Christchurch climate campaigners scale 100m oil rig off NZ coast

Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Two members of Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi have boarded an oil rig off the coast of the South Island to protest against fossil fuel extraction.

Two members of Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi have boarded an oil rig off the coast of the South Island during a daring protest against fossil fuel extraction.

Siana Fitzjohn, 28, and Nick Hanafin, 40, both from Christchurch, climbed aboard Austrian-owned OMV's giant drilling rig on Tuesday morning.

The pair were part of a 14-strong floating protest that intercepted the rig – the COSL Prospector – as it neared the Marlborough Sounds.

Nick Hanafin, 40, is secured to the side of the rig as it travels to Taranaki

The semi-submersible rig arrived in the Great South Basin, 160 kilometres off the coast of Dunedin, in January where it began exploratory drilling for deep sea oil.

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Siana Fitzjohn, 28, and Nick Hanafin, 40, scaled OMV's giant drilling rig as it neared Marlborough Sounds.

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The COSL Prospector has headed north from the Great South Basin.

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After sailing close by in a yacht, Fitzjohn and Hanafin chased down the 100m Prospector in an inflatable boat before climbing up the side of the rig and securing themselves to the anchor line.

Siana Fitzjohn was one of the Extinction Rebellion Otautahi members to sail to the oil rig.

They have enough supplies to stay onboard for two weeks.

Fitzjohn said they wanted to expose OMV's climate destroying operations in New Zealand.

Molly Smeele, 15, Siana Fitzjohn, 28, and James Dufty, 15, sailed out to the Great South Basin to intercept the OMV vessel.

'We've shown that a bunch of ordinary Kiwis can stand up to one of the biggest oil companies in the world,' she said.

'I feel really proud of all of us for exposing OMV's climate destroying agenda and showing them that we'll be confronting them every step of the way.'

Also on board the yacht was Strike for Climate coordinator Molly Smeele, 15, who skipped school to join the protest.

The Christchurch Girls' High school student said her first off-shore climate protest was 'kind of a big adventure'.

'I'm sure a few classes were missed during the anti-nuclear movement so we hope our schools will understand how important this is,' she said.

'Without opposition, companies like OMV will keep driving the earth towards mass extinction. They're literally gambling everyone and everything we love.'

The protesters say the oil rig is due to continue drilling for new gas reserves off the coast of Taranaki but they hoped commercial drilling would not start until the pair were removed.

OMV's senior vice president Australasia Gabriel Selischi said the COSL Prospector rig was heading to Taranaki waters to commence the Toutouwai and Maui exploration drilling.

'At around 10.30am this morning two inflatable vessels approached the COSL Prospector drilling rig, which is under contract to OMV,' he said.

'OMV New Zealand respects people's right to lawfully and peacefully protest. However, we are concerned that actions of this kind could put people at risk.

'OMV's top priority is the safety of all our staff and contractors, as well as ensuring the safety of the protesters.'

He said the relevant New Zealand authorities have been notified.