The Brent Spar oil storage bouy

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 (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. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petrus – rock and oleum – oil), mineral oil, or crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths... A tanker is usually a vehicle carrying large amounts of liquid fuel. ... A sea lion on navigational buoy #14 in San Diego Harbor A buoy is a floating device that can have various purposes, which determine whether the buoy is anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift: The word is derived from the Dutch boei. sea mark - aids pilotage by marking a maritime... The Brent oilfield is one of the most productive parts of the United Kingdoms offshore oil assets, although now in steady decline. ... A Shell petrol station sign in the UK A Shell gas station in the U.S. A Shell gas station in Poland The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (called Shell Oil Company in the United States) is a major energy company, one of the top four oil/gas companies... Sullom Voe is an inlet between North Mainland and Northmavine on Shetland in Scotland, and an oil terminal sited on its shore. ... See Shetland (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...

Greenpeace organised a worldwide, high-profile media campaign against this plan, including calls for boycotts of Shell service stations. Its 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 a substantial over-estimate of the oil remaining in Brent Spar’s storage tanks. 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 in Brasília, Brazil. ... Northern Europe is marked in blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ... Arson is the crime of setting a fire with intent to cause damage. ... 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... By natural environment is meant the environment of nature, in contrast to some other environment or external milieu that is man-made (and thus, not natural). Within the biosphere, there exists no straight-forward way to separate what belongs to the natural environment and what does not, partly for the... Measurement is the determination of the size or magnitude of something. ... Sognefjorden, Norway A fjord (sometimes written fiord, notably in New Zealand English) is a glacially overdeepened valley, usually narrow and steep-sided, extending below sea level and filled with salt water. ... January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... County Rogaland Landscape Jæren Municipality NO-1103 Administrative centre Stavanger Mayor (2004) 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 2km from the Brent "A" oil rig. It was jointly owned by Shell and Esso, and operated wholely by Shell, which gave them responsibility for decomissioning the structure. The Brent Spar was 147m high and 29m in diameter, and displaced 66,000 tonnes. The draft of the platform was such that manouvering 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 20mm thick steel plate, reinforced by ribs and cross-braces. It was known that this section had been stressed and damaged on installation. This lead to doubts on whether the facility would retain its structural integrity if it was refloated into a horizontal position^[1]. 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Natural gas drilling rig A drilling rig or oil rig is a structure housing equipment used to drill for and extract oil or natural gas from underground reservoirs. ... An Esso Station in Toronto Esso is an international trade name used by Exxon Mobil and its related companies. ... The term displacement can have one of several meanings, depending on context: Displacement (distance), a physical quantity in kinematics Particle displacement, acoustics of sound in air Displacement (fluid), a different physical quantity, used in fluid mechanics and navigation; used as a measure of a ships size Engine displacement, a... In nautical parlance, draft is the depth below waters surface of the lowest part of a ship or boat. ... 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. ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petra – rock and oleum – oil), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths crust. ...

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. PCB may refer to: Brazilian Communist Party (in Portuguese, Partido Comunista Brasileiro) Communist Party of Bolivia (in Spanish, Partido Comunista de Bolivia) Pakistan Cricket Board PCBoard, a bulletin board system software Polychlorinated biphenyl Power circuit breaker (hardware) Power control box (hardware) Printed circuit board (hardware) Process control block Product configuration... Radioactive decay is the set of various processes by which unstable atomic nuclei (nuclides) emit subatomic particles. ... A Russian fissile material storage facility Underground Radioactive Material Sign Radioactive waste is waste material containing radioactive chemical elements that does 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 second option considered, this would have involved towing the Brent Spar into a deep-water harbour. The structure would then be decontaminated the materials used in construction would be reused. 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. A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ... The Lachine Canal, in Montreal, is badly polluted Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... The international symbol for recycling. ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ...

Deep sea disposal

The first option involved towing the decommisioned 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. Firstly, the structure would fall to the seabed in one piece, releasing its contaminants slowly, and impacting the seabed for around 500m "down-current". Secondly, the structure might disintegrate as it fell through the water column. This would release contaminants in a single burst, and have an impact for 1000m "down current" of the final resting place, although this would last for a shorter time than in the first instance. Thirdly, 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. ... 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 Femi 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 acknowleged 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... Resources comprise the base material for an activity or industry: See resource (economics) for the term as used in economics See human capital for human resources (HR) and innovation See natural resources for material matter See resource (computer science) for the computer science meaning of resources See resource (political) relating...

Having decided on a preferred method of disposal, Shell contracted Fisheries Research Services, Aberdeen (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 bouy would present no hazard to shipping. FRS identified three sites, as 20km x 20km squares, which were considered suitable. These were the Maury Channel, the North Feni Ridge and the Rockall Trough. Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending twelve nautical miles from the shore of a littoral state that is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state, except that foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it. ... 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. ... Surface of the Earth Topography, a term in geography, has come to refer to the lay of the land, or the physiogeographic characteristics of land in terms of elevation, slope, and orientation. ... For other meanings, see heavy metal The term heavy metal may have various more general or more specific meanings. ... 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. ... In chemistry, a hydrocarbon is any chemical compound that consists only of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). ... A radioisotopes is an atom with an unstable nucleus. ... Categories: Fisheries science | Fishing | Stub ... Basin has several meanings: A watershed, which may be called also a hydrological basin or catchment basin. ... Felix Anton Dohrn, (b. ... Charles Wyville Thomson (born near Linlithgow in 1830) is a noted marine biologist. ... Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of and in living nature. ... Abundance is the state in which there is more than enough. ...

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]. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

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. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Greenpeace involvement

Greenpeace became aware of the plan to sink the Brent Spar at sea on February 16, 1995. Greenpeace objected to the plan to dispose of the Brent Spar at sea on a number of issues: February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. That there was no formal inventory of the Brent Spar's contents, so the environmental impacts could not possibly be properly assessed.
2. That there is 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.
3. The documents which supported Shell's licence application were "highly conjectural in nature", containing unsubstantiated assumptions, minimal data and extrapolations from unnamed studies.
4. 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.
5. Dismantling of the Brent Spar was technically feasible and offshore engineering firms believe they can 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.
6. To protect the environment, the principle of minimising 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 business management, inventory consists of a list of goods and materials held available in stock. ... Mathmatical and Non-Mathamatical Definitions In mathematics, a conjecture is a mathematical statement which has been proposed as a true statement, but which no one has yet been able to prove or disprove. ... Precedent is the principle in law of using the past in order to assist in current interpretation and decision-making. ...

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. 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. Unfortunately, this sample was collected from a waste pipe, rather than from the storage tanks, 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 5,000 tonnes of oil on the Spar (Shells estimate: 50 tonnes). For context, the Exxon Valdez oil spill involved around 42,000 tonnes. Activism, in a general sense, can be described as involvement in action to bring about change, be it social, political, environmental, or other change. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... The Exxon Valdez oil spill was the most devastating domestic oil spill in the United States. ...

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. May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... The Federal Republic of Germany (in German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is a federal representative democracy. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Northern Europe is marked in blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ... Dr. Helmut Kohl (full name Helmut Josef Michael Kohl) (born April 3, 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. ... The Right Honourable Sir John Major, KG, CH (born 29 March 1943) is a British politician who served in the Cabinets of Margaret Thatcher as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer before succeeding Thatcher as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister of the United... 1983 G-7 Economic Summit in Williamsburg, Virginia (left to right) Pierre Trudeau, Gaston Thorn, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Ronald Reagan, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Margaret Thatcher, Amintore Fanfani. ... Halifax redirects here. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (One defends and the other conquers) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant Governor Myra A. Freeman Premier John Hamm (PC) Area 55,283 km² (12th) Land 53,338 km² Water 1,946 km² (3. ...

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: June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ...

"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 here for several years while other options for disposal were considered^[4]. The Kingdom of Norway is a Nordic country on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering Sweden, Finland and Russia, with territorial waters bordering Danish and British waters. ... Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant used when storing clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae. ...

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 5000 tonnes of oil were inaccurate and apologised to Shell on September 5. This pre-empted the publication of DNVs report, which endorsed Shell's initial estimates for many pollutants^[5]. PCB may refer to: Brazilian Communist Party (in Portuguese, Partido Comunista Brasileiro) Communist Party of Bolivia (in Spanish, Partido Comunista de Bolivia) Pakistan Cricket Board PCBoard, a bulletin board system software Polychlorinated biphenyl Power circuit breaker (hardware) Power control box (hardware) Printed circuit board (hardware) Process control block Product configuration... In chemistry, a hydrocarbon is any chemical compound that consists only of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Atomic mass 26. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Atomic mass 74. ... General Name, Symbol, Number bismuth, Bi, 83 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 15, 6, p Appearance lustrous reddish white Atomic mass 208. ... General Name, Symbol, Number cadmium, Cd, 48 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 5, d Appearance silvery gray metallic Atomic mass 112. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance copper, metallic Atomic mass 63. ... General Name, Symbol, Number indium, In, 49 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 114. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 200. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 4, d Appearance lustrous, metallic Atomic mass 58. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silicon, Si, 14 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 14, 3, p Appearance dark gray, bluish tinge Atomic mass 28. ... General Name, Symbol, Number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 47. ... General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Atomic mass 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. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ...

Shell received over 200 individual suggestions for what could be done with the Brent Spar. One of these was 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 Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on short-distance, scheduled services. ... 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. ... A modern landfill operation. ...

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. January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Because of their decision to grant a licence for the "at-sea" disposal of the Brent Spar, and because of John Major's solid support for Shell and their policy, the British Conservative Party were strongly linked with the Brent Spar in the public mind. Shell's decision to change their plan for disposal of the facility undermined the Conservative government, and can be cited as one contributing factor leading to the landslide victory of New Labour in the 1997 general election. The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... In politics, a landslide victory (or just a landslide) is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming majority in an election. ... The Labour Party is a centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ...

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^[8] 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. While this is arguably true, it is difficult to believe that had the Brent Spar been sunk, Shell would have transferred the money that was saved to their environmental budget.

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^[9]. 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 leveled 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."^[10]. An Op-Ed is a piece of writing expressing an opinion. ... Nature is one of the oldest and most reputable general-purpose scientific journals, first published on November 4, 1869. ... In Parson Weems Fable (1939) Grant Wood takes a sly poke at a traditional hagiographical account of George Washington Historical revisionism is the reexamination of the accepted facts and interpretations of history, with an eye towards updating it with newly discovered, more accurate, and less biased information. ... 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 cover - 18 December 2004 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.

• Feb 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 governent approves plans for sinking.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• June 26-30th, 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 7th, 1995 - Norway grants permission to moor Spar in Erfjord while Shell reconsiders options.

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

• September 5th, 1995 - Greenpeace admits inaccurate claims that Spar contains 5,550 tonnes of oil and apologises 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 - Decommisioning is completed and the first stages of constructing the ferry terminal are started.

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

Dr. Helmut Kohl (full name Helmut Josef Michael Kohl) (born April 3, 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. ... The Right Honourable Sir John Major, KG, CH (born 29 March 1943) is a British politician who served in the Cabinets of Margaret Thatcher as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer before succeeding Thatcher as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister of the United... 1983 G-7 Economic Summit in Williamsburg, Virginia (left to right) Pierre Trudeau, Gaston Thorn, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Ronald Reagan, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Margaret Thatcher, Amintore Fanfani. ... The Right Honourable John Selwyn Gummer is a British politician, and Conservative member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal. ...

References

1. ^ Anon. (1996). "Structural damage danger for Brent Spar". Chemical Engineer (London) 7:615-616.
   
2. ^ "The Story". Shell's initial consideration of decomissioning ideas. URL accessed on March 10, 2005.
   
3. ^ "Case study: Brent Spar". Details of the Fisheries Research Services analysis of the 3 possible disposal sites.. URL accessed on March 10, 2005.
   
4. Owen, P. & Rice, T. (1999). Decommissioning of Brent Spar. Spon Press. ISBN 041924090X.
5. ^ "DNV Inventory". Contents of Brent Spar, relative to quantities in the North Sea, as detailed by Det Norske Veritas. URL accessed 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. URL accessed on March 10, 2005.
   
8. ^ Anon. (1999). "Brent Spar Outcry Leaves Shell With A 60m 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.

March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

External Links

• Shell UK
• Greenpeace
• Brent Spar at the BBC