The following article is from the NZ Herald newspaper. This is in response to the Shell drill ship The Noble Discoverer not being in a fit state. We reported on the Noble Discoverer mishap on 18 July - Eco-Warrior: Noble Discoverer Mishap Justifies Lawless Protest Waikato Times 18 July 2012 - this ship is not in a fit state to go to the Arctic.

The NZ Herald had this article and quotes from Lucy:


Actor Lucy Lawless and five Greenpeace activists are arrested by police on top of the derrick of an Arctic-bound Shell drillship in Port Taranaki, New Zealand. The arrest ends their occupation of the Nobel Discoverer which lasted 76 hours. The Shell contracted drillship is heading to the Arctic to start drilling for oil. Shell is positioning itself to be at the head of an oil-rush into the Arctic, in expectation that climate change will continue to drive up the average Arctic summer ice melt, and so make drilling in the region easier. Oil spills are virtually impossible to clean up in Arctic conditions. Lawless unimpressed as Shell ship breaks free
NZ Herald 22 July 2012

Eco-warrior princess Lucy Lawless has slammed oil giant Shell as its drilling ship runs into new trouble. Lawless is awaiting sentencing for boarding Shell's Noble Discoverer with fellow Greenpeace activists when it visited Taranaki in February.

At the time, Shell did not publicly disclose that the drill ship's anchor cables had failed in a storm off the Taranaki coast. This week the ship slipped its moorings in an Alaskan harbour, drifting close to the coast before it was towed back to deeper water.

"It was another sign of what a crappy tug that is," Lawless said. "The fact it has to be towed shows it's not fit for purpose."

Lawless said the incident was evidence of "the contempt Shell has for the safety of the environment".

Veteran seamen had told Greenpeace the ship was dangerous, she said.

"A lot of old salts were coming up saying, 'it's a death trap'."

Shell NZ spokeswoman Shona Geary said three anchor cables had broken in gale force winds and 11m swells off Taranaki. "No one was injured and there was no harm to the environment. Maritime NZ investigated and found no further action was necessary."


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