Greenpeace Activists Arrested After Boarding Arctic Oil Rig

Four Greenpeace activists have been arrested after an Arctic ice storm forced them to leave an oil-rig off western Greenland.

The activist from the Greenpeace ship ESPERANZA evaded the Dutch Navy who was guarding the rig and managed to board the rig and suspend themselves with rock climbing equipment. The stunt lasted for two days, until an ice storm forced them down where they were then arrested by police who were waiting on the deck of the Stena Don rig.

The organization is protesting deep-water oil drilling.

Cairn Energy PLC recently began drilling off the coast of Greenland after finding reserves there.

Greenpeace was informed by police onboard a Danish navy vessel not to violate a 1,650-feet (500-meter) security perimeter around the Stena Don rig.

In a statement on their website, Greenpeace said:
After over 40 hours hanging below the Stena Don oil rig, forcing the operators Cairn Energy to halt drilling operations, harsh arctic weather conditions forced four Greenpeace climbers to end their occupation by climbing up onto the gantry of the rig, where they were promptly arrested.

Before ending the protest one of the climbers, Sim McKenna from the United States, said via satellite phone:

"We stopped this rig drilling for oil for two days, but in the end the Arctic weather beat us. Last night was freezing and now the sea below us is churning and the wind is roaring. It's time to come down, but we're proud we slowed the mad rush for Arctic oil, if only for a couple of days."