The Brent Spar oil storage buoy

Brent Spar or Brent E, was an oil storage and tanker loading buoy in the Brent oilfield, operated by Shell UK. With the completion of a pipeline connection to the oil terminal at Sullom Voe in Shetland, the storage facility had continued in use but was considered to be of no further value as of 1991. Brent Spar became an issue of public concern in 1995, when the British government announced its support for Shell’s application for disposal in deep Atlantic waters at North Fenni Ridge (approximately 250 km from the west coast of Scotland, at a depth of around 2.5 km). Brent Spar, image © Greenpeace Deutschland [1], the image is not creative, appears on the organisations website for wide distribution and is used in an article that specifically relates to the image. ... Brent Spar, image © Greenpeace Deutschland [1], the image is not creative, appears on the organisations website for wide distribution and is used in an article that specifically relates to the image. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... A tanker is usually a vehicle carrying large amounts of liquid fuel. ... Buoys redirects here. ... The Brent oilfield is one of the most productive parts of Scotlands offshore oil assets, although now in steady decline. ... Royal Dutch Shell plc is a multinational oil company of British and Dutch origins. ... Sullom Voe is an inlet between North Mainland and Northmavine on Shetland in Scotland, and an oil terminal sited on its shore. ... For other uses, see Shetland (disambiguation). ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... Atlantic and North Atlantic redirect here. ...

Greenpeace organized a worldwide, high-profile media campaign against this plan. Although Greenpeace never called for a boycott of Shell service stations thousands of people stopped buying their petrol at Shell. Greenpeace activists occupied the Brent Spar for more than three weeks. In the face of public and political opposition in northern Europe (including some physical attacks and an arson attack on a service station in Germany), Shell abandoned its plans to dispose of Brent Spar at sea - whilst continuing to stand by its claim that this was the safest option, both from an environmental and an industrial health and safety perspective. Greenpeace’s own reputation also suffered during the campaign, when it had to acknowledge that sampling errors had led to an over-estimate of more than one hundredfold of the oil remaining in Brent Spar’s storage tanks. The structure was also home to over a hundred types of different and rare corals. Following Shell’s decision to pursue only on-shore disposal options - as favoured by Greenpeace and its supporters - Brent Spar was given temporary moorings in a Norwegian fjord. In January 1998 Shell announced its decision to re-use much of the main steel structure in the construction of a new harbour facilities near Stavanger. Greenpeace protest against Esso / Exxon Mobil. ... Northern Europe Northern Europe is the northern part of the European continent. ... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Modern gas station A filling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility that sells fuel for road motor vehicles – usually petrol (US: gas/gasoline), diesel fuel and LPG. The term gas station is mostly particular to the United States of America and Canada, where petrol is known as... This article is about the natural environment. ... Measurement is the determination of the size or magnitude of something. ... Fjord in Sunnmøre, Norway Geirangerfjord, Norway A fjord (or fiord) is a long, narrow estuary with steep sides, made when a glacial valley is filled by rising sea water levels. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... County District Jæren Municipality NO-1103 Administrative centre Stavanger Mayor (1995-) Leif Johan Sevland (H) Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 406 71 km² 68 km² 0. ...

Technical information

Brent "E" was a floating oil storage facility constructed in 1976 and moored approximately 2 km from the Brent "A" oil rig. It was jointly owned by Shell and Esso, and operated wholly by Shell, which gave them responsibility for decommissioning the structure. The Brent Spar was 147 m high and 29 m in diameter, and displaced 66,000 tonnes. The draft of the platform was such that manoeuvring in the North Sea south of the Orkney islands was not possible. The storage tank section had a capacity of 50,000 tonnes (300,000 barrels) of crude oil. This section was built from 20 mm thick steel plate, reinforced by ribs and cross-braces. It was known that this section had been stressed and damaged on installation. This led to doubts on whether the facility would retain its structural integrity if it was refloated into a horizontal position^[1]. Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Hibernia platform is the worlds largest oil platform. ... This article is about the trade name. ... In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. ... The draft of a ships hull is the vertical distance from the bottom of the hull to the waterline. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Location Geography Area Ranked 16th  - Total 990 km²  - % Water  ? Admin HQ Kirkwall ISO 3166-2 GB-ORK ONS code 00RA Demographics Population Ranked 32nd  - Total (2006) 19,800  - Density 20 / km² Scottish Gaelic  - Total () {{{Scottish council Gaelic Speakers}}} Politics Orkney Islands Council http://www. ... Petro redirects here. ...

Throughout the decommissioning process, Shell based its decisions on estimates of the quantities of various pollutants, including PCBs, crude oil, heavy metals and scale, which it had calculated based on the operating activities of the platform, and the quantity of metal that would remain in the structure after decommissioning was completed. Scale is a by-product of oil production, and because of the radioactivity found in the rocks from which the oil is extracted, is considered to be low-level radioactive waste. It is dealt with on-shore on a regular basis, by workers wearing breathing masks to prevent inhalation of dust. Labelling transformers containing PCBs. ... Radioactivity may mean: Look up radioactivity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Radioactive wastes are waste types containing radioactive chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose. ...

Disposal options

Shell examined a number of options for disposing of the Brent Spar, and took two of these forward for serious consideration^[2].

On-shore dismantling

The first option involved towing the Brent Spar to a shallow water harbor to decontaminate it and reuse the materials used in its construction. Any unusable waste could be disposed of on land. Technically, this option was more complex and presented a greater hazard to the workforce. This option was estimated to cost £41M. There was some concern that the facility would disintegrate in shallow coastal water, having a much more economically and environmentally significant impact. For other uses, see Harbor (disambiguation). ... The Lachine Canal, in Montreal, is badly polluted Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... Reuse is using an item more than once. ... For other uses, see Coast (disambiguation). ...

Deep sea disposal

The second option involved towing the decommissioned platform into deep water in the North Atlantic, positioning explosives around the waterline, then detonating them, in order to breach the hull and sink the platform. The facility would then fall to the seabed and release its contents over a restricted area. Due to the uncertainty associated with detonating explosives, a number of possible scenarios were envisaged. First, the structure would fall to the seabed in one piece, releasing its contaminants slowly, and affecting the seabed for around 500 m "down-current". Second, the structure might disintegrate as it fell through the water column. This would release contaminants in a single burst, and have an effect for 1000 m "down current" of the final resting place, although this would last for a shorter time than in the first instance. Third, the structure could fail catastrophically when the explosives detonated, releasing its contaminants into the surface waters. This would have an impact on sea birds and on the fishing industry in that area. The cost of this option was estimated at between £17M and £20M. For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... Seabirds are birds that spend much of their lives, outside the breeding season at least, at sea. ... Salmon for sale at a marketplace The Fishing industry is the commercial activity of fishing and producing fish and other seafood products. ...

Sites considered for sinking of Brent Spar. 1. Maury Channel. 2. North Feni Ridge. 3. Rockall Trough.

Shell proposed that deep sea disposal was the best option for Brent Spar. Shell argued that their decision had been made on sound scientific principles and data. From a point of view of engineering complexity, disposing of the platform at sea was more simple than the on-shore dismantling option. Shell also cited the lower risk to the health and safety of the workforce which the first option presented. Environmentally, Shell considered that sinking would have only a localised impact in a remote deep sea region which had little resource value. It was considered that this option would be acceptable to the public, to the UK government and to regional authorities. Shell acknowledged that sinking the Brent Spar at sea was also the cheaper option. locations of sites considered for dumping of Brent Spar File links The following pages link to this file: Brent Spar Categories: User-created public domain images ... locations of sites considered for dumping of Brent Spar File links The following pages link to this file: Brent Spar Categories: User-created public domain images ... Bathymetric features to the north west of the British Isles The Rockall Trough is a deep-water bathymetric feature to the north west of the British Isles, running roughly from south west to north east, flanked on the north by the Rockall Plateau and to the south by the Porcupine... The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since... Rainforest on Fatu-Hiva, Marquesas Islands Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. ...

Having decided on a preferred method of disposal, Shell contracted Fisheries Research Services (FRS) to investigate possible sites for sinking the facility. There were two stipulations to this search: firstly, that the site was within British territorial waters, and secondly, that the site be deep enough that the sunken buoy would present no hazard to shipping. FRS identified three sites, as 20 km x 20 km squares, which were considered suitable. These were the Maury Channel, the North Feni Ridge and the Rockall Trough. The FRV Scotia Fisheries Research Services (FRS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Executive, part of the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. ... Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3nm and 12nm shown. ... Bathymetric features to the north west of the British Isles The Rockall Trough is a deep-water bathymetric feature to the north west of the British Isles, running roughly from south west to north east, flanked on the north by the Rockall Plateau and to the south by the Porcupine...

At these three sites, FRS carried out:

• seabed visualisation surveys using an ROV to confirm the topography in each area
• sediment sample collection using a box core sampler to analysed for heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), oil-related hydrocarbons and radionuclides
• investigations into particle size distribution, and total organic carbon levels of the sediment
• box core sampling to count the numbers of animals living in the sediment of the seabed
• beam trawl sampling to determine the different animals living on the seabed

The North Feni Ridge was found to include a narrow channel. The Rockall Trough area was found to be a gently sloping basin between the Anton Dohrn Seamount and the Wyville-Thomsom Ridge. The Maury Channel area was found to be a flat, gently sloping area. Infaunal communities were found to be high in diversity and low in abundance, characteristic of unimpacted sediments. These communities were thought to have a limited food supply, which is also the norm in deep water communities. Remotely operated vehicles (ROV) are mobile tools used in environments too dangerous for humans. ... For discussion of land surfaces themselves, see Terrain. ... For other uses, see Heavy metal (disambiguation). ... Labelling transformers containing PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of organic compounds with 1 to 10 chlorine atoms are attached to biphenyl and a general structure of C12H10-xClx. ... Look up Hydrocarbon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable Goat, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy which is available to be imparted either to a newly-created radiation particle within the nucleus, or else to an atomic electron (see internal conversion) . The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay... Categories: Fisheries science | Fishing | Stub ... The term sedimentary basin is used to refer to any geographical feature exhibiting subsidence and consequent infilling by sedimentation. ... Felix Anton Dohrn, (b. ... Charles Wyville Thomson Professor Sir Charles Wyville Thomson (March 5, 1830 - March 10, 1882), professor of zoology and chief scientist on the Challenger expedition. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... Look up abundance in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The final conclusions of FRS were that abundance and diversity were greater than had been expected, especially in the North Feni Ridge area, however the limited extent of sampling precluded detailed analysis of data for the entire area. On the basis of the data which FRS gathered, there was little to choose between the three potential disposal areas. Analysis of the North Feni Ridge area may indicate that this area may have been accumulative, but that this would not preclude deep-sea disposal of the platform^[3]. Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ...

Having received these conclusions, Shell opted for the North Feni Ridge site, and applied to the British government for a licence to dispose of the rig at sea. This was approved in December, 1994. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ...

Greenpeace involvement

Greenpeace became aware of the plan to sink the Brent Spar at sea on February 16, 1995. The organization had been campaigning against ocean dumping in the North Sea since the early 1980s, using high-seas tactics to physically hinder the dumping of radioactive waste and titanium dioxide, and lobbying for a comprehensive ban on ocean dumping through the OSPAR convention. is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The official logo of the OSPAR Convention The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic or OSPAR Convention is the current legislative instrument regulating international cooperation on environmental protection in the North-East Atlantic. ...

Greenpeace objected to the plan to dispose of the Brent Spar at sea on a number of issues:

1. That there was a lack of understanding of the deep sea environment, and therefore no way to predict the effects of the proposed dumping on deep sea ecosystems.
2. The documents which supported Shell's licence application were "highly conjectural in nature", containing unsubstantiated assumptions, minimal data and extrapolations from unnamed studies.
3. That dumping the Brent Spar at sea would create a precedent for dumping other contaminated structures in the sea and would undermine current international agreements. The environmental effects of further dumping would be cumulative.
4. Dismantling of the Brent Spar was technically feasible and offshore engineering firms believed they could do it safely and effectively. The necessary facilities were already routinely in use and decommissioning of many other oil installations had already been carried out elsewhere in the world.
5. To protect the environment, the principle of minimizing the generation of wastes should be upheld and harmful materials always recycled, treated or contained.

Greenpeace alleged that the scientific arguments for ocean dumping were being used as a way of disguising Shell's primary aim: to cut costs. In mathematics, a conjecture is a mathematical statement which appears likely to be true, but has not been formally proven to be true under the rules of mathematical logic. ... This article is about the legal term. ...

The "battle" of Brent Spar

Four Greenpeace activists first occupied the Brent Spar on April 30. In total, 25 activists, photographers and journalists were involved in this stage of occupation. Interestingly, they chose to cover up the Exxon logos on the platform. At this time, activists collected a sample of the contents of the Brent Spar and sent it for testing to determine the nature of the pollutants which the platform contained. This sample was collected incorrectly, leading to a large overestimate in the contents of the facility. Although Greenpeace quoted Shell's own estimate of the amount of heavy metals and other chemicals on board, they claimed there were more than 5,500 tonnes of oil on the Spar - far more than Shell's estimate of 50 tonnes. For context, the Exxon Valdez oil spill involved around 42,000 tonnes. Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on 24 March 1989. ...

Greenpeace mounted an energetic media campaign that influenced public opinion against Shell's preferred option. It disputed Shell's estimates of the contaminants on the Brent Spar, saying that these were much more than initially estimated. On May 9, the German government issued a formal objection to the British government, with respect to the dumping plan. On May 23, after several attempts, Shell obtained legal permission to evict the Greenpeace protesters from the Brent Spar. Towing of the platform to its final position began on July 11. By this time the call for a boycott of Shell products was being heeded across much of continental northern Europe, damaging Shell's profitability as well as brand image. Chancellor Helmut Kohl protested to the British Prime Minister John Major at a G7 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Support from within the oil industry was not unanimous. Although oil production companies supported Shell's position, influential companies in the offshore construction sector stood to make money from onshore dismantling if a precedent could be set, and consequently supported the Greenpeace point of view. is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Federal Republic of Germany (in German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is a federal representative democracy. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Northern Europe Northern Europe is the northern part of the European continent. ... Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born April 3, 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. ... For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ... G7 leaders of the time on the downtown Halifax waterfront. ... For other uses, see Halifax, Nova Scotia. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867...

On June 20, Shell had decided that due to falling sales and a drop in share price, their position was no longer tenable, and withdrew their plan to sink the Brent Spar. They released the following statement: is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

"Shell's position as a major European enterprise has become untenable. The Spar had gained a symbolic significance out of all proportion to its environmental impact. In consequence, Shell companies were faced with increasingly intense public criticism, mostly in Continental northern Europe. Many politicians and ministers were openly hostile and several called for consumer boycotts. There was violence against Shell service stations, accompanied by threats to Shell staff."

In early July, the Norwegian government gave Shell permission to mothball the Brent Spar in Erfjord. It remained there for several years while other options for disposal were considered^[4]. For other uses, see Norway (disambiguation). ... Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant used when storing clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae. ... Erfjord is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. ...

Aftermath

Having moored the Brent Spar in Erfjord, Shell commissioned the independent Norwegian consultancy Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to conduct an audit of Spar's contents and investigate Greenpeace's allegations. Greenpeace admitted that its claims that the Spar contained 5500 tonnes of oil were inaccurate and apologized to Shell on September 5. This pre-empted the publication of DNV's report, which endorsed Shell's initial estimates for many pollutants.^[5] Greenpeace noted that its opposition to the dumping had never been solely based on the presence or absence of oil, however, and that opposition to the disposal plan was part of a larger campaign opposing the dumping of all waste into the North Sea. Labelling transformers containing PCBs. ... Look up Hydrocarbon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Aluminum redirects here. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Standard atomic weight 74. ... General Name, Symbol, Number bismuth, Bi, 83 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 15, 6, p Appearance lustrous pink Standard atomic weight 208. ... General Name, Symbol, Number cadmium, Cd, 48 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 5, d Appearance silvery gray metallic Standard atomic weight 112. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... General Name, Symbol, Number indium, In, 49 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Standard atomic weight 114. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series Post-transition metals or poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish gray Standard atomic weight 207. ... This article is about the element. ... For other uses, see Nickel (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with Silicone. ... General Name, symbol, number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 47. ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... Limescale is the hard, off-white, chalky deposit found in kettles, hot-water boilers and the inside of inadequately maintained hot-water central heating systems. ... DNV or Det Norske Veritas is a Norwegian company established in 1864. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Shell received over 200 individual suggestions for what could be done with the Brent Spar. One of these came from the Stavanger Port Authority. They were planning a quay extension at Mekjarvik, to provide new Roll-On/Roll-Off ferry facilities. It was hoped that using slices of the Spar's hull would save both money and energy that would otherwise have been spent in new steel construction. The Spar was raised vertically in the water by building a lifting cradle, placed underneath the Spar and connected by cables to jacks on board heavy barges. Jacking the cables upwards raised the Spar so that its hull could be cut into 'rings' and slid onto a barge.^[6] The ferryboat Dongan Hills, filled with commuters, about to dock at a New York City pier, circa 1945. ... In electronics, a jack is a socket. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ...

After cleaning, the rings were placed in the sea beside the existing quay at Mekjarvik and filled with ballast. The construction of the quay extension was completed by placing a concrete slab across the rings. The Spar's living quarters and operations module, were removed and scrapped onshore at a Norwegian landfill site.^[7] This article is about the construction material. ... Look up landfill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Whilst the Brent Spar was being dismantled, quantities of the endangered cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa were found growing on the legs of the platform.^[8] This species is not common in the North Sea as it require a hard substrate to grow on. The authors of this work suggested that it may be better to leave the lower parts of such structures in place - a suggestion refuted by Greenpeace who compared it to "[dumping] a car in a wood - moss would grow on it, and if I was lucky a bird may even nest in it. But this is not justification to fill our forests with disused cars".^[9] Binomial name Lopehelia pertusa L., 1758 Synonyms Lophelia pertusa (L., 1758) is a species of cold-water coral which grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean. ...

Impact of Brent Spar

According to a poll of 1000 adults carried out by Opinion Leader Research on behalf of Greenpeace, as of January 26, 1996, a majority of the British public were aware of the Brent Spar (57%). Of these, 57% were opposed to the dumping of Brent Spar in the Atlantic, and 32% were in favour of it. is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Although Shell had carried out an environmental impact assessment in full accordance with existing legislation, and firmly believed that their actions were in the best interests of the environment, they had severely underestimated strength of public opinion. Shell were particularly criticised for having thought of this as a "Scottish", or "UK" problem, and neglecting to think of the impact which it would have on their image in the wider world. The final cost of the Brent Spar operation to Shell was between £60M^[10] and £100M, when loss of sales were considered. Although Shell and the offshore industry consider that Brent Spar did not set a precedent for disposal of facilities in the future, signatory nations of the OSPAR conventions have since agreed that oil facilities should be disposed of onshore, so it is difficult to see how this does not set a precedent. Shell claimed that spending such an amount to protect a small area of remote, low resource value, deep sea was pointless and this money could be much more constructively spent. The official logo of the OSPAR Convention The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic or OSPAR Convention is the current legislative instrument regulating international cooperation on environmental protection in the North-East Atlantic. ...

The overestimation of the contents of the Brent Spar damaged the credibility of Greenpeace in their wider campaigns. They were criticised in an editorial column in the scientific journal Nature for their lack of interest in facts^[11]. Greenpeace moved to distance itself from its "5500 tonnes" claim, after the Brent Spar argument was won, and because of this has been accused of indulging in historical revisionism, after issuing statements such as "In the absence of a full inventory, Greenpeace, during our occupation, attempted to find out what was on the Brent Spar. The estimates resulting from this sampling were in no way central to the campaign...". This allegation has also been levelled at individuals, such as Lord Melchett, executive director of Greenpeace UK, who wrote in New Scientist magazine, "Greenpeace made mistakes too. We allowed ourselves to follow the agenda set by the Department of Trade and Industry, Shell and the media - too often getting into arguments about the potential toxicity of the Spar."^[12]. An Op-Ed is a piece of writing expressing an opinion. ... Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ... Historical revisionism is the attempt to change commonly held ideas about the past. ... Peter Melchett Peter Robert Henry Mond, the fourth Baron Melchett, heir to Sir Alfred Monds Imperial Chemicals Industry fortune, son of the British Steel Corporation Chairman Sir Julian, was educated at Eton and Cambridge. ... New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ... The Department of Trade and Industry is a United Kingdom government department. ...

Timeline

• 1976 - Brent Spar built and enters service

• September 1991 - Brent Spar ceases operations

• 1991-93 Shell examines options and carries out risk assessment and environmental impact assessment. Decides to sink Brent Spar at the North Feni Ridge.

• February 1994 - Independent environmental consultancy, Aberdeen University Research and Industrial Services, endorses choice of deep sea disposal. Shell begins formal consultations with conservation bodies and fishing interests. Draft Abandonment Plan submitted.

• December 1994 - UK government approves plans for sinking.

• April-May 1995 - Greenpeace activists occupy platform to prevent sinking. Greenpeace International organizes boycott of Shell products and services.

• April 30, 1995 - Greenpeace asserts that the Brent Spar still contains 5500 tonnes of crude oil.

• May 5, 1995 - British Government grants disposal license to Shell UK.

• May 9, 1995 - German Ministry of the Environment protests against disposal plan.

• June 11, 1995 - Shell UK begins to tow Spar to deep Atlantic disposal site.

• June 15, 1995 - German chancellor Helmut Kohl protests to British Prime Minister John Major at G7 summit.

• June 14 - June 20, 1995 - Protesters in Germany threaten to damage 200 Shell service stations. 50 are subsequently damaged, two fire-bombed and one raked with bullets.

• June 26 - June 30, 1995 - Eleven states call for a moratorium on sea disposal of decommissioned offshore installations at meeting of Oslo and Paris Commissions. Opposed by Britain and Norway.

• July 7, 1995 - Norway grants permission to moor Spar in Erfjord while Shell reconsiders options.

• July 12, 1995 - Shell UK commissions independent Norwegian consultancy Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to conduct an audit of Spar's contents and investigate Greenpeace allegations.

• September 5, 1995 - Greenpeace admits inaccurate claims that Spar contains 5,550 tonnes of oil and apologizes to Shell.

• October 18, 1995 - DNV present results of their audit, endorsing the original Spar inventory. DNV state that the amount of oil claimed by Greenpeace to be in the Spar was "grossly overestimated".

• January 29, 1998 - Shell announces Brent Spar will be disposed of on shore and used as foundations for a new ferry terminal.

• July 23, 1998 - OSPAR member states announce agreement on onshore disposal of oil facilities in the future.

• February 1999 - BBC 9 O'Clock News screens interview with Conservative environment minister John Selwyn-Gummer in which he accuses Greenpeace campaigners of telling lies and, as a result, causing damage to the whole environmental movement.

• July 10, 1999 - Decommissioning is completed and the first stages of constructing the ferry terminal are started.

• November 25, 1999 - BBC formally apologizes to Greenpeace over screening of Gummer allegations.

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References

1. ^ Anon. (1996). "Structural damage danger for Brent Spar". Chemical Engineer (London) 7: 615-616. 
   
2. ^ The Story. Shell's initial consideration of decommissioning ideas. Retrieved on March 10, 2005.
   
3. ^ Case study: Brent Spar. Details of the Fisheries Research Services analysis of the 3 possible disposal sites.. Retrieved on March 10, 2005.
4. Owen, P. & Rice, T. (1999). Decommissioning of Brent Spar. Spon Press. ISBN 0-419-24090-X. 
5. ^ DNV Inventory. Contents of Brent Spar, relative to quantities in the North Sea, as detailed by Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved on March 10, 2005.
   
6. ^ Woodham, A. (1999). "Dismantling of Brent Spar". Marine Pollution Bulletin 38 (2): 67. 
7. ^ Brent Spar Gets Chop. BBC News, World, Europe, Brent Spar Gets Chop. Retrieved on March 10, 2005.
8. ^ Anon. (1999). "Brent Spar Outcry Leaves Shell With A 60 m Pound Bill". Professional Engineering 12 (16): 9. 
9. ^ Editorial comment (1995). "Brent Spar, broken spur". Nature 375: 708-709. 
10. ^ Melchett, P. (23 December, 1995). "Green for Danger". New Scientist 148 (2010): 50-51. 
11. ^ Oil rig home to rare coral. BBC News, Sci/Tech, Oil rig home to rare coral. Retrieved on February 11, 2007.
12. ^  Bell, N. & Smith, J. (1999). "Coral growing on North Sea oil rigs.". Nature 402: 601. [13]

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Shell UK
• Greenpeace
• Greenpeace History of the Brent Spar
• Brent Spar at the BBC
• Planetfilm Documentary movie of the Brent Spar