World Ocean Defence Newswire Archive

14th-17th September

DRIVE THROUGH CHICKEN - ALF STYLE (UK)
BUTCHER SHOPS VANDALIZED (Israel)
HOAX BOMB LEFT AT MCDONALDS (Mexico)
BURGER KING LOCKS GLUED (USA)
LOBSTER LIBERATION FRONT - COAST TO COAST (UK)
BARCLAYS AGAIN (UK)
SPILLED PAINT AT KFC (Mexico)
FEDEX VAN DISABLED (UK)
FIRST OF MANY BARCLAYS TARGETED IN THE EAST (UK)
DHL VAN SUPER-GLUED (UK)

27th September - 1st October

HLS CUSTOMER EXEC'S SHINY CAR DAMAGED (UK)
SLOGANS PAINTED AT HLS SUPPLIER (Mexico)
RETURN OF THE LOBSTER LIBERATION FRONT (UK)
STOCKHOLM FUR SHOPS ATTACKED (Sweden)
BURGER KING TARGETED (Mexico)
MORE PAINT, MORE TROUBLE FOR KFC (Mexico)

Today, on day 10 of Maura Harrington's hunger strike, Shell finally issued a press release confirming that the Solitaire is leaving Irish waters this afternoon, heading to a UK port. Help needed to keep mounting pressure to get the vessel to permenantly stop its operation to lay the gas pipe line in Rossport.

All those soothsayers of a common European militarist policy operating from within the institutions of EU governance, rather than the aliance of NATO or proper international action allowed by UN resolutions, should get a vindicated kick out of the news that Brussels has opened a military task force on "Somali pirates".

A short Q&A so you seem like you know enough to bluff conversation on this.

Today at midday around 50 local and national Shell to Sea campaigners attempted to reclaim Glengad beach, Special Area of Conservation, from Shell. Despite Shell's commitment to allow public access to the beach, for the past two months the beach has been closed to the public while preparatory pipeline work is ongoing.

Berlin 7th September
A declaration sent via e-mail:

Last night Shell to Sea campaigner Maura Harrington began a Hunger Strike to coincide with the arrival of the Solitaire, pipe-laying vessel in Broadhaven Bay.
Urgent call for solidarity actions-please check www.indymedia.ie/mayo for updates

The world's biggest pipe-laying ship, the Solitaire, has just arrived in Broadhaven Bay, Mayo. Security has significantly increased with vanloads of police; including special public order units.

The world's largest pipe-laying vessel, The Solitaire, arrived off the coast of Mayo, Ireland, this evening. The Solitaire is installing the offshore section of the Corrib Gas pipeline for Shell. The ship is supported by a number of Shell support craft, the Irish Police Water Unit and part of the Irish Navy.Stiff opposition is expected, with a local school teacher already on hunger strike. Hundreds of police officers are in the area, and the main road to the beach has been closed.

Late Thursday evening, Shell To Sea flotilla attempted to block the winch boat which has just arrived at Glengad. 11 small craft were launched from the Solidarity Camp. They strongly resisted the Gardaí and Navy boats who attempted to ram the Shell To Sea dinghies and knock the occupants into the sea. The resistance lasted for 2 hours and was cheered on by a huge local crowd who had gathered in support along the cliffs and beach.

Shell to Sea week of action extended... update on current situation
Rossport Solidarity Camp Returns to Glengad with a Fresh Call Out for Action.
… And the Shell to Sea ‘Week of Action’ (announced last week) is extended indefinitely until Solitaire pipeline work is stopped.

Sydney - It’s flank speed against shark fishing for Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - announcing a new partnership with Lush to raise global awareness of the plight of sharks and publicly shame the Queensland Fisheries Department (DPI&F) proposal to open a dedicated finfish fishery on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Japanese whaling industry is becoming increasing desperate in their ludicrous attempts to find environmental justifications for slaughtering the whales.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has drawn up an arrest warrant for the Japanese whaling fleet.

“We intend to intervene against the continued illegal whaling activities of the Japanese fleet in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary,” said Captain Paul Watson. “We intend to stop the killing of endangered species of whales in the Sanctuary, whales that are being killed in violation of the global moratorium on whaling. We intend to enforce the orders of the Australian Federal Court that has banned Japanese whalers from killing whales in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory. Our objective is to arrest the Nisshin Maru and its fleet of hunter killer boats.”

News Release: 23/07/08

Open letter regarding the seal hunt in Namibia from Francois Hugo, Seal Alert-SA

While in Santiago, Chile for the 60th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Sea Shepherd Conservation Society officially announced plans to return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to once again oppose illegal Japanese whaling activities. Sea Shepherd is represented at the IWC by Captain Paul Watson, Founder and President of Sea Shepherd, and the Honourable Ian Campbell, former Minister of the Environment for Australia and current member of Sea Shepherd's international Advisory Board.

This is a recording of a talk by Paul Watson, the founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in London, 5th June 2008. Paul has battled poachers and hunters of whales, seals and other marine wildlife for the last 31 years. He was one of the original founders of the Greenpeace Foundation but left the organisation and set up his own in 1977 to focus on the enforcement of international conservation law at sea. Duration recording: 35 minutes. An exclusive interview with Paul Watson will be featured on the next Riseup! Radio show.

More info: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | UK Indymedia Ocean Defence topic page

Without warning the Icelandic government authorized Icelandic whalers to begin their killing on May 20th in direct defiance of the global moratorium on commercial whaling. Iceland has rejoined the trinity of whale killing nations along with Japan and Norway. The three rogue whale killing nations have thumbed their noses at the international community to continue a criminal barbaric practice that has been outlawed under international law.

Also on the newswire: Norway Starts Whale Hunting Season

Previous features: Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms Conservation Vessel | Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica | Injured Among Sea Shepherd Crew As Japanese Military Open Fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean

More articles: Ocean Defence topic page

According to Greenpeace Ocean's campaign, The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), whose members include Canada, the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Russia and the US, has announced plans to regulate the activities of its fleets in line with a 2006 United Nations resolution. The resolution calls for urgent action to protect deep-sea corals and other vulnerable ecosystems from the impacts of bottom trawling on the high seas. The UN originally set a deadline for all regional fisheries treaty organizations to fully implement its plans by December 2008.