Rossport Solidarity Campers interrupt Shell's drilling programme yet again the day after Niall Harnett's release from prison

Yesterday lunchtime, nine kayakers from Rossport Solidarity Camp, with their team of volunteers and local campaigners in support roles on dry land, successfully interrupted Shell's borehole survey drilling programme in Sruth Fhada Conn for several hours yesterday.

Opposed by twelve assorted Garda and Shell security boats carrying upwards of sixty personnel, the Shell to Sea kayakers sallied forth determined to stop the progress of drilling in the estuary. In spite of the vast disparity of numbers and disadvantage in vessels, drilling was indeed stopped for some time, at no cost in arrests and without undue risk to the action team. After one of the kayakers had his vessel deliberately capsized by Shell's IRMS security operatives, he cleverly turned the tables on them by swimming under the drilling platform and clinging on to the bore shaft. It took a combined Garda and Shell/IRMS effort quite a while to remove the intrepid camper from the shaft, and all the time he was there halted drilling in its tracks. The camper was removed from his position only when an IRMS security man dived in to the water to seize him and restrain him in water out of his depth for several minutes before being handed over to Gardaí.

The water-based action continued for over an hour after that, with the kayakers playing a game of 'cat and mouse' with the Garda and IRMS ribs, which continued to disrupt the schedule of works on the drilling platforms. For all the time of the action was in progress, the kayakers were watched over from land by Rossport Solidarity Camp volunteers and local campaigners with cameras, video equipment and banners. Also on land there was a cast of supporting villains (alas!), with three Garda minibuses, about ten uniformed cops, Det. Hugh Egan (plus sidekick), and Jim Farrell, operations head of Integrated Risk Management Systems (IRMS).

Several parties of tourists both Irish and international, stopped to watch the action on the estuary waters, and after having the local struggle against Shell explained to them, cheered on the kayakers alongside the gathered local supporters and Solidarity Campers.

All kayakers returned to camp safe and well, with the only equipment loss that of a head-mounted camera stolen by an IRMS security man from one of the kayakers. No arrests happened, and the camper that was taken by the Gardaí was released un-arrested to the camp halfway during the action. All in all, another success for the Beat The Boreholes campaign and a fitting way to mark Niall Harnett's release from Shell-mandated captivity on Monday.