Shell has sued Greenpeace in the amount of £1.7m for a group protesters who occupied a vessel of the oil giant in the North Sea this year.
Shell’s CEO Wael Sajan has launched proceedings to shift the company away from green energy, and increase fossil fuel production.
Shell’s new focus has already attracted criticism from both employees and campaigners. However, its lawsuit against Greenpeace – one of the biggest ever filed against an environmental organization – will only increase tensions.
In January, protesters targeted a ship bound for Shell’s Penguins field near Shetland.
The protesters stayed on board for a total of 13 days to coincide with Shell’s results, which were released on 2 February. Shell reported a record profit of $40bn (£32.6bn).
Shell has said that it will settle the dispute with Greenpeace if they pay a reduced amount of $1.4m and agree not to protest again on Shell’s infrastructure.
Greenpeace, however, said that it would only accept such an undertaking if Shell followed a court order requiring Shell to reduce its emission by 45pc across all activities by 2030.
The negotiations between the two parties have since broken down, paving the way for the High Court case.
Areeba Hamid is the co-executive Director of Greenpeace UK. She said, “Under Wael sawan, Shell has abandoned all pretense of good intentions and is brazenly adopting a sinister, risky strategy that’s dangerous for shareholders but devastating for the people at the forefront of the climate crisis.”
Mr Sawan is trying, in order to suppress Greenpeace, to stop them from campaigning. He also wants to silence legitimate calls for climate justice, as well as compensation for damage and loss. Shell should be regulated and this case should be dismissed. It’s obvious that Sawan is only interested in profit.
has become a prominent feature of recent environmental activism. Instead of focusing on reducing consumption, targets companies that produce oil and gas.
Shell’s spokesman stated: “Households need stable oil and gas supplies, and motorists and business owners also require a steady supply. Oil and gas will remain an important part of UK energy mix, as we continue to build renewable power. The supply of oil and gas is crucial to the UK’s energy security. Projects such as Penguins play a vital role in this.
“The right of protest is fundamental, and we respect that right in every way.” It must be done in a safe and legal manner. It is about preventing dangerous activities on the sea or in ports.
“Boarding an 82,000-metric-ton vessel in motion at sea is illegal and dangerous.”