Extinction Rebellion campaigners' daring oil rig protest thwarted after 14 hours

Wednesday, 4 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.

Extinction Rebellion campaigners who staged a protest on an oil rig in Cook Strait say their plan was foiled after their equipment was confiscated by OMV staff.

Siana Fitzjohn, 28, and Nick Hanafin, 40, from Christchurch, have so far escaped police action after they scaled the anchor line of the 100m-high COSL Prospector as it neared Marlborough Sounds on Tuesday.

After three-months of planning, the pair sailed close to the mobile drilling rig in a yacht before giving chase in an inflatable boat.

Once alongside they used ropes and harnesses to climb onto a platform, but during the ascent staff used a hook to take one of their bags containing their portaledge – a hanging tent system designed for rock climbers.

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Nick Hanafin on the side of the COSL Prospector oil rig off the Taranaki coast.

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Fitzjohn said the loss of their equipment meant the week-long occupation was no longer possibly, so they stayed in position for more than 14 hours before asking crew for permission to come on deck.

The COSL Prospector drilling rig was on its way to Taranaki when it was boarded by protesters.

'The crew were trying to convince us to come up. We refused for quite a long time but then at about 1am we decided to call it.

'We had some pretty funny exchanges with the crew. There was a good bit of banter.'

She said although there was wind and rain she did not experience hypothermia, as has been reported.

They were checked by rig's doctor before being placed in separate cabins until the morning.

'We had a hot shower and they gave us a lovely dinner. It did feel a little strange because we weren't allowed to leave our rooms, we weren't allowed to talk to each other, they put a guard on each of our rooms. We felt like very high-class prisoners.'

On Wednesday, they were flown to New Plymouth Airport by helicopter before being allowed to leave.

'We were served a trespass notice,' Fitzjohn said.

'I didn't know what was going to happen. There's still a chance they could press charges.'

Nick Hanafin and Siana Fitzjohn were flown back to New Plymouth airport after illegally boarding the CSOL Prospector oil rig.

She said they achieved their aim of highlighting fossil fuel extraction off the coast of New Zealand.

'We want to show resistance at every step and a bold move like intercepting a rig in the middle of the ocean, whilst in transit, I think it sends a pretty powerful message to the wider public of just how serious we're taking this.'

Siana Fitzjohn, of Extinction Rebellion, says they spent months planning the protest.

NZ First MP Shane Jones called for the two protesters 'to be dropped off at the front door of the district court as soon as they are back on terra firma'.

The Regional Economic Development Minister said he wanted the pair made fully accountable for their actions.

Climate Justice Taranaki members protest outside the OMV New Plymouth office on Devon Street West on Wednesday.

Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says the protesters put themselves and crew members at considerable risk.

Fitzjohn and Hanafin put themselves and crew members at considerable risk, he said.

'The only thing this episode showed is the extinction of common sense by these people who masquerade as eco-evangelists,' he said.

The COSL Prospector rig was on its way from the Great South Basin to the Taranaki Basin to begin drilling at the Toutouwai and Maui gas fields when Fitzjohn and Hanafin boarded.

They were part of a 14-strong protest group that intercepted the rig in Cook Strait.

In a media release, OMV senior vice president Australasia Gabriel Selischi said the company would issue trespass notices and expected regulators and relevant New Zealand authorities to take further action against the individuals involved.