Greenpeace activists prevent the oil tanker ' STOLT AUSTRALIA' from delivering Shale Oil to the Mobil oil refinery in South Australia
Today Greenpeace activists locked on to an oil tanker delivering
a shipment of shale oil to a Mobil oil refinery in South Australia.
The shale oil is produced at the Stuart Project, an experimental
plant adjacent to Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef World
Heritage Area. Mobil is also marketed as Esso and ExxonMobil
globally.
Two activists have attached themselves to the anchor chain,
preventing the ship from raising its anchor to berth at the
refinery. Activists have also unfurled banners reading "Don't Buy
Esso", "Mobil Number 1 climate criminal" and "Don't Buy
ExxonMobil."
The company is the target of a worldwide campaign over its
sabotage of international attempts to address climate change. It is
the only oil company in Australia that will buy shale oil which has
been rejected by BP, Caltex and Shell.
"Mobil is already the world's number one climate criminal," said
Gareth Walton, Greenpeace climate campaigner. "It denies the link
between greenhouse gases and climate change, and was behind the US
Government's rejection of the the Kyoto Protocol. It refuses to
spend a single cent on clean renewable energy such as wind or solar
power.
"Now it is worsening its reputation by helping develop a shale
oil industry, which would double Australia's greenhouse emissions,
contributing to worse and more frequent droughts and bushfires and
the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef."
"Despite Mobil's greenwash, its contract to buy shale oil shows
the company's true colours," Walton said. "Mobil is attempting to
sabotage international action on climate change precisely so it can
continue its polluting activities, such as buying shale oil."
Canadian mining company, Suncor, pulled out of the Stuart
Project in 2001 with concerns about its environmental impacts and
financial viability. The developer of the Stuart Project, Southern
Pacific Petroleum (SPP), desperately needs a new partner if it is
going to expand the current pilot plant to commercial scale.
SPP has said that it is in discussions with companies from Asia
and North America about becoming partners in the Project. Shale oil
deposits are found globally including in the USA, Canada, China,
Thailand, Brazil, Estonia, Jordan, Morocco and Israel.
"Any company that helps try to develop this polluting industry
will face strong and widespread public opposition," said Walton.
"As well as being an environmental disaster, the Stuart Project is
$100 million over budget, three years behind schedule, plagued by
technical problems and propped up by millions of dollars in
government subsidies.
To join the growing global protest against Esso, visit
www.stopesso.org or www.greenpeace.o
VVPR info: For photos and video in Australia contact Michelle Thomas on +61 407 096 332. In Europe contact John Novis on +31 6 538 19121 for photos and Martin Atkin for video on +31 627 000057