Confrontation ensues as Shell vessels arrive at Rossport

mayo | environment | news report Tuesday June 02, 2009 20:31 by Darragh - RSC

Monday the 1st of June saw the arrival of a multitude of assorted vessels to Broadhaven bay. The boats, which are subcontracted by The Royal Dutch Shell company, are attempting to prepare for works on the controversial Corrib gas project. Today however, their progress has been significantly impaired by resident Shell to Sea activists that had already gathered a small, albeit formidable, fleet of kayaks, ready to deploy within short notice.

The Kayaks were birthed from the Rossport Solidarity Camp, which directly overlooks the vicinity that the Shell boats have been operating in the past twenty-four hours.

Currently there are diverse assortments of vessels converging in the once pristine bay; the majority of these are either carrying out, or assisting, dredging and surveillance operations. An Garda Siochana, have also been sighted patrolling the work zone, along with two black ribs; The Laura Emily accompanied by its twin the Galltee, which are both brimming with men dressed in black military fatigues.

Works, taking place earlier this afternoon, came grinding to a complete halt when twelve activists in kayaks broke through the security line that consisted of nine high speed security boats. The activists managed to tactfully circumnavigate security boats for approximately two and a half hours, which effectively halted Shell dredging works for a considerable period of time.

After numerous attempts by Gardai to secure an arrest, they eventually managed to drag one man from his inflatable Kayak. The man, in his fifties, is reported to have been halting a dredger conveying silt into a barge, and thus stopping afternoon work.

This current work being carried out by Shell is likely to signify the impeding arrival of the Solitaire; at over 400 meters long the Solitaire is the largest pipe laying vessel in the world, and its expected presence in Co. Mayo will undoubtedly provoke formidable resistance.

At this point in the project, all dredging works carried out in Rossport are likely to be held as sacrosanct by Shell’s board of directors, and conversely seen as detrimental by the Irish public.