Oil giant sues Greenpeace

Shell is reportedly seeking over $2 million in damages after protesters boarded its floating oil production vessel

Greenpeace is facing one of the biggest legal threats in its history after the environmental group’s campaigners occupied energy giant Shell’s floating oil platform earlier this year, Reuters reports.

According to the news agency, citing relevant documents, Shell has filed a claim in London's High Court, seeking $2.1 million in damages. The lawsuit also calls for an indefinite block on all protests at the company’s infrastructure at sea or in port anywhere in the world, otherwise Shell is threatening to make claims that could reach $8.6 million.

Shell confirmed to Reuters that legal proceedings were underway, claiming that boarding a moving vessel at sea was “unlawful and extremely dangerous.”

“The right to protest is fundamental and we respect it absolutely. But it must be done safely and lawfully,” the company’s spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace said in a statement that it would accept Shell’s offer to reduce the level of damages it is seeking if the company complied with a 2021 Dutch court order requiring it to cut its emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell has appealed this ruling.

READ MORE: Oil and gas production cut would be ‘dangerous’ – Shell 

In January, four Greenpeace protesters boarded one of Shell’s oil platforms just north of the Canary Islands while it was being transported to the Shetland Islands. The climate activists, who displayed signs demanding that the fossil-fuel company “stop drilling – start paying,” remained on the platform until it reached a Norwegian port.

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