Greenpeace activists who boarded the semisubmersible drilling rig Transocean Spitsbergen (pictured) 300km offshore Norway are now in the hands of Norwegian police, says Statoil.
But, Greenpeace's ship, the Esperanza, has moved to the location where Statoil plans to drill, using the Transocean Spitsbergen, the group said this afternoon, adding that the seven arrested activists have been released without charge.
On Tuesday (May 27) two groups of activists boarded oil rigs in an attempt to disrupt their planned deployment to areas within the Arctic Circle.
A group of 30 activists in the Dutch port of IJmuiden occupied the GSP Saturn, a jackup rig contracted by Russia’s state owned energy company Gazprom on its way to the remote Pechora sea. They were removed after five hours.
Another group of 15 activists occupied the Transocean Spitsbergen, 300km offshore and under contract to Norway’s state-owned company Statoil, said Greenpeace. The rig was en-route to drill the Apollo prospect in the Hoop area in the Barents Sea.
Statoil said: "Statoil is very pleased that the illegal action on the rig now has ended without anyone being injured. The rig will now prepare for transit to the drilling site for the Apollo well in the Hoop area. Statoil has a permit to start the drilling operations, but awaits a final decision on a Greenpeace appeal to the Norwegian Ministry of climate and environment before drilling into oil-bearing layers."
Statoil plans to drill three wells in the Hoop area this summer; on the Apollo, Atlantis and Mercury prospects. Drilling is scheduled for the period from late May to September.
Statoil says: "Hoop is an area with known geology, low pressure and temperature, and where Statoil has robust plans for the operations. An oil spill is very unlikely, but at the same time we have put in place a number of barriers to be able to handle a situation should it occur.
The Transocean Spitsbergen is owned by Transocean and on contract to Statoil.
Read more: Activists board two rigs
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