NSFW – Ocean Rebellion Attacks IMO Again, And Again, And Again

NSFW Warning: This article contains nudity.

By John Konrad (gCaptain) During London International Shipping Week this year the ocean activist organization Ocean Rebellion (OR) visited International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters… again. The last time the Ocean rebellion hit the London Headquarters of the IMO, they brought gasoline and ignited a viking funeral pyre on the sidewalk outside the UN agency’s London headquarters. The time before that they desecrated the side of a cruise ship with their logo. Before that they hit the IMO and the International Chamber of Shipping, and the Baltic Exchange.

Nobody is fully sure who the Ocean Rebellion is, but everyone agrees they are persistent. According to a set of demands posted to their website, the number one request is for the IMO to “TELL THE TRUTH about the destruction of the oceans.” We also know what they want based on the leaflets they leave behind at protests titled Protection Needed:

Nishan Degnarain, who covered Ocean Rebellion as a contributor for Forbes, has said “IMO proposals have been universally criticized by all major environmental groups for reneging on both the Paris Agreement as well as a voluntary agreement that the shipping industry had agreed to in 2018 to reduce carbon emissions.”

Not Ocean Rebellion’s First IMO Protest

One word to describe Ocean Rebellion is persistent. According to a source close to the organization, the rebellion has been protesting the IMO Headquarters since the activist group was formed in 2019 and has done about half a dozen protests at that location since.

“We demand governments and the IMO rejected the current proposal on the tale and return to negotiations to develop a proposal that turns shipping emissions downwards immediately, acting now to address the climate emergency and respect slender remaining Paris compliant carbon budgets in a credible and science-based manner,” said an Oceans Rebellion spokesperson during one protest last year. “Our demand is simple: Stop fake laws and move on plans to Get Ships Off Fossil Fuels fast, to prevent repeated negligent fossil fuel spills, protect people’s livelihoods, protect precious marine environments, and to protect our climate from fossil-fuelled breakdown.”

Next Stop Bottom Trawling – NSFW

IMO was not the only organization targeted in London this week. On 15 September at 9am, Ocean Rebellion’s sculptural Bottom Trawling Fishing Boat brought a catch of scantily clad Merpeople to the government offices of DEFRA – the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs – which has responsibility for UK fisheries policy. The trawler had caught nine by-catch ‘Merpeople,’ complete with tails and crowns made of sea litter, trapping and killing them in its nets.

After having a reviving bath the Merpeople were threatened with arrest by the police so they “politely left the scene”.

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 107,479 members