Protesters leapt from an inflatable speedboats to block the Stena Carron, now in open seas 100 miles north of Shetland, and at 1.30pm yesterday (September 26) forced it to stop.

Greenpeace believe the ship is sailing for the Lagavulin oil field before drilling an exploratory deep sea well, prompting fears from the charity of a new Gulf of Mexico disaster.

Greenpeace now plan to send waves of swimmers and campaigners in kayaks out in front of the drill ship throughout today to pressure the ship into turning back.

A spokesman said: “We’re also doing everything we can to stop the ship through legal channels, having sent a ‘letter before action’ to the government, the precursor to seeking a judicial review of the decision to push ahead with new deep water drilling before the lessons from the BP disaster have been learned.

“We’ve already seen the disastrous consequence of deep water drilling in the Gulf. It’s fraught with danger for the environment, the climate, and the workers involved – and it’s got to be stopped.”

Chevron has said while it respects Greenpeace’s right to protest safety remains its top priority.

Luke Walsh

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