Skip to content
BP’s rig operator, Transocean, will today (24 Feb) ask Scottish courts to jail Greenpeace’s boss and punish the campaigning group with huge fines.
The offshore drilling contractor is taking legal action against Greenpeace UK after activists blocked a BP rig from drilling new oil wells in the North Sea for 12 days in June last year.
Transocean secured an interim interdict, with BP’s consent, which Greenpeace is accused of breaching by continuing its protest.
Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven faces up to two years in prison, and Greenpeace faces unlimited fines if found to be in contempt of court.
In Edinburgh’s Court of Session before judge Lady Wolffe, Greenpeace will argue that its actions to disrupt the BP rig were necessary in order to prevent BP from worsening our climate emergency by drilling wells to extract 30 million barrels of oil.
The world’s scientists tell us that we cannot burn all the oil and gas we already have, so any new development of oil and gas fields would be disastrous for our climate.
‘Six months after our rig action ended, and after getting a permanent interdict against Greenpeace, BP’s rig operator Transocean is desperately doing everything it can to scare us off.
‘But we will not be silenced. We will stand up proudly in court to defend our peaceful protest.
‘Stopping BP’s rig was our moral duty when faced with oil giants fuelling the climate emergency, threatening the safety of our planet and putting lives at risk.’
JOHN SAUVEN
Greenpeace UK executive director
In a separate legal case, Greenpeace has been granted permission to judicially review BP’s drilling permit for the Vorlich oil field east of Aberdeen.
Greenpeace argues that the permit is unlawful because there was no proper public consultation. The permit was never officially published by the government, which meant BP’s permit could not be challenged by the public.
BP’s new chief executive, Bernard Looney, has attempted to reassure campaigners that BP has turned over a new leaf on climate. However, there is no change in BP’s current plans to spend $71bn on new oil and gas development this decade.
Today’s hearing is Big Oil’s latest attempt to stifle climate campaigners through legal action. In December Shell secured a ban on Greenpeace International targeting its North Sea oil rigs in the Brent field.
Shell’s lawyers are Pinsent Masons, the same law firm that is representing Transocean in today’s case.
Greenpeace ship forces BP oil rig into third U-turn away from major North Sea drill site.
BP lobbied Trump to weaken environmental checks on oil and gas projects.
BP and Total risk an oil spill with a 30% chance of reaching the Amazon Reef.
New book outlines Polly Higgins’ vision for ending ecocide and sparking a movement from self-care to Earth-care.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Weekly ethical news, offers, comps and a free digital mag (quarterly) – what’s not to love?
