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Six hours of disruption at LNG terminal

long day | 14.02.2007 18:00 | Climate Chaos | Ecology

Since November there has been lots of protests around the gas pipeline currently being constructed in Wales, and shortly Englans. Today people paid a visit to sunny pembokeshire to take direct action on one of the root causes of climate change; fossil fuel corporations seeking more profits for their shareholders.

Five people blockaded the main access to the construction site for six hours, resulting in huge tailbacks and the typical enormous police presence. People laid on the ground are apparently a threat to national security. What really is a threat to our security is the continuation of yet more fossil fuel projects, more carbon in the atmosphere and more death, misery and hunger. The people were eventually arrested at midday and are now enjoying a well deserved sleep in the luxurious surroundings of HaverfordWest Police station.

Around the same time this morning people also approached the kilometer long jetty, which will carry the liquid from the supertankers to the terminal. They were prevented from getting on to the jetty; apparently it’s dangerous unless you have been given health and safety training. Lets hope the people of Milford Haven have been given some training for what to do if there is accident. Milford Haven’s most experienced shipping pilots have described the risk of a fatal collision at one of the terminals as a ‘real everyday reality’ which would put 20000 people lives at risk.

Just twenty people have managed to cause a splendid commotion at the building site of the South Hook Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in West Wales. It is an inspiring example of how a few people can take responsibility for theirs and our future.

While work may continue tomorrow on the terminal, yet another spanner has been thrown in their LNG pipedream (I had to have one pipe pun).






long day

Comments

Hide the following 14 comments

Carry on up the Cleddau

14.02.2007 20:13

I'm sorry but I don't quite see how this action can be hyped up as a success when the most it achieved was to redirect traffic for a few hours - if that's what people want to do, why not get a job as a traffic policeman? The odds are on the protesters will now be bailed out of Wales and anywhere near the pipeline (and that means the west of england too).

I've been campaigning against this pipeline in my area for a year and have spoken to LOCAL campaigners down in Milford who are a bit bemused by the whole thing. There are TWO terminals in Milford - South Hook and Dragon LNG - and it's common knowledge that security is much tighter on South Hook. The Dragon site already has a protest camp and the number of one of the LOCAL organisers in Milford has been published in mags like Gagged! and at various gigs around Cardiff and Bristol. There's no excuse.

If the time had been taken to pick up a phone and ring people in the area a far more relevant and effective action could have been organised. As it is 13 people will probably now be taken out of action unless they want to risk a jail term by breaching their bail conditions.

Climate Chaos is a valid and pressing issue but the aim has always been to STOP the pipeline happening and to highlight the lack of democracy and consultation. And the small fact that it is an unsafe development which could kill a lot of people. The Trebanos protest worked last year because it was a sensitive coalition of locals and climate change activists who sat down and talked to each other - turning up in forest in West Wales and getting lost and then picking the WRONG site in Milford when the groundwork HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE by local people just looks silly and unprofessional.

And just descending on an area without consulting local people to get the lie of the land is EXACTLY what we've all been accusing National Grid of for the past year. Where was the consultation?

The contact numbers are out there - use them.

Jim.

Jim
mail e-mail: serengoch@hotmail.com


Jim's party

14.02.2007 21:22

Sorry Jim, but writing in capitals doesn't add weight to your argument. This isn't your battle alone, but may affect all of us. Everyone has the right to express their opposition in any way they want - no-one will blame you for another's actions. To try and limit what people feel they want to do is to continue the hierarchical decision-making that lies at the heart of this LNG steamroller. Shouting about LOCAL actions (I'm 'local' myself, but living away from the area at the moment) and claiming some kind of moral high-ground because you have been on the spot longer, is not helpful, nor will it encourage others to take on these corporate giants. Many of those getting involved at this stage have been up to their eyes in other desperately important environmental protests elsewhere, still managing to keep up on all the developments on the LNG front. I could ask if you yourself have been campaigning at Faslane, Aldermaston, etc, but won't because it's about what your heart tells you you must do and not about how others might judge you.

Bb


well done to both of u,supertankers

15.02.2007 01:31


Excellent action, Jim's got some tactical points,you sound a bit holy though mate, blockade still seemed wicked though, lets hope we all live & learn.

Each year from 1995 to 2001, an average of 408 tankers broke apart at sea or barely escaped that fate, according to the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, known as Intertanko. The leading cause was collision, but nearly as many suffered “structural/technical failures” — often a euphemism in industry circles for excessive corrosion.

From limited research I think there is a yard in Kiel,near Bremen G8, 200, convenient hey.
The Lindenau shipyard, previously famous for u boats, not sure how many tankers are built there, but it must be many to keep it viable economically.
Many supertankers seem now to be built in S.Korea or Japan, uk yards all shut down in 1980's, theres only afew places on planet where they are built.

Please forward to all anti NWO-G8 & German comrades,they may have it on their radar, but I dont speak German & maybe people haven't considered it as supertankers are usually off activists radar due to economics of actions at sea.

Although some people seem to have massively effective fun fouling propellers with rope without getting too close to dodgy ships,I think it works in the same way as rope type material is used to make protective clothing for chainsaw workers.
It might need thicker rope, but the beauty of it is that a crash stop maneuver (from 'full ahead' to 'full reverse') can only stop a fully loaded supertanker within approximately three kilometres, which takes about 14 minutes. The turning diameter is almost two kilometres.
(These values vary according to ship size and weight, of course).
but theres no way they could get out of the way of nice thick hemp rope hahahahahahahahahahahaahaaaaaaa!,
It would safe to only do this only when the tanker is unladen & in fine weather, if things go wrong with a tanker the small crews will be airlifted far before running aground which will happen long before the ship comes near land due to their size. I wouldn't advocate this if I thought it would endanger the crews as my dad & grandad grew up on & around tankers.

Supertankers are hated by many sailors for the amount of ships they run over, they fly under flags of convenience like the corporate pirates they are in case of "accidents"

They also need extensive repairs & repainting often as one of reasons they keep breaking up is super rust that travels 7 times faster than normal rust on these large structures.
Therefore are possibly yards in uk where supertankers are scrapped & repainted, possibly still in Belfast
 http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/supertanker/page.html

They are too big for suez canal, as they were designed & built after Israeli war with Eygpt left the canal as a dodgy proposition for David Rockefellers corporate oligarchy, who with exxon pioneered liquified gas technology.

robin ludd


Who's party is it?

15.02.2007 01:32

I'm guessing the reference to "Jim's party" is the fictional - and rather childish - rumour floating round that I've "given up" on certain areas to stand in the Assembly elections. What's your personal grudge?

You've missed the point entirely about what I wrote, which is primarily about communication. As to the emphasis on certain letters, I think it needs to be emphasised because you guys don't seem to know what you're doing when you actually go into these areas. Trebanos worked for all the reasons I've outlined perfectly reasonably above.

I note as well that you don't actually give a name. You know exactly who I am and what my views are. Why don't you show a little bit of honesty and e-mail me and let me know who you are?

What have you got to hide?

P.S. As for Faslane. Been there, didn't buy the T-shirt. Also been to Genoa and Prague way back in 2000. Were you there?

Jim
mail e-mail: serengoch@hotmail.com


Camps can be a serious drain unless well supported & organised,

15.02.2007 12:04

I wont go into it, some who hasve lived on some UK sites might rather get conised,I wont go into itnditional dishcharge than go back

Shit this probably is the best forum but just to add, Ultra large crude carriers have 30ft diameter propellers,efficient@80rpm, with 45k horse power engines. Most probable that only kevlar rope would do the trick on these toxic corporate pirate bastards & then some serious monkeywrenchin, although if that dont work there are ullc shipyards in Rotterdam.



Robin Ludd


bad place for criticism

15.02.2007 21:18

if you have criticisms maybe this isn't the best place to voice them, certainly no one is going to trust you now. when doing things which are against the law, it is best to tell as few, as opposed to as many, people as possible. as for consultation, i dfon't think ity is necesscary to ask permission to do an action. did you ask the population of faslane, before you blockaded it?

piper


Jim's party 2

16.02.2007 13:41

Ha! I haven't the foggiest idea who you are and whether you're some local big-wig or not. Don't give a rat's ass to be frank, but I see I've touched a nerve... oops.
Right, back to the important stuff. I know it can be frustrating when people arrive later and I do understand what you were saying about being organised. I think I just take offence at your hectoring tone that tries to belittle the actions of others as well as the emphasis on being local. (A local campaign for local people!) I know for a fact that many people in Pembrokeshire are campaigning or objecting at least, to the LNG, soley because it's in their back yard - literally! People who come from elsewhere, travel long distances, leave their home comforts and rough it in awful weather, simply because they care very much about the safety of people in your area and the beautiful countryside the whole LNG project is ripping up. Show a little solidarity Jim.

Bb


Consultation is not the same as permission.

16.02.2007 19:52

I'm a bit mystified as to why people feel the need to twist and misinterpret what I've put up earlier. At no point have I put that people should ask permission from locals or that autonomous action was wrong. I'm all for autonomous action in point of fact. I read the piece today about the action at Nacap's offices in Bath. I'm assuming that the reason that action was effective is because there are people who knew the general area and knew how to pull it off. That's the beauty of a bit of local know-how.

There is already a local camp at Waterston in Milford set up by a local down there who also offered to put up those who had been arrested and bailed. The camp is probably going to be closed down in the next few days by the local council. It's holding up 2 pipelines going in and out of the terminals and has been there since November last year. It was launched as a solidarity camp at the same time as the first camp was set up in Trebanos.

This local's number is out there and they could do with a bit of support...and for those of you who don't trust me, don't worry - I won't be there. I've got my own turf to worry about! :-)

Jim
mail e-mail: serengoch@hotmail.com


These people have bigger BALLS than you JIM!!

17.02.2007 09:51

We all know that you hope to be making a living soon from being elected scum and that your "green sympathies" are total bollox, You were a real activist for less than two weeks! you aint no eco-warrior you are an EGO-warrior!

We should all support anybody willing to stand against this project, negative comments are not helpful to future actions!

Stop trying to break our SPIRITS!

PEACE LOVE AND MORE ACTIONS

Dorris

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


dorris with two r's


In unity there is strength

25.02.2007 19:09

I am sorry but I do not like what I am reading here. We all have one thing in common here that being the LNG Project. Thousands of people who have had this project imposed upon them are at risk. Whether it be death or severely burnt should there be an accident. The HSE cannot guarantee 100% safety of this project.
As well as the latter it will also have an impact on carbon emmissions and the environment. This project of transporting dangerous liquified gas half way round the world does not make any sense.
Our Welsh Assembly has let us down badly and ignored their duty of care to protect innocent lives of people living along the route. The people at the helm of the Assembly are arrogant to the dangers and will not listen to the people that they represent. The democratic process right across South Wales has broken down hence why people are taking direct action.
This Jim's Party omments wherever it came from is unwarranted. Yes there has been talks about forming a party but this was carefully thought out on the grounds of fighting the Assembly from within. Penetrating the brains of Assembly Members is an impossible task.
Hence penetrating politics with politics was an option that very worried individuals at risk from the LNG Project was an option that was seriously looked at.
At the end of the day we are all in this together no matter for what reason. I am in the front lineas this project poses an immediate threat to my life and that of my family. I like others from Milford Haven to Cilfrew and Felindre to Tirley are within the "Blast Zone" of this project and will die within milliseconds should there be an accident.

Meirion
mail e-mail: meirionbowen@btopenworld.com


Where are we going ?

25.02.2007 21:08

How can a government turn their faces from their people whilst they aid corporate business to make huge profits beggars belief. We know there is no morality in corporate business but we hoped there might be some in our government. Has anyone from the Welsh Assembly come out to talk to the people affected by the LNG pipeline ? - answer NO. Have the Welsh Assembly given the benefit of an enquiry to the people affected - answer NO. We now hear that Cefn Drum needs a licence from the Welsh Assembly before National Grid can compulsorily purchase the common land there to take their gas pipeline through ancient and precious countryside - what price profit ? - answer TOO MUCH. In Poland the EU are stepping in to stop a road being built to ease congestion because the land is untouched and important - the Brecon Beacons is a Geo Park - where are the EU and our MEP's now? We produce in Wales at the moment twice the energy we use - yet again we are being ravaged for energy - the world is being ravaged for energy - Local Authority Planning Departments should be legislated to allow them to work in the interest of the people - to do this the people need to have politicians in power who have morals.If dorris with 2 r's has an alternative to offer the people of Wales then stand up now and let us see you. Let us vote for you so you can help us. Otherwise leave people do what they can - we are doing that - we are searching for the best way to help the people of Wales and so help ourselves not to live in fear of our childrens lungs being ravaged again as they pour out noxious fumes into our beloved country - help us to band together not pull apart at the seams what we have done so far - in unity there is strength - but unity does not mean we all do things the same way - diversity in unity makes for the stronger bond - just remember all who work for a living are working class - we are one.

Voice of sanity


Who is Dorris with two Rs

25.02.2007 22:55

Please Dorris make contact. If you have proposals to put forward, I will gladly sit around the table with you. Attacking people and personalities is not the way forward.
Meirion
PS I do not need to hide behind my real name. Neither does Jim come to that.

Meirion
mail e-mail: meirionbowen@btopenworld.com


Hmmmm

03.03.2007 15:56

Are we all finished??

What a load of childish crap.

Voice of Sanity I agree with you fully. I am very disapointed by some things I have read here.

Jan


OK. Knock this on the head.

04.03.2007 13:48

We do not want this rolling over into another edition of Wales on Sunday. Ok lets knock it on the head and move forward.

Meirion
mail e-mail: meirionbowen@btopenworld.com