Greenpeace protesters ‘shut down’ oil rig

A GROUP of Greenpeace campaigners today claimed to have closed down an oil drilling operation off the Greenland coast

Members of the environmental group boarded an oil rig operated by Scottish firm Cairn Energy.

The activists said they are protesting against what they allege are “huge environmental risks” energy firms are taking by drilling for oil in deep water.

But Greenland’s prime minister said he was angry the protesters had broken the security zone around the Stena Don platform.

Greenpeace said four expert climbers in inflatable speedboats had evaded the Danish navy to climb the oil rig.

The campaigners then hung from the structure in tents suspended from ropes, halting the drilling, the group claimed.

However, Greenland’s PM Kuupik Kleist said the activists had forced their way on to the rig illegally.

“It is worrying that Greenpeace, in their hunt for media exposure, violate security rules made to protect human lives and the environment,” Mr Kleist added.

A spokesman for Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy said: “This is in the hands of the Greenland authorities. Safety is of prime importance.”

Greenpeace said it wanted to highlight problems with oil that went “far beyond” the disaster at BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico.