Greenpeace said it Shut Down Arctic Oil Rig

The well known environmental group Greenpeace has claimed that they slipped through security boats to scale Cairn Energy oil rig in a raid. Greenpeace claims to now have shut down this offshore drilling by the British oil company. The group was upset after this controversial site was chosen as a place to set up a rig to drill.

Greenpeace went on to say that four protesters evaded a small flotilla of armed Danish navy officers and police boats. These were the boats that were suppose to be guarding the rigs in Baffin Bay off Greenland.

The rigs are currently being operated by the Edinburgh based oil company, Cairn Energy. Just last week the company told the world that it had found the first evidence of oil or gas deposits in the Arctic. This, of course, sent off warning alarms to environmental groups like Greenpeace.

Many other oil companies like Chevron, Shell and Exxon are waiting for permission from Greenland to begin deep sea drilling in the Arctic’s pristine waters. Campaigners against this are claiming that this is leading to a dangerous rush to exploit one of the world’s last major untapped reserves. Just last year the United States Geological Survey estimated that there were 90 billion barrels of oil and 50tn cubic meters of gas across the Arctic.

Greenpeace said that this week, at early dawn one morning, expert climbers in inflatable speed boats dodged Danish Navy commandos before climbing up the inside of the rig and hanging from it in tents that were suspended from ropes. This, of course, had to halt drilling operations. Apparently the group went on to say that they have enough supplies in the tents to stay like that for many days, meaning that if they stop drilling for just a few days, then Cairn Energy will struggle to meet its tight deadline.