Last year a band of kayakers and fishermen took part in a protest againt the Solitaire the worlds biggest pipe laying vessel as is tried to lay a gas pipe in broadhaven bay connecting the Corrib gas field with the controversial on land refinery at ballinaboy in the Erris Gaeltact Co Mayo
http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option ... &Itemid=38
http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option ... &Itemid=38
http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=2201
It has come to attention that the solitaire is currently docked in Donegal and is expected in mayo next week. http://www.indymedia.ie/article/92775&c ... ment254118
a quick guide to the issue
The issue of the use of Irish natural resources - our gas and oil reserves- has been made deliberately complex and difficult by those who seek to gain most from the current situation. Here is a quick guide giving as clear a picture as possible oft this area. What have we got? Currently the Kinsale field is being exploited off the Cork coast, and Shell and their partners (Statoil and Marathon) are trying to bring the Corrib filed into production in Mayo. There is fierce opposition to the Corrib scheme on safety grounds, but also because the gas will belong in its entirety to Shell and the others. The Irish State has given away all rights to the gas. There is a view within the industry that there are many more exploitable fields of natural gas off the west coast, and companies like Shell and Exxon have been busy licensing blocks of the Atlanticin Irish waters in order to exploit the resources. Industry insiders claim that the energy companies are aware of what is there, but want to make sure that they can get Corrib through and destroy any opposition before they announce any other major finds. Currently blocks off Donegal and the Kerry coast are seeing the most activity.The onshore refinery site at Bellanaboy in Mayo is much bigger than would be needed for a single refinery- many people say it will be expanded once the other finds are announced. So, how much is all worth? The Corrib field is said to be one trillion cubic feet of gas- 1TCF.This much gas is worth about 8 billion dollars. Sources within the industry have claimed that the Corrib field is actually bigger than 1TCF and may be as much as three or four times the size. No one in the Irish government monitors the size of resource claims, and Shell have been caught misrepresenting figures like this in other parts of the world in the past. The Department of Natural Resources has recently estimated the value of oil and gas in Irish waters at 450 billion euro.This puts a notional value of 50 euro per barrel of oil (gas is valued according a complex formula tied to the price of oil). Of course the price of oil has been well over one hundred dollars per barrel in recent years, so the figure could easily be double that.These figures come from the Dept of Natural Resources briefing the Irish Independent- you can read them here: http://snipurl.com/cb0dvIf people doubt the amounts- point out that these are government quotes in the Irish Independent newspaper. Billions and millions..?It can be hard to get your head around figures that won't fit on a normal calculator. Some people switch off mentally when faced with large amounts, so to put it all in perspective- think of it in terms of time- One Million seconds adds up to just over 11 days. One Billion seconds is 32 years. If Ireland was getting a reasonable cut of its resources over the next few years we could: Pay off the national debt while improving our infrastructure like roads, bridges and railways. Have an entirely free health service without raising taxes. Massively reduce endemic poverty and illiteracy in deprived parts of the country. Have the best education system in the world. Invest in a pension scheme for our senior citizens and our future. Spend the necessary money improving and expanding our renewable energy for when the oil runs out. To show how much we are talking about- we could even offer to host the Olympics for the next 100 years. The cost of 2012 Olympics is estimated to be 12 billion euro. So the Olympics could be held in Dublin every four years for the next century (and we'd still have change). How much are we getting now? The oil companies get all the gas and oil they find. The state has a zero royalty rate, so we get no cut. We can tax them at 25 per cent, but they are allowed to write off exploration costs and other expenses against tax, going back 25 years.Companies like Shell are extremely good at avoiding tax (the Anglo-Dutch company recently moved its brands and logo to Switzerland)so they will minimise the tax they pay. Eamon Ryan, the Green Party Minister, changed the licensing system to increase the tax take on extremely profitable finds, but the new rates will not change existing licenses. Even the new rates are not that high, and still include no royalties. How do we compare with other countries? Germany - 10% royalty and 13% Municipal Income tax in addition to30.5% Corporation Tax; Denmark - corporation tax 30%, hyrdo carbon tax up to 70%; Falkland Islands - 9% royalties, 32.5% tax; France 35.43%tax; Faroe Islands- 2% royalty, 27% corporation tax and a special hyrdo carbon tax which is levied at rates of up to 40%.Norway has a national energy company -Statoil- which not only provides funding for the Norwegian state from their own resources, but even has a stake in Corrib- so Irish gas will be paying for schools, roads and hospitals in Norway (but not here). How could we change things? We could alter the terms of the licenses to include a royalty paymenton oil and gas finds which has to paid to the State. We could copy American legislation which insisted that companies which currently hold licences on the old terms, are not allowed to apply for new licenses in American waters unless they re-negotiate the deals they have now. The US Senate was faced with similar rip-offs by the energy companies in recent years, but a Senator called Barack Obama proposed the Oil Sense Act (you can google it) which cleared up many loopholes in their system. Obama is not a fire brand left-wing radical, so it seems odd that we can't have a similar clear out of bad deals here in Ireland. In many Latin American countries the governments simply nationalised the oil and gas reserves. While the energy companies resisted at first, they now comply with the new systems. Venezuela even exported cheap oil to London to subsidise the buses there. They could afford to do this because they owned their own resources. So could we. In Russia the government forced Shell to renegotiate the Sakhalin gas field deal by imposing strict environmental laws on the company. All of this just needs political will- the energy companies will kick up a fuss, but in the end it is sovereign governments which call the shots. As activists we should keep the pressure on the Green party and the FF/FG corporate axis and shell to change the system , For more details on any of this – http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=2201 or if you are interested in protesting then get your gear and head to Mayo.
kayakers wanted
Re: kayakers wanted
this video taken last night, thursday 25th may shows a group of kayakers approching the solitaire.
the ship moved yeaa!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEAwob38WYk
the ship moved yeaa!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEAwob38WYk
Re: kayakers wanted
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shell to Sea activists board supply ship to Solitaire in Killibegs.
This afternoon seven Shell to Sea activists in kayaks visited the Toisa Independent, which supplies pipe to the Solitaire, a vessel used by Shell to lay the Corrib gas pipeline. The Solitaire, which left Broadhaven Bay (1) yesterday after laying the first section of pipe for the project, has been the target of several actions recently in the continual campaign against Shell. (2) Despite Shell's increasingly heavy handed response to protests, Shell to Sea activist's have continued their fight. (3)
Niall Harnett, speaking from the protest in Killybegs today said "We demand that this port stops supporting the Corrib gas project which is destroying the lives of the people in Erris. There has been much misinformation about the Corrib gas pipeline in the media, as campaigners continue to protest in order to bring a halt to this unsafe project which threatens the homes and livelihoods of many in the local area". The pipeline would carry unprocessed gas across the region to the refinery at Bellanaboy. (4)
Harnett continued "We are also acting in protest against the theft of Ireland's natural resources. At a time when unemployment levels are set to reach record numbers and the government attacks ordinary people with levies taxes and pay cuts it is obscene that Shell are allowed to steal billions of euro's of our resources." (5)
St.John O Donobhain, also on the protest, said. "Shell's attempts to pretend the Corrib project is a done-deal is misleading. This is project is unjust, illegal, and immoral. It will fail."
ENDS
Spokepeople on the protest call
Niall Harnett 086 - 8444966
St.John O Donobhain 085 - 7693251
For stills photographs and more information email [email protected]
Shell to Sea website http://www.corribsos.com/
Rossport Solidarity Camp website http://www.rossportsolidaritycamp.110mb.com/
NOTES TO EDITORS
1.Broadhaven Bay is a designated Special Area of Conservation. (SAC).
2.The Solitaire was accompanied in it's work by 300 gardai on land, 2 navy boats, 20 security and gardai boats in the bay and helicopters. Despite this several successful actions have taken place against the ship. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEAwob38WYk.
3.Fisherman Pat O'Donnell was recently held at gunpoint when his boat was boarded by masked men and sunk, see http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option ... &Itemid=38
Last week seven people with no previous convictions were remanded for minor public order offences whilst protesting against Shell.
4.Former United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, Denis Halliday, commenting on the Controversial Corrib Gas dispute last week: “I think the Irish people are not getting the whole story. These people who object are not just trouble-makers, they are not terrorists, they are not dangerous people. They are normal Irish people living in a quiet community who are being threatened; their way of life is being threatened,†said the UN veteran." See http://www.corribsos.com/
5. The Great Gas Giveaway has been detailed in a report by the Centre for Public Inquiry. http://www.publicinquiry.ie/reports.php#ld196. Journalist and Economist Colm Rapple was also written extensively about the the theft of Ireland's natural resources. http://colmrapple.com/?cat=7
Shell to Sea activists board supply ship to Solitaire in Killibegs.
This afternoon seven Shell to Sea activists in kayaks visited the Toisa Independent, which supplies pipe to the Solitaire, a vessel used by Shell to lay the Corrib gas pipeline. The Solitaire, which left Broadhaven Bay (1) yesterday after laying the first section of pipe for the project, has been the target of several actions recently in the continual campaign against Shell. (2) Despite Shell's increasingly heavy handed response to protests, Shell to Sea activist's have continued their fight. (3)
Niall Harnett, speaking from the protest in Killybegs today said "We demand that this port stops supporting the Corrib gas project which is destroying the lives of the people in Erris. There has been much misinformation about the Corrib gas pipeline in the media, as campaigners continue to protest in order to bring a halt to this unsafe project which threatens the homes and livelihoods of many in the local area". The pipeline would carry unprocessed gas across the region to the refinery at Bellanaboy. (4)
Harnett continued "We are also acting in protest against the theft of Ireland's natural resources. At a time when unemployment levels are set to reach record numbers and the government attacks ordinary people with levies taxes and pay cuts it is obscene that Shell are allowed to steal billions of euro's of our resources." (5)
St.John O Donobhain, also on the protest, said. "Shell's attempts to pretend the Corrib project is a done-deal is misleading. This is project is unjust, illegal, and immoral. It will fail."
ENDS
Spokepeople on the protest call
Niall Harnett 086 - 8444966
St.John O Donobhain 085 - 7693251
For stills photographs and more information email [email protected]
Shell to Sea website http://www.corribsos.com/
Rossport Solidarity Camp website http://www.rossportsolidaritycamp.110mb.com/
NOTES TO EDITORS
1.Broadhaven Bay is a designated Special Area of Conservation. (SAC).
2.The Solitaire was accompanied in it's work by 300 gardai on land, 2 navy boats, 20 security and gardai boats in the bay and helicopters. Despite this several successful actions have taken place against the ship. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEAwob38WYk.
3.Fisherman Pat O'Donnell was recently held at gunpoint when his boat was boarded by masked men and sunk, see http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option ... &Itemid=38
Last week seven people with no previous convictions were remanded for minor public order offences whilst protesting against Shell.
4.Former United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator in Iraq, Denis Halliday, commenting on the Controversial Corrib Gas dispute last week: “I think the Irish people are not getting the whole story. These people who object are not just trouble-makers, they are not terrorists, they are not dangerous people. They are normal Irish people living in a quiet community who are being threatened; their way of life is being threatened,†said the UN veteran." See http://www.corribsos.com/
5. The Great Gas Giveaway has been detailed in a report by the Centre for Public Inquiry. http://www.publicinquiry.ie/reports.php#ld196. Journalist and Economist Colm Rapple was also written extensively about the the theft of Ireland's natural resources. http://colmrapple.com/?cat=7