Shell is suing Greenpeace for $2.1 million in damages after the environmental group’s activists boarded the corporate’s oil manufacturing vessel in transit at sea this 12 months, in response to Greenpeace and a doc seen by Reuters.
The British oil and fuel main filed the declare in London’s High Court. Greenpeace activists boarded the vessel in January near the Canary Islands off the Atlantic coast of northern Africa to protest oil drilling and traveled on it as far as Norway.
In an electronic mail to Reuters, Shell confirmed authorized proceedings had been happening when requested whether or not it was suing Greenpeace over the incident however declined to touch upon the declare quantities.
Boarding a transferring vessel at sea was “unlawful and extremely dangerous,” a Shell spokesperson mentioned.
“The right to protest is fundamental, and we respect it absolutely. But it must be done safely and lawfully,” the spokesperson mentioned.
The vessel was destined for the Penguins oil and fuel discipline within the North Sea, which isn’t but in manufacturing.
Four Greenpeace activists used ropes to hoist themselves onto the vessel from inflatable boats that chased the ship at excessive pace.
Protests at sea towards oil, fuel or mining infrastructure have lengthy been a part of Greenpeace’s operations.
The damages Shell is in search of embrace prices associated to transport delays and bills for further safety, in addition to authorized prices, in response to a doc seen by Reuters.
“The claim is one of the biggest legal threats against the Greenpeace network’s ability to campaign in the organization’s more than 50-year history,” Greenpeace mentioned in a press release.
The group mentioned Shell provided to cut back its harm declare to $1.4 million if Greenpeace’s activists agree to not protest once more at any of Shell’s oil and fuel infrastructure at sea or in port.
Greenpeace mentioned it will solely achieve this if Shell complied with a 2021 Dutch court docket order to chop its emissions by 45% by 2030, which Shell has appealed.
A declare for added damages of round $6.5 million by one among Shell’s contractors, Fluor, is unresolved, in response to the doc seen by Reuters. Fluor didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Shell and Greenpeace have held negotiations for the reason that case was filed, however talks led to early November, Greenpeace mentioned, including it was now ready for Shell to file additional paperwork in court docket.
Greenpeace mentioned it’s going to then think about its subsequent steps, together with methods to cease the case from continuing.
(Reuters – Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Rod Nickel)
