Activists from Greenpeace take over a drilling platform in the Netherlands.
Eco-activist group Greenpeace is up in arms with inflatable watercraft near Schiermonnikoog and Borkum islands, protesting gas exploration in the North Sea. Five protesters have settled onto a drilling site some 20 km north of Schiermonnikoog, fastening ankle locks to tripods.
The actions are led by German and Dutch environmental campaigners who stand strongly against Dutch oil company One-Dyas' gas extraction ventures.
Last week, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs gave the go-ahead for gas exploration in the North Sea, changing an environmental permit after a jury's decision. In April, a Dutch administrative court had, to some extent, endorsed a lawsuit against drilling operations and demanded the suspension of a drilling rig. Following that court ruling, the issues raised by the court were fixed in the modified permit.
Nevertheless, organizations from both nations and the local Borkum island are preparing to question the drilling in the Wadden Sea nature reserve in court again.
One-Dyas aims to extract gas from the two North Sea islets this year, establishing a drilling platform on Dutch territorial waters.
