Dublin Shell to Sea

Five kayakers breached the Solitaire's unilaterally declared 500 metre exclusion zone yesterday evening (Thursday) in a daring offshore action. Despite the presence of Navy warships, Garda water units and private security vessels in Erris waters, the determined fishing boat approached the vessel. The kayakers made directly for the Solitaire, dodging Shell and safety boats, and came within 100 metres of the pipelaying ship which immediately left the area, roughly ten miles off the Mayo Coast. This was the culmination of a day of action against the Solitaire.

---Innovative footage by protesters available on Youtube[1]---

Jonathan O'Donnell, a local fisherman, spent last night in Castlerea prison following his arrest at sea yesterday where he was attending to his crab pots.

The preventative detention of O'Donnell and his father Pat, appears to be motivated by a government plan to shut down all protests against the Solitaire as it prepares to lay 84km of pipeline to advance the ill fated Corrib gas project. Pat was also injured by Gardai, and sent to hospital, from where he has since been released.

Meanwhile Jonathan and Pat O'Donnell's boats remain impounded by Gardai as dozens of people arrived in the area to join local protestors launching a weekend of action to prevent the Solitaire's disastrous mission. 

Shell To Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington praised the courage of the crew, saying, “it is actions like this which show that a small group of determined individuals can challenge corporate power and prevent Shell from bulldozing its way through a rural community."

ENDS

Mayo Shell to Sea press release

Notes for editors
1. Video of Solitaire fleeing Shell to Sea kayakers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEAwob38WYk

Update from indymedia.ie

Refuting false media reports

A Shell To Sea activist speaks to camera to refute the lie put about in the Irish mainstream media that the kayakers who came to within 100m of Shell's contracted pipe-laying ship the Solitaire had been 'detained' by security guards (or more correctly mercenaries) from IRMS. The simple truth is that the five-person kayak team did indeed get to within 100m of the Solitaire, which steamed away in response, and IRMS personnel did not 'detain' any of the team. The kayakers returned to the fishing boat from which they launched, and returned to shore safely.

See the video