sea Route mostly hugs Russia’s northern coastline and is a primary Arctic shipping route, with experts expecting traffic to increase significantly in the coming years as warmer temperatures melt the ice and make it more accessible.
Thawing sea ice has also attracted energy companies to drill in the Arctic Ocean, which is estimated to hold about 20 percent of the world’s as-yet undiscovered oil and gas.
“Offshore drilling should be banned in the Arctic, and especially in a remote sanctuary for threatened species like polar bears and narwhals where an oil spill would be impossible to clean up,” Greenpeace said in a statement.
Russia’s coastguard service declined to comment. Its supervisory body, the Federal Security Service, could not immediately be reached on Monday.
Rosneft, while it declined to comment on the Greenpeace protest, said it was following the highest environmental standards on the Arctic shelf.
China's retaliatory tariffs on the United States may cause U.S. oil exports to decline in 2025 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, after growth plateaued last year.
A. P. Moller-Maersk A/S, a bellwether for world trade, forecast growth in the global container market as it sees consumer demand defying an intensifying trade war.
Almost every day since the expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline was completed in May, a tanker laden with oil sands crude shipped through the line has passed under Vancouver’s Lions Gate Bridge en route to refineries around the Pacific.
February 5, 2025
Total Views: 2253
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
We’ve got your daily industry news related to the global maritime and offshore industries.
JOIN OUR CREW
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,992 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Your Gateway to the Maritime World!
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.